Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

inkowyouknow reviewed v14.0.522.000 on Sep 16, 2015

Having used it from the point it was released its steadily got worse, free or not its in short, appalling and the crap line "its takes lots of dollars to develop" and "we need to install crap on your PC to pay for it " Come on now turn the page....

-Lord- reviewed v14.0.157.000 on Aug 14, 2015

this started out as a rag back in the day and protected your system from almost nothing. Conseal PC Firewall beat this crap hands down. Since then, however, with most AV software incorporating malware detection as well as the stand alone detection like MBAM, the point of this software is moot.

Avoid this at all cost.

MrJimbojet4U reviewed v2015 13.2.015.000 on Jul 19, 2014

Today the 19 of juli 2014, I contacted zonealarm about a update matter. Mr Trent did not no where he was talking about so the conversation went a little mixed up. What was going on, Mr trent ( if it is his real name ) said to me that version 131.211.000 was the latest version but I installed version 132.015.000. Zonealarm did not update my paid version so I did not have the latest stable version.This was his answer: I am sorry for the inconvenience. Unfortunately not all versions are pushed through Update. but like I stated in our last chat version 13.1.211.000 is the latest full download we have ( WRONG ). So mister Trent is wrong and is working in the wrong place! I quit using Zonealarm right now! What a waste of service and program ( guess i'm going back to Comodo ).this was the last he said: Trent M.: Is there anything else I can assist you with today? What a way to stand by a consumer!Trent M.: All right, ***, have a great day!
Trent M.: Thank you for chatting with me. We welcome your feedback: please CLICK HERE to complete our Exit Survey or click the Exit Chat button.

So goodbye to you Zonealarm and that thanks to mister M Trent you have a good day too.

kstev99 reviewed v2015 13.2.015.000 on Jun 2, 2014

Was good back in its day. now it's just plain bad

Fred G. Sanford reviewed v13.1.211.000 on May 2, 2014

Quoting directly from a moderator in ZoneAlarm's forum:

"The software is provided for Free. A lot of very expensive dollars go into developing Free security software. So in exchange for Free software we require the changing of the Browsers homepage and or browser search provider along with a toolbar."

some guy reviewed v13.1.211.000 on May 1, 2014

this is a perfect example of the software developers not listening to their customers. Like Chrome this post is nothing more then, the developer spamming their product.

HeilNizar reviewed v11.0.000.504 on Apr 10, 2013

Programs like this shouldn't even be listed on here.

Fred G. Sanford reviewed v11.0.038.000 on Jan 4, 2013

ZoneAlarm has become absurdly bloated over the last few years. What used to be the first choice for Windows users in need of a simple, fast software firewall will now slow your PC down to a virtual standstill.

At the same time, they've actually removed features rather than added them. In recent builds the Network Lock and network traffic system tray icon were buggy, so the devs announced that instead of fixing the functions, they would REMOVE them altogether. When ZA users in their support forum complained about this, the thread was locked with a terse message that "no further discussion on this matter will be allowed."

Almost any other firewall choice is better than the mess that ZoneAlarm has become.

Zootopia3001 reviewed v11.0.038.000 on Jan 4, 2013

2Mb's in download size my butt. Most certainly it downloads more during installation. Lots more. By the looks of it, a whole 200Mb's plus more in installation size. The last good version was probably version 6.x or 5.5.x

Music4Ever reviewed v11.0.038.000 on Jan 4, 2013

Agree with Hall9000, added to the fact it's all but impossible to uninstall makes it now the worst firewall in the entire world.

Hall9000 reviewed v11.0.018.000 on Nov 13, 2012

I thought I had posted a review not so long ago and I can't find it. Must have changed my mind. Anyway, Ir is the only firewall that I wouldn't even recommend to my worst enemy. That's how bad it is. Id doesn't slow down a computer, it brings it down to snail speed. Maybe ZoneLab should check what they changed way back in 2005 because that is where the 5 star raitings suddenly dry up.

humbleuser reviewed v10.2.074.000 on Sep 17, 2012

I found that after installing this version (168mb instead of 2.1mb for web based off their website) the first update I ran downloaded the whole thing again. It may happen on my next update then I'll drop to 1 star and warn everyone off it.

-Lord- reviewed v10.2.074.000 on Aug 9, 2012

How is it that I see nothing but one star reviews and this piece of s**t still has a 4 star rating? The developers should be humiliated by this crapware.

wjf152 reviewed v10.2.074.000 on Aug 9, 2012

Outpost security suite free (fiirewall and anti malware) , as good as it gets for home user .

HeilNizar reviewed v10.2.072.000 on Jul 26, 2012

Bullsh!t in its purest form.

-Lord- reviewed v10.2.072.000 on Jul 25, 2012

First, I was amazed that they are still making this program. Curious, however, I tried it. Just as suspected, it is every bit the 100% truly worthless piece of garbage that it has always been. Windows' build in firewall is better than this rag. Avoid this. Do NOT install this. If someone comes to you asking for computer help and you see this on there, tell them they're too stupid to own a computer and leave.

This program doesn't even deserve the 1 star that I HAVE to give it to review, I would give it a negative number rating if I could.

I'll be back later. I have to go wipe and reinstall the OS on the computer that I tried this trash in. I want my 30 minutes back for trying to software. I feel so dirty now.

Music4Ever reviewed v10.2.57.0 on Jun 18, 2012

A decent free Firewall is 'Private Firewall' :-

http://www.privacyware.com/personal_firewall.html

If you really want to pay:- 'Look n Stop' ~ Dreadful interface, pre-Win95 looks - Brilliant firewall ~

CyberDoc999 reviewed v10.2.47.0 on May 31, 2012

Cryin' won't help you, Cryin' won't do you no good,
if you install this

Music4Ever reviewed v10.2.47.0 on May 30, 2012

I see they now use a web installer maybe to hide the true size of this bloated program. It's huge & as below slows a PC down which is totally unnecessary.

If you are behind a hardware firewall & using Windows 7 you don't need this piece of what is bluntly junk. A decade or more ago ZoneAlarm was very good ~ Today it is not. If you are still using XP there are better free alternatives.

@AmpFeare I am no noob ~ Or a kid either ~

carlo_tor reviewed v10.1.079.000 on May 9, 2012

Zonealarm free firewall is a good piece of software but is too heavy. When Emule is running, VSMON (trueVector Service) takes the cpu at 80-90 %; the pc is almost frozen and the cpu temperature goes up to 80 degrees (Celsius). Really too much !!.

AmpFeare reviewed v10.1.079.000 on Apr 28, 2012

dunno what you noobs are talking about bashing this piece of software. just installed the pro version of this a few hours ago and my internet is fine. youtube buffering is still fine, download speeds are just fine. everything i allow through the firewall when it asks runs just fine. ive also used the free version with no issues. sorry u kids gotta stick with windows firewall or something else

cannie reviewed v10.1.079.000 on Dec 26, 2011

I don't see any reason to replace the Windows 7 native firewall. This OS has an excellent security level, and if you keep an image of it any serious problem may be easily fixed without adding any new external security elements.

nvic reviewed v10.1.079.000 on Dec 24, 2011

As others have said, things like the network stop are no longer present and the program has become complete garbage.

I used to like the older versions, but the new ones are bloatware.

Input Overload reviewed v10.1.079.000 on Dec 24, 2011

Bloody ell, look at the install size.

@tl307 Is a spammer & none of the links are current.

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Lovely Spam, Lovely Spam, Lovely Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, I Don't Like Spam!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8huXkSaL7o

Sativarg reviewed v10.1.079.000 on Dec 23, 2011

the picture and description above is out of date there is no user control to stop the network any more. That is why I quit using this program. It seems the development team got fed up with stupid users who did not know the stop had been activated so all users must be denied that feature..

Baby bathwater
Nose face...
D'oh!

AlanS2001 reviewed v10.1.065.000 on Dec 9, 2011

Just replaced ZoneAlarm with Comodo. System responsiveness seems to have improved.

Input Overload reviewed v10.1.065.000 on Nov 11, 2011

Total unmitigated absolute garbage. If you really want to mess up your PC or you really hate someone this is the best program for it.

Shame the ratings don't have minus points.

egg83 reviewed v10.1.065.000 on Nov 11, 2011

I can remember back when the installers for this program were under 5mb. 148 mb to install a firewall?? I'll stick to built in firewall before I install this overweight piggy on my pc. Oink!!

Bala7 reviewed v10.1.056.000 on Oct 27, 2011

148MB for a firewall ???
I'll let other be the guinea pig.

wannabetechy reviewed v9.3.014.000 on May 16, 2011

Zone Alarm is a 3rd tier product at best. For some odd reason, it appeals to the techie element but who knows why? It really slows down your computer but the protection it offers is subpar. Other brand name products that came with new computers I recently bought are MUCH better. The ForceField is a joke. That REALLY slows you down. Use Safari or Google Chrome instead. They're free and they offer much better browsing protection.

nilst2006 reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Sep 23, 2010

Crapware, malware and now scareware !

Slipped it in reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Jul 29, 2010

Microsoft is developing software that does everything ZoneAlarm does and more. The best part is Microsoft's software is 100% free. Free as in a paid option does NOT exist.

Lsavagejt reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Jul 28, 2010

Does it still nag users to pony up? Matousec does not recommend ZA. Choose Online Armor, Comodo, or Outpost. Do it now. Right now.

JGOB reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Jul 28, 2010

It is a wrong link, this is for ZoneAlarm with Antivirus also you can see it on the size of the file. The latest ZoneAlarm Free Firewall release is 9.2.057.000. the size of the EXE file is about 45 Mb.

It is true, ZoneAlarm it did very good and it was on the very top once, even better than Norton Firewall and many other products for home users. But competition is hard and to be the number one and be the best selling security product involves a lot of things. But we all the final users want to have a product we can trust, relay on, performs good not making PCs slow and not compromising the equipment integrity and data.

The FREE version still does what needs to do, the Suites not too happy about it, all those extras reduce the system resources and at times some problems come along with it. We hope the ZoneAlarm team can check on this.

8bitmorethan reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Jul 28, 2010

Why the hating? Yes the app is large but compared to anything else you run on your system (browsers, word processors..etc.) it actually uses a very moderate amount of RAM. Also it is extremely easy to use and offers no-time-spend individual app configuration of ingoing/outgoing data-stream. If there is another free firewall out there with this kind of easy but systematic and secure interface then I have yet to see it (i.e. at least post name in case you know of one before putting Zonealarm down) UPDATE: thanks to Lsavagejt above for recommending Matousec (security review site), I can see Zonealarms security performance is not up to par when compared to Comodo and others, I lowered my rating accordingly.

Input Overload reviewed v9.3.014.000 on Jul 28, 2010

I would rather have no firewall than this huge bloated piece of junk.

Yes I can give you a few, PC Tools free Firewall - Good. Comodo firewall - In many tests the most leak proof firewall out there & also Free. Sunbelt - Gives you a trial with all features then after 30 days reverts to a less featured but still good firewall.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v9.2.057.000 on Jul 2, 2010

It was King for just one day
and it is buggy and slow

nilst2006 reviewed v9.2.042.000 on May 25, 2010

Once a king ! Now i really don't know what to say....humm...a joke !

securtek reviewed v8.0.298.0 on 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.

BigOrange029 reviewed v8.0.298.0 on 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.

DudeBoyz reviewed v8.0.298.0 on 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.

Soozy reviewed v8.0.298.0 on Mar 30, 2009

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

Cris3 reviewed v8.0.065.0 on 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.

sturgess reviewed v8.0.065.0 on Dec 16, 2008

Thanks to BetaNews heads-up last month, I now use ZoneAlarm Pro, thanks for the link guys much appreciated. Been using ZoneAlarm for ever, never let me down. It's free, it was the first, and more folk use it than any other, what more do you want ?

madmike reviewed v8.0.065.0 on Dec 16, 2008

Tis pants, always has been. If you have no money I guess its ok , but far better solutions out there

ballyhairs reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Nov 20, 2008

Well, it did block some attacks, but it slowed start up, and some programs were not responding sometimes, only by restarting the whole computer.
and yes I felt like its gonna touch my butt.

AsianAngel reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Jun 18, 2008

I am doing something that I never thought I would do...and that is give Zone Alarm a "1 star" rating. I have trusted, really believed in, and used this firewall exclusively for years. I have always gotten great results until recently.

On my newest desktop, it was causing system crashes (blue screen after blue screen) and for all of my browsers to "lock up" regardless of brand (i.e. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, etc...). The only way to get the browsers "unlocked" was to totally restart my entire system only to have it happen again (at most I got maybe an hour or so of browsing, etc done each time).

It took me a little while to figure out that it was Zone Alarm doing it (I did not suspect it due to such great performance in the past).

The last of my patience was gone when a nag screen started showing up EVERY time I restarted my computer "hinting" that I should look into the pay version.

What the hell is that supposed to be about since this is supposed to be a FREEWARE product??? First it messes my computer up and then it wants to harass me to death??? I don't think so!!!

If you put out a freeware product, then make it a freeware product that at least works, not as something that is supposed to be free but messes your computer up and harasses you to buy the pay version!!!

Needless to say, after uninstalling Zone Alarm, my computer has been running at 1000%. Things like this only get one opportunity to burn me like this, but NEVER a second time.

It may take me a while to find a permanent firewall replacement, but I am patient...

Nikkie reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Jan 8, 2008

I have been using this for years and i have tried almost all of the firewalls out from 97'-2008.
Comodo is an up n' coming alternative but it needs work.Zonealarm is running nice on my toshiba laptop with vista..

xanderzone365 reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Nov 14, 2007

This firewall failed Mautosec's leak-tests.

Plus it crashed my XP program.

KRome reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Nov 7, 2007

Does this work with Vista X64?

molumen reviewed v7.1.100.000 on Nov 7, 2007

JayWain and CyberDoc999, if you look a the description of this entry (on the right side of the description), you'll notice that it says "OS Support: Windows Vista". So I don't understand why you both ranked it with a 1.

Also, the final version for XO is 7.0.408.000, not 7.0.337.000. Make a small search on fileforum and you'll find it.

cap.ahab reviewed v7.1.078.000 on Oct 12, 2007

The following link is a wonderful guide to securing zonealarm free.
http://www.markusjansson.net/eza.html
I have enjoyed using this firewall for the last year. It has been really easy to use and customize.

FYI: if you have kaspersky av, and you uninstall zonealarm, and you don't allow the registry to be changed which zonealarm requests; your internet will be broken. I had to system restore. Kind of a dumb point, but spoken anyway.

cheers!

JayWain reviewed v7.1.078.000 on Jun 19, 2007

Note that this newest version only mentions being for VISTA. ZA website still lists 7.0.337 for XP.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v7.1.078.000 on Jun 19, 2007

this one crashed my XP computer

Mick Leong reviewed v7.1.078.000 on Jun 19, 2007

I have given up zonealarm some 6 months ago. Its is bloated not compared to the older versions. The suto upgrade sometimes will download a newer version that gives hiccups. Now I am happy with the fee comodo firewall. Give it a try - I like to hear some comparisons. Its fee http://www.comodo.com/

doctorsmith reviewed v7.1.078.000 on Jun 18, 2007

ok it works on Vista x86, but needs some work still as it's dramatically slowing down connecting to sites and email retrieval and sending.

digitalking reviewed v7.0.337.000 on Apr 3, 2007

This is the most easily configured firewall out there, with the most options available for blocking\allowing ports, IPs, only portions of programs to use certain ports, etc. This is not found on Commode, or others. I have used the trials of all popular firewalls, and this one offers the most bang for your buck. If your looking for free, I agree free ZoneAlarm is not the greatest, but the Pro kicks!

uberfly reviewed v7.0.337.000 on Mar 21, 2007

Always been rock-solid for me and definitely not memory-intensive. It does what it advertises well and is VERY easy to set up and maintain. Considering it's a security product, minus 1 for no vista support yet, but probably soon (like everyone else).

outofspace reviewed v7.0.337.000 on Mar 20, 2007

Not working on Vista, what a shame!

toasale reviewed v7.0.334.000 on Mar 16, 2007

Down the commode with Check Point's ZA Pro & ZA Pro + A-Spyware for sucking sounds louder than ever and... the forever build up of their totally useless Vsmon files and onto COMMODO.

No, I am not a Commodo sales rep, just a person who wants fine net security with friendly system usuage!

adamlau reviewed v7.0.334.000 on Mar 16, 2007

I have no idea why vsmon.exe + zlclient.exe is taking up neary 80 MB of memory...Looks as if I will be going back to the resource-unintensive BlackICE...

johnusa reviewed v7.0.334.000 on Mar 15, 2007

Just confirmed with ZoneLabs, this and all other program versions (like Pro and Security Suite) are NOT compatible with Windows Vista.
It is unbelievable that as of today (March 15) ZoneLabs still does not have a firewall that can run in Vista.
It is quite ridiculous.
Shame on you Check Point.
You s*ck.

bellgamin reviewed v7.0.334.000 on Mar 15, 2007

Zone Alarm Free will get the job done for a reasonably low-risk web surfer. But it uses waaay too many system resources to do its job.

If you are a high-risk surfer, then I recommend you get an inexpensive router (it provides hard-wired inbound protection) PLUS Jetico's free firewall to cover outbound.

If you are a moderate risk surfer &/or find Jetico firewall too complex to deal with, then I recommend Kerio 2.1.5 free firewall PLUS DynamicSecurityAgent, which is also free.

mikeyx11 reviewed v7.0.334.000 on Mar 15, 2007

What was once one of the best firewalls has become a useless resource hog, slow and unreliable. Quite often has issues with uninstalling as well. :(

If Windows built in firewall isn't enough for you, i'd recommend using Comodo:
http://fileforum.betanew...rewall_Pro/1132729513/1

Fast, free, nice GUI, and easy to use.

doctorsmith reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Feb 6, 2007

what was once a decent firewall has become bloated, unreliable and even worse an annoying nag screen that appears some time after install.
and just to show how pathetic zonelabs have become I went to their support page, registered, put up a post complaining about the nag screen, mentioned Comodo firewall as an alternative. the results the word Comodo was bleeped out and I was banned from the site.

cricri_pingouin reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Jan 26, 2007

Bloated (installer 3x the size of v6.5). Besides, it installs ALL the crap, so it's just not the installer which is bloated. And it also RUNS all the crap! It might not be doing anything, but it's all behind the scene up and running. It also adds a shortcut in your explorer contextual that is grayed out, because of the point just mentionned, to nag you, and to waste your resources.
Bug-wise, it blocks all IRC traffic in the Free version, without possibility to manually let this kind of traffic through (since the option is not in the free version). I tried to follow the instructions on their forum, i.e. removing the .RDB files in "\windows\internet logs" (in safe mode), but the problem persists after that. After uninstalling and trying to re-install v6.5, I got the infamous error about zpeng24.dll. If you have this problem, delete the folder "\windows\system32\zonelabs" and try again.
Save yourself pain and sorrow: avoid this version like the plague.
So here am I after about 6 reboots and back to v6.5.737, to give it a well deserved 1 star.

nilst2006 reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Jan 26, 2007

I guess that this doesn't work on XP x64 ?! Or ???

polysius reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Jan 8, 2007

Useless for advanced users as the interface/GUI is clumsy, hard to navigate, over-simplified, etc. But this is a trait of all Windows GUI personal firewalls.

Also not very good for new users either, as they are not going to know what their yes/no answers to firewall popups will actually affect.

Very standard and 'safe' within the industry. Nothing innovative at all. They're just doing what everyone else does, with nothing special about it.

Nikkie reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Nov 5, 2006

This has always worked great for me.Does what it should do and it is free.I've never had a problem and they are always upgrading to fix any issues.They are very nice in the forums and have helped me many times..

good stuff and free..

Zee333 reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Sep 11, 2006

you can't compare Outpost Firewall PRO to ZoneAlarm Free.

Perhaps if you compared ZoneAlarm Pro or ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, then it would be different.

Fantastic firewall for me!

themanhimself reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Sep 2, 2006

If u are a newbee its ok, keeps most bad stuff out. For the more experianced of us , its not so good. Config options are very limited - can be remotley shut down and so on, gets a 3 star scroee because :
1. Its Free!
2. Its better than nothing
3. There is hope it will be improved.
Meantime,Outpost Firewall Pro is the mutts nuts and brilliant:)

uberfly reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Sep 1, 2006

Never had the slightest issue with zone alarm. Always worked great for me on several systems. Thank you ZA for a nice product and for keeping nags out of the free version.

superman2k6 reviewed v6.5.731.000 on Jul 28, 2006

i was getting the black screen of death in the other version i think 6.5.722.000 what other ppl r saying but that bug has gone in this version finally yayyyyyy

David_2005 reviewed v6.5.731.000 on Jul 28, 2006

WELL DAMN that bug in 6.5.722.000 was annoying im glad its fixed zonealarm is working well i pay for zonealarm with antivirus but im using the free version because they have not updated that version yet :(

Vampmon reviewed v6.5.731.000 on Jul 28, 2006

The issue of the computer hanging on a black screen in v6.5.722.000 has been fixed in this version thank god. Do not use the Pro versions until they are upgraded to v731

dejavu reviewed v6.5.731.000 on Jul 23, 2006

After a worst nightmare version 6.5.731.000 works for me!

BICKY reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 30, 2006

Please make sure you do a system restore point before installing v 6.5722.00.

The update reminder kept popping up for a new update to Zone Alarm being ready and in the past all has gone well so it was decided to let it go ahead.

A sixth sence said do a restore point first.

After update to v 6.5722.00 the computer would not reboot even to the last known good configeration and so I had to go into Safe mode to restore to the recently made restore point. After that Zone Alarm was uninstalled and the previous v 6.0.667 Pro was put back in ok.

danilloOc reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 29, 2006

This version make my sytem take too long to start after login screen, I hear the windows start sound but take like 15 or 20 seconds to show my desktop, and I didn't got it when I reverted to a previous version.

naldino2006 reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 23, 2006

DON'T USE THIS VERSION AS IS BUGGY. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T LOAD PROPERLY AND I HAVE TO REBOOT AGAIN!

CyberDoc999 reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 22, 2006

this ZoneAlarm has too many bugs now I use the free
Filseclab Personal Firewall
it works great!

bayernmunich44 reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 22, 2006

I totally agree with chemluna when she/he says to IN THIS CASE, stay away from the betas. I have tried Zonealarm betas in three oportunities and all they made a mess in my computer.

I have been using ZA for 4 years now, two of which I was a payed registered user and find it to be the best firewall. Never had a single problem with it, never (unless I install the betas ;) )

So TomA102210 if you have anything intelligent to say as why you rated ZoneAlarm 4-stars you'd better...

TomA102210 reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 21, 2006

"I would recommend to just use the official releases and not the betas."
-------------------------------------------------
Some of us do like to test beta software.

chemluna reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 21, 2006

Probably thanks God I've never had a single problem when installing a version downloaded directly from ZoneLabs. Only once I installed a beta and was the worst experience I've ever had.

I would recommend to just use the official releases and not the betas.

eclipsingdivinity reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 21, 2006

Honestly, I thought my opinion of Zone Alarm would have changed by now. But the free version has been the same since 2 years ago when I used it. I don't notice a freakin' thing; let alone do I think the support has actually been great for this freebie. Considering the mountains of bugs and problems people have with it, this thing is on a fast track to nowhere.

Everyone can brag about how easy the GUI is. I personally think it's ugly as hell. The colors are annoying and the typical application control looks like any other firewall (see Kerio, NetVeda, Filseclab, etc). There are no features that stand out except a clumsy mail guard. At least alternatives like Kerio offer application protections, or in Comodo Firewall's case, a free antivirus and intrusion protection.

Tenoq reviewed v6.5.714.000 on Jun 16, 2006

This one has installed ok on half a dozen boxes so far, and seems relatively stable. Can't say if it's solved all the issues with 6.1, but time will tell. Those having install issues probably failed to correctly uninstall the old version, or aren't using a clean system. There's a number of malware apps that have recently surfaced that cause SERIOUS problems for ZA. Clean up your \system32\ :P

kda reviewed v6.5.714.000 on Jun 15, 2006

6.5.714 seems to have solved the problems I was having with 6.5.700. Specifically, the 700 version was re-ordering the drive letters on my CD/DVD devices every time I'd boot ... but this latest release 714 resolves that nicely. I've been runing this newest free release a day now and it seems to be causing zero problems.

dejavu reviewed v6.5.714.000 on Jun 15, 2006

Version 6.5.700.0 won't install! I hope this work! Shame! Zone Alarm was one the best personal firewall!

alpha4test reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 6, 2006

I constantly test firewall and other apps, and i like the easy way zone alarm works and allow us to control and set up our preferences.
It´s a good firewall for the casual user, in it's free version but if you want to be in control of your connection in deed then my advice goes for the kerio free version.
Kerio is as easy to use and with more features.
with kerio you can visualize your data transfers, remote ip's, and when setting rules you can customize in and out ports and protocols for each app with advanced rules.
Not tha zone alarm free is not a good firewall, but for now Kerio free version is a better choice is you really want to be in control

Earwicker reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 6, 2006

I was already running a beta version which had to be uninstalled, losing all my settings which p*ssed me off. Otherwise I can't find any problems; it's a great firewall - and a firewall in the best spirit of the ilk: nothing gets in or out without your sayso. It's pretty cool.

josejosefo reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 5, 2006

I am one of many who has had problems with this version in particular. First, the ZA icon didn't appear in the task bar, second: No internet!
I uninstalled it and went back to the latest release and now everything is OK...
THIS ONE IS BUGGY!

Blue_Horse reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 5, 2006

WARNING: According to http://www.zonelabs.com/...upport/win98MEusers.jsp "Windows 98/98SE/Me Support Discontinued" for this edition and later. In other words version 6.5.700.000 will not install on a Windows 98/98SE/Me platform!

dabombk1 reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 5, 2006

is anyone having an issue whereby .700 wont upgrade over .690 because .690 is a beta. calls for uninstall of .690 otherwise ZA has been solid for my needs.

dejavu reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 5, 2006

If you need a basic firewall Zone Alarm Free is the choice!

Tenoq reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 28, 2006

sophist_dreams - this is not a server firewall, so it was moronic to expect it to work for that application.

ZA is great for the masses - it's a simple program to get the hang of, with enough advanced configuration to keep non-tech computer users happy. It's auto-configured quite well by default (in Pro, at least), but certain options cannot be changed, which is a limiting factor for professional use.

Personally, for something more configurable, I'll still with Kerio.

imright reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 28, 2006

Good firewall and easy configuration. But why is the Free version is same size as the Pro version? If I want to try Pro I will download Pro. I don't prefer it to install unnecessary files on my PC when I'm not interested to have them. 15 days of trial is like mercy. Who wants to beg for that trial.

jsc315 reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 27, 2006

ZoneAlarm used to be great. I do not know what happened with them but this is just bloatware to me now. it takes my pc now about 6 min. to boot up with zonealarm on my pc. ZoneAlarm still is better than most free firwalls, but they just are not as good as they used to be. If you need a firewall and dont want to spen the money on a router or firewall software this is a good alternative but there are better out there.

mansa reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 27, 2006

Excellent personal firewall even the best for people who like a good and a simple protection againt internet threats. This one is suffisant.
However it uses much ram ressources and may slow older pcs. But that's the price of this good freeware. I used it for several time and my os is still clean from trojans and worms ...(+ nod32)
But for advanced users they can turn to the pro version or even to outpost or kerio or sygate.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 27, 2006

after I installed this
I saw my first ever
blue screen of death.....
in fact I had 3 BSOD in one day
and I un-installed it and
now I am smooth sailing again.

heybirder reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 27, 2006

photonboy, there is a big difference between a router/gateway and a software firewall such as ZA.

The router stops traffic from coming in and in that regard is better than using a ZA like tool.

However, the use of ZA tool is to stop traffic going *out*. There are far too many programs these days that call home for no other reason than they can. I prefer to have the ability to tell what processes can or can not leave my computer.

themanhimself reviewed v6.1.744.001 on Mar 27, 2006

I used to swear by this, but the friggar let a hacker in to my pc, so now its binned. Free it may be but remmber free always hasa price

Never Again!

photonboy reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

Ok for the price.

Remember that if you have a router or other gateway technology you may not need a software firewall.

My d-link 704p router manual says to NOT use a software firewall. I tested this and it's true.

sQin reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

there are better, lighter, more advanced firewalls. ZA becomes very slow and cpu usage jumps to 100% with 100+ connections after several hours. I still recommend it for novices as its very simple to use

uberfly reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

For the basics it's designed to be, it has always worked flawlessly for me. Not all the extra junk that keeps getting packed into "firewalls" these days. Great if you want to see and block what's coming and going.

Namero reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

its ok for medium security but nothing more !
there are much better firewalls out there

madmike reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

for what it is its fine:)

xrayspex reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

Always has worked fine here. Update was painless. Good free firewall.

ballyhairs reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

I use it for years already, its the best.

Esquire reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

Pro: Easy to use, offer adequate firewall protection against internet intruders.

Con: Resource hog, no antivirus protection, True Vector troublesome.

PS. To uninstall ZA and True Vector completely, add /CLEAN key to the uninstaller (can do this from Run) before executing it.

guevara reviewed v6.1.744.000 on Mar 2, 2006

Exelent

prm753 reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Jan 3, 2006

I have never had a problem with Zone Alarm. I have had it for two years now and haven't gotten a virus in two years.

I highly recommend this product.

imanino reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Dec 26, 2005

Very simply, Zone Alarm has de-emphasized its work on the freeware version. It is evident in features and also in the extent to which the upgrades to the freeware have become increasing buggy. This one simply does not work with any configuration of Windows 98SE despite the claim that it does, much less XP2. From what I hear, the professional version is also rather buggy. I think Zone Alarm may be about to be taken out the box the same way the pop-up blocker industry pretty much died with SP2 in XP. OneCare Bi-directional firewall is going to eat this alive. I think Zone Alarm has proven in the 5 versions that it can do this as well as anybody, but as usual the profit motive is driving the freeware market to other products. At this point, its best as a demo for the professional package, not much more and I say this as a previous user for more than 6 years.

rvb911 reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 25, 2005

Never got a problem or few with previous version. But the last version 6.1.737 causes me troubles, this version of ZAPro makes the PC longer to boot, runs the setup almost everyboot !? says that it has detect a new network.. basically does not save the setting, neither the vault data, neither applications which previously access the net... etc...
Went back to version 6.0.667.000... wait and see know, I'll see how it goes!
OOH by the way.. uninstall of version 6.1.737 left the True Vector engine and driver, so know I have ZAPro 6.0 and true vector 6.1 !! even the unsinstall is rubbish !

Scipio reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 23, 2005

I had problems with the earliest releases of version 5, as did other people. Partly it was due to the release of XP Service Pack 2, which caused trouble for a lot of apps until they sorted things out. That was annoying, but the added security was worth it.

Later versions of 5 were excellent, and these first two versions of 6 have given me no problems at all. If anything, I think it runs smoother than before.

The only negative is that it takes an extra couple of minutes to finish booting up, with Norton AV and ZoneAlarm both apparently inspecting each other before they load. But I find it worth the wait.

kazoom reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 23, 2005

No problems at all updating..working fine as usual here, kept all my settings from previous build.

SpaceTurtle reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 23, 2005

There was a Problem with this App and then it went guerilla, blocked my ports but I could not deinstall it. The Deinstallation FAQ is crap and did not help...how did I get rid of ZA? Well I reinstalled my OS...
Support from ZoneLabs was nonexistent.

I do NOT recommend it, stay away.

JEdwardP reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 22, 2005

Concerning this version I can only reword my review of the previous.

Through 4+ years, three PC's, two versions of Windows, and both dial-up and cable internet connections, I have never had a significant issue with ZoneAlarm Free.

Quite simply, it has never failed to work properly, so I must continue to rate it highly.

My only serious gripe against it is the bloat created since they combined the free and pro installers. I wish they'd pare it down to just the firewall, which is why I give it a rating of 4, rather than the 5 it would otherwise merit.

coover reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 22, 2005

I haven't yet tried this new version as I'm quite happy with the one presently installed. Occasionally ZA will bring out a new version and have to patch it right away, so I shall hesitate a few days. Anybody know what changes ZA has made with this new version?

sQin reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 22, 2005

secure and stable firewall for everyone

ZenWarrior reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 22, 2005

FailedCRC, it receives high ratings because it works--and is free! That is a hard combination to beat, and all too frequently not seen even in software that pulls money out of your pockets.

My experience(s): Six computers + ZoneAlarm Free = Nothing but bliss.

And not working with wireless routers? I have ZoneAlarm working with Linksys, Belkin, and even Blitzz wireless routers as I type. I have never had a problem with ZA working with any of those three brands. You might look elsewhere for a problem. Just a suggestion.

FailedCRC reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 22, 2005

how has za achieved such a high rating?

it STILL doesn't allow basic rule creation

mansa reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 30, 2005

The perfection itself.
It's cool to see such reliable softwares for those who can't spend money on buying them.
And I don't set 5 because it's free but because it's the best.
All you hear about the bad things is just an unawareness of the users :
- uninstall every firewall and reboot before installing ZA
This version is really the best one of ZA I've ever used, and I know what I'm saying.
Try it, it's the best ( I tried sygate pro and outpost but many problems with them)

ranma.2 reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 24, 2005

this update works and is free of bugs.
cool firewall

guevara reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 24, 2005

Exelent firewall

rpavl reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 9, 2005

Zone Alarm has always been a great free product....and really, who is losing sleep over a firewall port??? Get A Life. Great product.

cool_guy reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 7, 2005

ZoneAlarm is the best firewall I have used so far. I have never had any problems of any kind and my computer has been running as smooth as awlays. Combine this with an AV scanner, SpyBot Search & Destroy + its Tea Timer, BHODemon, Ad-Aware, SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard and you have yourself a very secure PC.

ZenWarrior reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 7, 2005

ZoneAlarm (Free) is a superb firewall that continues to protect all of my computers, and for a few years now. It passes all tests thrown at it. Anyone who uses it and speaks of problems would very likely have problems using *any* firewall. Do not listen to those who would disparage anything. Just download it and protect your system and data.

iknowyouknow reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 7, 2005

Sorry to spoil the party, but Zone Alarm.. well its essentially pants and crapware. As those in the know are aware, if you let it open a port it opens the floodgates on that port, there is no individual control, yes means let everyhting through, no means no.

I`m sorry, for newbies or peeps who dont care about security its great, for those in the know its crap

captainahab reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 7, 2005

Works like a charm. Does not slow my internet connection. Blocks and stealths all ports. Easy to use.
A winner!

gkar reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 6, 2005

Works perfectly. Unlike Windows XP Firewall, Zonealarm has application monitoring which is just as important or more important than inbound blocking. Make sure you uninstall all other firewalls and disable Win XP Firewall (Zonealarm has the ability to disable Windows Firewall) before installing I shutdown and disable the service manually myself through Control Panel/Administrative/Services/Application Layer Gateway. Seems to have minimal effect on gaming latency. Zonealarm is big, but sometimes big is better. 10 Stars **********

ecjs reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 30, 2005

Ok but I prefer a lighter firewall like the one in XP.

Nikkie reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 3, 2005

Works like a charm . I have become a fan of zonealarm . From their suite to the free version , This is some great software .

I think people hate it due to the fact it's popular . You know how that goes .

I can't see any reason to hate it . It is def. newbie friendly and user friendly .

The programs these people are explaining to you will take time out of your life cause they ehhum lack it . They have the time to sit around and learn every function of a firewall but why do that when the work is already doen for you and for FREE !!

i never understood some people . I guess at the end of the day that is how they feel useful and accomplished . O well ..

I highley reccomend the Suite . It has the antivirus tools and spam/spyware tools . Among other stuff like email ,cache cleaner , i.m security , parental controls etc etc..

This goes on any new pc i build etc.

poisonu reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 3, 2005

Best of breed software, Particularly for FREE.

Most of the problems users enccounter (if any) are due to then Not having read the manual (downloadable separately) or by misunderstanding how a firewall works.
Let's face it, we are all allergic to reading instruction manuals. LOL

Also like with any OS/software environment, if You Already have problems/issues before You install Any new sw => TROUBLE (Unless Very Lucky, if so buy a lottery ticket Quick smart! ).

Particularly if You install a major piece of security software like a firewall (whether free or not).

Cheers & Best Wishes from The Land Downunder,

poisonu

zridling reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 3, 2005

ZoneAlarm died with its version 5 debacle that created a LOT of pain. I'm not ABOUT to go near this turkey.

ranma.2 reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 2, 2005

the last 3 updates did not work as expected

Tokar reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Aug 2, 2005

Ive been using Zone Alarm since version 3.X.

Its the best firewall. The free version offers you all the same protection as the Pro version. The only major difference is that the Pro version supports ICS networking where as the free doesnt.

Foretunately there is no big competitor to this software in which dopes will claim is better than this product...the way IE has the FireFox users ripping IE...the way Kaspersky has all those NOD32 dopes not acknowledging the fact that Kaspersky is the best. There is a following of Outpost but not anywhere near as large as NOD32 or FireFox.

aburton261 reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 28, 2005

Yes this software is great i been using it for years and its FREE i dont know WTF is wrong with most people who review it too! They always putting down this firewall, there is no pleasing people. I think most of your must be running a 133mhz and 64 megs of ram cause, ZA never acts up for me.

horsecharles reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 28, 2005

I mostly agree with JEdwardP-- the only major issue I've personally experienced with ZA is with a broadband cable connection--
(the type that just requires cable modem to be plugged in-- no connecting software, no muss-- just instant surf: one can wipe clean one's disk & re-install, even switch computers, routers, nics, etc. and can still surf immediately again)
--when debugging/troubleshooting-- disabling the firewall is sometimes just not enough to overcome connection issues-- not until ZA is uninstalled & re-installed, does the connection magically work again. So just keep the serial handy & be willing to uninstall/re-install whenever you change something in the network-- it'd be useful for this if something like allowed rules & settings logs could be left behind & then imported to save time upon subsequent reinstall.
Lesser issues: i do not use its browsing privacy/security features like cookie handling, security zone settings, & ad blocking-- they do not work trouble-free on IE.

And I further totally agree with gkar!!
Nothing beats KPF2.15(or Tiny's TPF, which was same engine, only made it to 2.14) for the combo of effectivenes with simplicity! Case in point its latest iteration(whose example mirrors most of these products), which corporate/technical/expert users i'm sure find useful(btw, it has a fantastic ad-block feature which works great so far on both Opera & IE...contrast this performance w/ ZA's)-- but forget about it, even the personal edition, ever becoming mainstream: it's become so bloated & complex that it's fairly easy for even advanced users to unwittingly grant permission to nefarious activity-- totally destroying the raison d'etre for the firewall. I shudder to think what can happen in the hands of average & newbie users.

JEdwardP reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

I agree that it's become bloated; I haven't liked it as well since they combined the free and pro installation packages, which is why I no longer rate it a five.

But I have NEVER, in almost five years of using it, had any trouble getting it to work properly on either Win98 or XP, so I must therefore continue to rate it highly.

gkar reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

Works flawlessly. XP users should disable the built in worthless XP firewall first. Uninstall all other firewalls before installing also.

aerthling reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

I've been using ZoneAlarm since version 3.x, and recently took it off to give Sygate a go after reading good things about it. The trouble I'd being having with local network servers like FTP and SSH and Windows shares were ALL ZONEALARM. I haven't had any trouble with Sygate yet: everything works perfectly now.

I don't think I'll ever use ZA again.

guevara reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

Best software firewall out there.- you must be joking

otero1 reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

It used to be good. But the more advanced computers have got. ZoneAlarm has kept up with those computers. By making their firewall more and more of a resource hog. I used to be a fan of ZoneAlarm. But its just a hog now. It is a shame how many programs go this route. Even Windows Media Player has done the same thing. If all the makers of programs that do this want good reviews and hell maybe donations. Make lite versions , c'mon not everyone is rich and can upgrade every year.

arossetti reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

Sygate hosed my system. Then again, so did ZoneAlarm. But at least I've used versions of ZoneAlarm that work. I can't say that about Sygate yet.

I have to admit though, that ZA needs to trim itself back down for their basic firewall product. All the AV monitoring, e-mail protection, etc. is overkill for what was once THE standard in softare firewalls. They need to get back to that, at least for the basic version. If they want to sell bells and whistles, fine, but don't force them on us.

AlexBR1974 reviewed v6.0.631.003 on Jul 27, 2005

Sorry, but anyone who is really serious about security will NEVER use Zonealarm. This program is a joke!
Use Sygate instead and you are set!

eldergnomie reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 24, 2005

I've been using ZoneAlarm free edition and ZoneAlarm Pro on all my machines at home and at work (6 total) for more than three years. During that time I have had ZERO problems with the programs, and ZERO intrusions.

I have to assume that the people who are having trouble are either a) technologically challenged, or b) have attention spans too limited to peremit them to grasp the simple operation of this excellent product.

Mountain Man reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 23, 2005

Well said Jose, absolute JUNK, if ever a program deserved to be nuked this is it, abysmal woeful useless afflicted, agonized, anguished, appalling, awful, bad, calamitous, catastrophic, cruel, deplorable, disappointing, disastrous, disconsolate, disgraceful, distressing, doleful, dreadful, feeble, gloomy, grieving, grievous, grim, heartbreaking, heartrending, heartsick, hopeless, inadequate, lamentable, lousy, mean, miserable, mournful, paltry, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poor, racked, rotten, shocking, sorrowful, sorry, terrible, tortured, tragic, unfortunate, unhappy, wretched.

Just plain sloppy s***e.

Took 234's advice and tried it,one minute later after it spat its dummy and ruined a download and crashed the computer, sent it down the Giant turd bowl where it belongs.

Jose reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 22, 2005

Still absolute junk program of this and the last milennium, pure and utter crap, sorry I can't give it a 0

Zone Alarm what a crime. The most Anti P2P program ever. Even has its own section within the Azureus FAQ JUNK JUNK JUNK and even more JUNK.

BIG FAT ZERO. Stay under the bridge with all the other troll programs

Esquire reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 22, 2005

Smooth upgrade from 5.5, but this free version only comes with the basic firewall protection, not their new Triple Defense Firewall as on their paid premium products.

Still can't get it to detect the presence of my AVG Free Edition for antivirus monitoring - this feature is disabled anyway since AVG gives good out-of-date alerts on its own.

some guy reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 22, 2005

I like it ,, but have a hardware fire wall so the only thing I find this useful for, is a program that sends out information, without my consent.

wingo reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 22, 2005

referencing the dude below " I recommend Kerio Personal Firewall instead.". kerio pf is different from the zonaalarm.

zonealarm is aimed for the ones not knowing too much about installing and tweaking. i like this as far as the simplicity, good for the ppl i install soft/hard-ware and sertainly better than resourcehog norton. :)

kerio pf is for the tweaking techie type who knows how to set it up. if you don't know what to block with kpf you might as well be better off without a firewall.

however i do use look n stop which isn't userfriendly at all but its small and does the job. :p

aeromatt reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 21, 2005

This program is no longer beta, although it should be. There are some things missing in this version. The pass-lock feature is not implemented in the programs area, even though it is referred to in the custom options in the auto-lock feature. Other than that, so far it seems like it does what it's supposed to.

UniversityofKentucky reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 21, 2005

Installation gets a 3, performance gets a 5, for an average rating of 4. Of course this is beta and I've been happy with ZL overall.

captainahab reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 21, 2005

Works fine here too. Easy to use. Completely stealth.

hugh750 reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 21, 2005

I Just Dowloaded The Most Recent Version Of Zonealarm (The Free Version),And It Works Just Fine For Me.

Banquo reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 21, 2005

I don't like Zone Alarm. I think the only reason so many people use it is because the name became well known. Same reason so many people use Norton products even though they've been garbage for years. I recommend Kerio Personal Firewall instead.

shicaca reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jul 11, 2005

Installation initiates a BSOD.

I'm not freaking turning off auto reboot just to give them feedback. Their software should be able to do that on its own.

mike_loldrup reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 26, 2005

I wish all of u the best of luck
on this beta.

I also had lots of problems .

Outlook express
stopped working

etc.

ranma.2 reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 26, 2005

serious problems here

guevara reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 26, 2005

i cant recommend this version.
Lots of install problems.
and after the install, it blocked outlook
And the uninstall made a mess on my pc
After an system restore
I returned to version 5.5.094.
no problems,
But this this version is a buggy thing.

Maverick_16 reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 26, 2005

Highly recommended *****

- Installed very smooth
- Maintained all configs
- Still very high FW protection despite it's free
- STILL FREE

UniversityofKentucky reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 25, 2005

I appreciate ZoneAlarm being free. In the review, I would have liked seeing what's new before installing the upgrade. What follows is a direct quote from the ZL software:

What's new in release 6.0?
The 6.0 release of Zone Labs security software includes the following new features (even though I installed the free version, their information from the install applies to the Pro - so just look at the firewall info):

Spyware protection - Prevents, detects, and removes spyware before it can do damage to your computer. Automatic treatment options and Anti-spyware Advisor make treating spyware easy. Spyware and Virus Protection .
OS Firewall protection - Monitors your operating system for suspicious program activity, such as program installations and system registry changes, and prevents your programs from being hijacked by malware. Guards browser settings from being modified by hackers.
Enhanced SmartDefense Advisor - Now includes Automatic Kill Control for programs, which automatically disables any program that attempts dangerous or damaging activity.
SmartDefense™ Rapid Response Network -A dedicated team of Zone Labs experts constantly monitors new threats and automatically adjusts your security to ensure optimal protection. Automatically updates your signature database with information on the latest spyware outbreaks. Distributes new virus and spyware signatures automatically and on a regular basis.
Wi-fi network support - Automatically detects new wireless networks and displays the Service Set Identifier (SSID) in the network detection dialog. Identifies unsecured wireless networks and automatically sets the appropriate security to protect your computer.
New Flash tutorial - Provides an introduction to Zone Labs security software complete with voiceover and animated images

imanino reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Jun 13, 2005

I am really irritated with this upgrade since it seems to have perpetual problems retaining settings and avoiding the corruption of the database. This problem is all over the Zone Alarm forums and was virtually nonexistent in the most recent version before this. Still it is a free firewall, but I see a trend with a lot less attention to the free package by Zone Labs. The last version began to have some bugs with the antivirus update checker module. I am beginning to think the free version may already have seen its best days.

DiGiTaLFX reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Jun 4, 2005

Definatly the easiest way to secure a pre-xp system. My only real annoyance is that it only shows 4 icons for programs accessing the internet. The really needs to expand to fit all the programs (as usually background services jump into these slots before anything else gets a chance). Otherwise its great.

wagner reatto reviewed v5.5.094.000 on May 16, 2005

since i saw za beeing used at i b m, i found what i needed.

Nikkie reviewed v5.5.094.000 on May 3, 2005

I never had any problems like the users below . I have always used zonealarms products and btw i have winxp . i hope people are not still using win me and you dont need win98 . you can use win 2000 for slow computers and its far better .

the user below is right ... know what youre doing . its noob friendly though . just use google for the things you are unsure of . most just ask you about the pograms you use for the majority .

its really easier than other firewalls ...

also , its flipping free ...

wingo reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Apr 28, 2005

the new versions gives you BSOD if
you have fiddled around with the
bootscreens i.e. custommade boot-
screen with various programs.

also its so easy to use so that a
n00b can easily accept rules for
programs so that hackers can exploit
memory holes etc.

wincement reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Apr 27, 2005

I'll rate this as a 4 because it's sufficient. However, I believe the classification should be changed to Adware. It pops up about once a month trying to sell Zone Alarm Pro.

IMHO, Kerio Personal Firewall is ten times better. It doesn't hog as many resources, has more features, and is truly free. The only thing you don't have in the free version is ad-blocking and other specific browser filtering options.

Kerio also passes the FireHole test:
http://keir.net/firehole.html

Zone Alarm doesn't.

some guy reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Apr 27, 2005

"lil hard on the guy he asked a simple qestion"

alexrhcosta
this program is a software, "firewall" more or less run it if your not sure on how to use it click the help button on the program. Do a lil research on google.com under fire-walls and read.

theheff reviewed v5.5.094.000 on Apr 27, 2005

Very stable, great replacement for the lousy windows firewall. I'm already blocking strange packets from Europe. A must if you're on any network with the slightest bit of risk, especially if it's a college network like mine.

mixmax reviewed v5.5.062.011 on Apr 10, 2005

what was that? i kept gettin Blue screen of Deaths after installing this. in fact took me a while to figure out that zone alarm was causing it. some TrueVector Service installed seemed to cause it. i wanted a replacement for the silly windows xp firewall but NOT this. i am still looking for a better firewall. anybody?

derekr54 reviewed v5.5.062.004 on Jan 7, 2005

Much better than the early version 5,works a treat on my system now.When I used the first version of 5 it caused me grief and I had been using zone alarm for a long time prior to that without trouble.Great to see them getting it back together.Best freeware firewall there is.

AlanS2001 reviewed v5.5.062.004 on Dec 4, 2004

alexrhcosta

torrenttrue reviewed v5.5.062.004 on Dec 3, 2004

Great program. It's free and it does it's job well. Sygate sucks.

alexrhcosta reviewed v5.5.062.004 on Dec 3, 2004

Zone Alarm sucks!! Go ahead, use it and leave your computer open to hackers!!!
Don´t be stupid. Use Sygate and you´ll never have problems!!

Scipio reviewed v5.5.062 on Nov 8, 2004

I've been having various problems ever since updating Windows XP to SP2. Some of it seemed to be with Spybot and some of it with ZoneAlarm.

In any case, after installing this latest version of 5.5 my computer appears to be running much cleaner and faster. It's hard to tell what's responsible for problems like this, but I do believe ZoneAlarm is finally getting its act together again.

express15_99 reviewed v5.5.062 on Nov 8, 2004

I would have rated this product much lower if I had reviewed the last version. This new version is phenominal. The first few versions of 5.0 were just nasty, with huge process usage around 15-20000 MB of memory which is just not excusable. Now, ZoneAlarm is back down to 5000 which is very reasonable. I have been using Kerio in protest to ZA for about 3 months and just dont like it as much as the free version of ZA. Even with added permissions for my games, UT 2004 and other games cant connect to servers online. I have went back to ZA now and enjoy it greatly. Thanks ZoneLabs!

RIGGY reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 9, 2004

did not work as expected.. its free though.. but nice work

GhoS reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 4, 2004

I am through with this product. Sure its free, but every single time I upgrade, it ruins my internet connection, nothing works. Sure version 4.5 worked fine, and even the last version 5, but now I upgrade and nothing works. If it were a beta I could understand, but its not.

wat0114 reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 3, 2004

As with the previous version, this one won't install unless I remove Trend-Micro Internet security first, even though the firewall is disabled on it. I would suggest Kerio or Sygate instead.

UniversityofKentucky reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 2, 2004

I run a Cisco Pix Firewall at work and ZA at home. I have been pleased in general with this software and appreciative of the free version. Just one thing stopped me from giving this a perfect 5. The installation gave an unexpected blue screen of death and reboot. This has never happened with prior ZoneAlarm installations and it was probably nothing. Everything else is running as expected.

BlackDragon64 reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 2, 2004

I have only been using ZA (primarily ZAP) since the 4.x releases. But I have NEVER had any problems with program.
As for BOBAD's review, well, he just appears jaded towards this product. Either that or he just has issues (unresolved ones at that).
Well, anyway, this product is as far as I am concerned superior to all others. And with helping others with the FW software they chose before I could recommend one, trust me, this one puts all the others to shame.
That last statement applies to EZArmor, Kerio, Outpost, and BlackICE.

Scipio reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

I had some problems with the first release of version 5, but these recent releases are working just great.

ComputerDoctor reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

I installed this software in my office machine, started Agent to download some binaries, returned in a couple of hours to find ZoneAlarm stuck everything downloaded in Quarantine with MailSafe. ZoneAlarm has NO quarantine folder, so it deleted everything automatically. I had disabled MailSafe! Why is this program still having the same problem as in the Beta version. ZoneAlarm's own pages told users of this problem. Why release a product that is still defective. By the way, Agent is being used as a news reader, not as an email program. Zone Labs.. please get this program working right!

nevermiss reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

Have been using Zonealarm for over a year now and haven't had any problems whatsoever.

Doesn't seem to be much difference between this version and the previous, however I do recommend it as an easily configurable and secure product.

WeR4saken reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

They didn't fix that much:

* Fixed installation issue on 64 bit machines with 32-bit OS
* Fixed PC-Cillin 2004 compatibility issues

bobad reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

Please! Either fix this crazy thing or pull it off the Web! What a waste of bandwidth. Either Kerio, Sygate, or SoftPerfect are better, and all free. And BLACKDRAGON64, since the program is rated average by thousands of people, do you think everyone who rated it a "2" are all wrong?

kebabi reviewed v5.1.0.33 on Oct 1, 2004

I don't have any problems with this, but what's new in this version?

fUnkYth99 reviewed v5.1.011 on Sep 29, 2004

On every version I tried I encountered problems.
This time it was definitely the last time.
I'll keep with Sygate!

rwmjlally reviewed v5.1.011 on Aug 30, 2004

This program destroys Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) without warning!

Uninstalling it does not repair the damage!

This shows ZoneLabs to be a very irresponsible company - certainly not one you would want to rely on for security.

Avoid ZoneLabs products!

GhoS reviewed v5.1.011 on Aug 1, 2004

I am thoroughly disappointed with this program. Apparently it is working properly for some, but once I upgrade to this version I can no longer access the net.
I have tried doing a straight upgrade without uninstalling the previous version, and also done a clean install with no luck.
Its nice its free, but it should work properly. Also there is no chance I will upgrade to the Pro version. 4.5 isn't a bad version, it should hold out til the improved firewall in SP2 is finalized.

guevara reviewed v5.1.011 on Aug 1, 2004

yes yes
no more bugs
go go go

mike_loldrup reviewed v5.1.011 on Aug 1, 2004

Now zonealarm is back
no more bugs
thizz one is good

hardgiant reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 30, 2004

Finally crunched all the bugs :)

wagner reatto reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jul 2, 2004

keep out of this release, it is unstable and deny several windows procedure as chkdsk, boot-time defragmentation, and so on.

richman reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jun 27, 2004

Windows xp users beware of this release it causees your computer to lag dramaticly and then eventually cause windows to stop working and you then have to reboot, after installing this i ws impressed with the new interface but the fact that i couldnt use my computer was a bit of a bummer so i had to remove it.

marsovac reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jun 22, 2004

All is working here! Win XP SP1 + All updates, NAV 2004 PRO, Visual Zone, AdAware.... Spybot Search&Destroy... and all... no problems with online updates....
Mind you, I have never used "Email protection"... just configure all your programs to your own taste, never leave default options unchanged (and this especially goes for Norton Antivirus!)...:))

MCelotto reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jun 22, 2004

Stick with an earlier version. I would suggest something in the v4 series. This program really didn't like my Norton Antivirus. Wouldn't let Norton scan my incoming email or outgoing email. But when I turned it off Norton worked fine.

mike_loldrup reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jun 22, 2004

nasty one
this version
if you want to try to use this
good luck
im a happy user of 4.5 version.
but this one is rotten
keep the old one !

rx-182 reviewed v5.0.590.043 on Jun 22, 2004

I never liked ZoneAlarm but had to use it on some pcs because there was no good alternative. But since I'm beta testing Windows XP Service Pack 2, I never used ZoneAlarm again. The Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall is MUCH better than ZoneAlarm and a lot more solid. Just try yourself, you will see.

Scipio reviewed v5.0.590.015 on May 26, 2004

I'm giving this top rating because it's the first time I've had a real problem with ZoneAlarm (free). After installing 5.0.590.015 on WinXP Pro, my system froze up after using Internet Explorer for a short while. I was unable to close IE with Task manager and unable to reboot. I had to shut down the computer using the on/off button. This happened about six times. After I removed Zlr 5 from the control panel and reinstalled 4.5, I had no further problems. A visit to the ZoneAlarm discussion site reveals that several other users have had similar problems. I would wait for the next fix before installing this on WinXP.

speedmeister reviewed v5.0.590.015 on May 25, 2004

Fairly simple and foolproof. After installation I checked my machine at Steve Gibson's site and his port scan showed that none of the lower level ports responded. I hadn't had any problems with Zonealarm yet. This program seems to try to go beyond simply being a firewall in that it can monitor whether you hosts file is being tampered with, alert you to the fact that your antivirus software isn't current, and it can block users from opening executable code in email. The mail protection scheme doesn't seem terribly useful since you really shouldn't have a client that opens such files anyway but that setting can be turned off it desired.

For someone who just wants something that works but doesn't take a lot of configuration will find this product is pretty good. People looking to fine tune their firewall will be disappointed to find that there isn't very many user definable settings.

Zankur reviewed v5.0.590.015 on May 25, 2004

excellent release and simply the best,but if u don't want it,plz have a look at mc-afee firewall plus.

robmanic44 reviewed v4.5.594.000 on Apr 18, 2004

Kerio 2.1.5 is better and you avoid setup hassles. Did anyone else experience problems closing this program?

blackpages reviewed v4.5.594.000 on Apr 16, 2004

with a name sounding cool and simple to remember, it becomes the default firewall recommended to newbies by script kiddies.

surfbum4fun reviewed v4.5.594.000 on Apr 15, 2004

coover- I'm also running a 3 computer network at home with sygate pro. i share printers and filesharing app with no issues.Also I'm a network Admin for a bank in my area(15 area banks), so I do know alittle about networking........

coover reviewed v4.5.594.000 on Apr 14, 2004

I'm running .594 on three systems. No problems and it looks stable. Surfbum4Fun obviously hasn't use Sygate with a network. Sygate is a good firewall, but even when configured to allow file sharing and printer sharing over a network, it frequently will not. If you are on a network, you do not want Sygate, you want Zone Alarm.

christoofar reviewed v4.5.538.001 on Feb 19, 2004

Still a great, easy to use firewall for the non-geek 'puter users out there. Price is right too. I've been using it for years, & have never had a system compromised yet.

FailedCRC reviewed v4.5.538.001 on Feb 19, 2004

not bad for the average joe. the configuration is nice and simple and it does a good job of stateful packet filtering. if you want something with some decent configuration i'd suggest kerio 2, which also doesn't eat into your local network bandwidth / take as much cpu time as zone alarm always has

DarthVeda reviewed v4.5.538.001 on Feb 19, 2004

Excellent Firewall.

tourist reviewed v4.5.538.001 on Feb 19, 2004

Much better free alternatives available, which have more features and not bloated UI like ZA. Sygate Personal Firewall is *much* better.

ogman reviewed v4.5.538.001 on Feb 19, 2004

Excellent program.

kingclyde reviewed v4.5.538 on Dec 21, 2003

I really don't understand the negative reviews. Half-life and all my other games play fine. It works good in the background and I have not had any problems with it. As for half-life, I wpuld check the configuration. The game has to act as a server as well.

weed reviewed v4.5.538 on Dec 20, 2003

I paid for Zonealarm Pro 2.6 way back, but today I've found that Kerio 2.1.5 freeware works the best and has a small footprint, source and destination address and ports control, application MD5 and very thorough logging.

fightback reviewed v4.5.530 on Nov 21, 2003

The program was good up to the point that I discovered that it wouldn't allow me to play half life (even though it had full internet access). Well, facing this problem I decided 4.5 was crap and 3.7 was going back on. Wrong. I have to uninstall, then reconfigure everything and install 3.7 again. Way to go zone labs, perpetually worse and worse.
I wanted to submit a bug report to them about this, but it's not worth the hassle.

Scipio reviewed v4.5.530 on Nov 19, 2003

I'm also bewildered by all the negatives. ZoneAlarm continues to be an excellent program, and it continues to be free. The interface is simple enough for any idiot to understand, and it hasn't changed for some time.

Only two problems. One is the orange color, which is evidently a subtle way of encouraging people to get the Pro version so they can change it. Another is that, used with Norton AV, there seems to be an interaction that slows logging onto Windows XP. I can put up with that. I'm not sure it isn't more Norton's fault than ZoneAlarm's.

JolinFire reviewed v3.7.211 on Sep 23, 2003

Very good, but one bad point : it let port 5000 opened :(

Well, I downloaded pro version, added a port 5000 blocking advanced rule.

Anyway, a good firewall :)

Scipio reviewed v3.7.211 on Sep 17, 2003

I don't know why all the negative reviews. ZoneAlarm Free does an excellent job. You need to use other programs too, such as Spybot Search&Destroy, Spyware Blaster, Adaware, and a good antivirus system. The ONLY negative I've found is that windows takes longer to load. I can put up with that, because ZoneAlarm makes you invisible to hackers and prevents new programs from going out to the net without your permission. I see no particular reason to use ZoneAlarm Pro.

christoofar reviewed v3.7.211 on Sep 17, 2003

ZA is easy to use for homes users who don't know how to manually config a firewall (the majority of who use the internet).
With all the continuing Windoze security flaws and the ongoing parade of trojans/worms spewing outwards, to not be using a firewall (freeware yet) is pure folly.

ricsal reviewed v3.7.211 on Sep 17, 2003

well losts of guys say that this program is for paranoid people, i don't think so, it more for preventive guys.
With this little baby, i didn't got the blaster and i didn't need no windows updates...

betasun reviewed v3.7.202 on Jul 22, 2003

TotalKonfuzion :to be a little paranoid is better than to be Totally optimistic ,your post results in saying we must use brick walls instead of firewalls and pest zappers instead of antiviruses ;-)
ofcourse ZA FREE is not ideal ,but if it works good is
enough for home users .unfortunately the true vector security component (as they say ) doesnot load on my machine !!

BootBlock reviewed v3.7.202 on Jul 22, 2003

Pure festering evil. This is as bad as Agnitum's Outpost firewall. Also, the whole "tick" (checkmark) access setup is too simple and annoying. Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5 (not v3, v4, or v5! Those are as annoying as Zone Alarm!) is definately the best firewall. Ever.

TotalKonfuzion reviewed v3.7.202 on Jul 22, 2003

Great for paranoid dial up users, heh.....If you like to be paranoid and think everyone is out to get you, Zonealarm is a must use! ;)

betasun reviewed v3.7.098 on Mar 3, 2003

Version 3.7 works very good .it loads quickly with my ports stealth when online.i run winXP pro .

Cirque reviewed v3.1.395 on Sep 25, 2002

Hard to uninstall/reinstall this/other versions. DLL files often missing or do not work. User interface redesigned and now more confusing and effort to find what your looking for until your used to it. No longer supports ICS/Home Networks very well, and unless you set your Host PC's security level to Medium, client PC's wont see the net. I recommend www.sygate.com 's free Sygate Firewall Personal (supports multiple cards/networks).

bobad reviewed v3.1.291 on Aug 1, 2002

PWT999: Just don't try to uninstall the blasted thing and you may be OK.

breew reviewed v3.1.291 on Aug 1, 2002

Installed the new version. NOT impressed, the interface is very confusing for starters. Its like a half baked web page, yes trendy but Does the user want trendy or usability. Nice color , ohhh got lots'a tabs, but is not clean and user frendly.
As for running Had to reduce the Inet connection to medium or my local net wouldnt even see the internet. No way to fix that it seems. 2.6 worked right out of the box ver 3+ at this time I do not recomend it and have started looking to other programs to protect me over cable.

jake453 reviewed v3.1.291 on Aug 1, 2002

Well had to find out for myself, the prior postings were right, once installed my network was no longer visable on my wireless remote I have setup outside. After installation of one of my "used to be" favorite programs the network was unaccessable from the wireless. Uninstalled the faulty offender ZA, and up popped the network!! Shame on you ZA guys!!

Jack

PWT999 reviewed v3.1.291 on Aug 1, 2002

I wasn't overly pleased with the initial v3 release, but I use Zone 3 plus & I think it's great. I use zone on several Pc’s using a mixture of 98SE, ME & XP without problem I've tried about every firewall there is & I went back to Zone. I even bought the thing!)

marsovac reviewed v3.1.291 on Jul 31, 2002

If you ever get in any kind of troubles after uninstalling Zone Alarm, you just have to know that are always several files that have to be removed manually...
One of them is vsdata.dll and you will find the others by the vs* pattern in your XP: windows\sytem32 (9x: Windows\system) folder. Right click on any vs* file and see in properties if it's ZoneLab's file and DELETE IT MANUALY IF YOU PREVIOUSLY UNINSTALLED ZONE ALARM. Also delete ZA*.log or any ZONE* folder that you find on you hard disk - after doing file / folder search. Also have some registry cleaning utility to clean couple of registry entries that ZA left over there...
Good Luck!
Once it was a great firewall, but sadly it's only "install and pray if it works" now... for XP AND Millennium....
Got some very bad experience with Millennium and some ISDN ELSA drivers that vere cpmletely usless after tryng to install new Zone Alarm...

ditoa reviewed v3.1.291 on Jul 31, 2002

I agree with sirhardi 100%, there has been more focus on redesigning the UI and adding non firewall features to the program than there has been to fixing the bugs in it! I personally prefer almost any firewall over this one.

sirhardi reviewed v3.1.282 Beta on Jul 4, 2002

Please REPORT what you changed inm this version FIRST !!!
Getting really tired of the lack on posted changes here.
ZA was a great firewall in the beginning, had a horde of supporters and cheer ons but over time, with the ongoing problems with localarea networks problems and BSOD's, this has becopme a nightmare for testing, also the tedious cleaning up after the official uninstall, has this been addressed?

Don't get me wrong, I loved the fioreweall but I as many others that i know are throwing in the towel, there has hardly been any feedback from the beta folks themselves, this has bveen discussed over and over.
There are two people that are activly involved and both of them are not coders.

If you want to learn anbout ZL and get the workarounds, goto GRC security newsgroups.

isaacg reviewed v3.1.263 Beta on Jun 12, 2002

Works much better on XP than 2.6, no more log errors and improper startup loading. Interface is a little better, but still not very good. A few new features like Add program and more customizable security are nice. Make sure to use ResHacker to get rid of the stupid splash screen.

emulation64g reviewed v3.1.263 Beta on Jun 12, 2002

It is better then 2.6 but...