Reviews of ZoneAlarm Free

1. 
   securtek

   Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (Aug 5, 2009)

   Thought I would try 8.0.298.0. Everything installed ok with the several nag screens mentioned. I tested the software for three days. Each time I booted a nag screen appeared asking if I wanted to check for an upgrade. Heck this was the latest version! In the setup I had previously checked manual updates, this obliviously does not work.
   
   I decide this was too much nonsense each and every time I booted. I un-installed, rebooted and my machine froze each time upon reaching the desktop. I booted in safe mode and tried to restore but for some unknown the restore function was disabled. I loaded a previous saved ERUNT backup which also failed to boot.
   
   I finally booted from another drive and manually moved one of the earlier registry backups to the system\config file, renamed same and rebooted. All went well. I have not decided if I want to attempt this again. I don’t like being a Ginny Pig to test Zonealarms poorly written software. This machine was built new 16 months ago without any previous issues.
2. 
   BigOrange029

   Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (May 11, 2009)

   ZoneAlarm used to be the king of firewalls. I can remember when expert after expert scored it the highest among them all, and now it's just average. The nag screens during installation are annoying especially if you do not wish to pay the premium price for the paid version with the same nag screens and average tech support. It gets annoying with the popups whenever you update your software to newer versions, asking you for permission yet again. The lack of updates is disappointing as malware is ever evolving, it would be nice to see more definitions available.
   
   However, on the positive side, it is easy to setup once you get past the nag screens and if you are a beginner that is definitely a good thing. It's not very RAM intensive and I have yet to get an infection since pairing ZoneAlarm with Rising Anti-Virus. Solid, but not spectacular, there are better, but there are certainly much worse.
3. 
   DudeBoyz

   Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (Apr 15, 2009)

   Used to be the king of them all.
   
   Now it's not even close.
   
   Download a mini installer, go through nag screens during the install, check boxes just to get the free product to install at all and now you can't get any auto-updates unless you purchase the full version?
   
   Participate in this, hassle screens say that, then you have to do a full-on reboot when you FINALLY get done with all those nag screens? What an annoying drag!!!
   
   Not only that but it doesn't handle all of the Windows Network permissions properly on an existing installation of functioning networked PC's!
   
   Sorry Charlie. You forgot where you came from and this is what happens.
4. 
   Soozy

   Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (Mar 30, 2009)

   So sad that they still won't make the Free version Vista 64 bit compatible.
5. 
   Cris3

   Reviewing 8.0.065.0 (Dec 16, 2008)

   I also got the ZoneAlarm Pro and I put up with its nagging permission questions for two days before I took it back out. It blocked too much of my common functions without a message.
   
   Vista has a firewall that works fine when you add outbound protection with this free program.
   http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/order.html
   
   a-squared anti-malware also provides good real time protection and is an excellent cookie blocker and mal-ware scanner.

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