Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

jorgosch reviewed v9.3.037.000 on Sep 21, 2010

Not only is their software mediocre, now they join the ranks of SCAREWARE programs that pretend you're infected to make you buy an upgraded version.

Midnite1 reviewed v8.0.298.035 on Apr 18, 2009

I read a review by PC Mag and there were too many Flaws in this Security Suite to warrant using it, although the AV was highly rated.
Now, ZA uses the Kaspersky AV engine and considering that Kapsersky rates at the top of all AVs and Security Suites, along with BitDefender, why not use either one of those two and have the best of the Best?
Kaspersky and Bitdefender are two of the few that are recognized by BOTH West Coast Labs AND IASA, so it stands to reason that their products are top notch!

cowgaR reviewed v8.0.059.000 Final on Oct 18, 2008

just to keep it a bit serious, I have a question why are you all so disatisfied with it?

it is not bloatware like Symantec or is it? It is the most popular FW on the market so any words on why you are all rating it so low?

I am just curious, personaly I am not using FW behind my router, on a public network I can't decide between PC Tools and Online Armor, both are the most lightweight but still too complicated for average Joe (you don't need HIPs for start).

FW should be FW, not antivirus, antimalware, anti-asteroid-crash sort of thing...

If you want security, call your mother, otherwise be wise how you use your computer ;) and Vista FW is enough (much better than XPs one).

-1 for not being top in matousec's tests (although they are completely stupid keylogger like) and -1 for all the negative comments ;)

and I was going to try it once...heh

doctorsmith reviewed v8.0.059.000 Final on Oct 17, 2008

OK, I'll join the "keep it below 2 club"

- by the way it's crap !!

now lets see if we can break the #1 barrier.

-Lord- reviewed v8.0.059.000 Final on Oct 17, 2008

I dare you to use this.

hardgiant reviewed v8.0.059.000 Final on Oct 17, 2008

Better then the other full suites but like all software it's becoming bloated.

Your probably better just using the Pro version with a better AV like NOD32.

tafugate reviewed v8.0.059.000 Final on Oct 17, 2008

8.0.015.000 & 8.0.020.000 had some problems with slow shutdowns, but 8.0.059.000 fixes that. remaining is the problem with hourly av/as updates regardless of frequency setting. not a big deal if you've got a current rig, but it causes my poor p4 1.8 to chunk profusely in the middle of my backswing (stealing cpu cycles).

i tried hard to find a replacement for za. for the last 3 months, i've tried every internet security suite there is, some two or three times. but while outpost seemed to outdo za's firewall, za is the most complete package taking in all its other features (trying not to sound like a commercial).

i also tried piecing together what i thought was the best of each security component, and they were going to cost more than my pc was worth. while i'm not elated with za (rated 4 rather than 5), it is the most logical product on the market.

armpit reviewed v8.0.059.000 Beta on Oct 14, 2008

Unreliable, buggy and bloated

Undesired Username reviewed v8.0.059.000 Beta on Oct 14, 2008

Come on, we can get it below 2.0, where it belongs...

-Lord- reviewed v8.0.058.000 Beta on Oct 10, 2008

They'll keep releasing this garbage until the rating falls to zero. Avoid this crapware. Seriously.

iamnotyou reviewed v8.0.058.000 Beta on Oct 9, 2008

I have had only minor problems with ZA over the years.

Call me stupid or old fashion but I still run Win2000 Pro 'cause it's bought and paid for ... I don't want/need to buy another computer with XP or Vista ... I like what I have, it does what I need it to do and it runs well on the "old" computer it is on.

I have the trial version of Norton Internet Security 2009 (on a Vista Ultimate 32 bit system) and like the speed that it shows in scanning and low CPU usage. It's too bad that Norton (and many others) are no longer supporting Win2000 (but that's a different story). I am tired of purchasing "new" versions of software to run on the "new" operating systems. ZA works well on what I have and I will continue to use it for the foreseeable future, as long as they support Win2000.

CyberDoc999 reviewed v8.0.055.000 Beta on Oct 1, 2008

Sad and buggy....... must be asleep at the wheel!

laptopy.net reviewed v8.0.055.000 Beta on Oct 1, 2008

it will be very hard to back, now when NORTON 2009 is again very fast product, this version is still weak,

Undesired Username reviewed v8.0.055.000 Beta on Sep 30, 2008

One-stop-shopping for bugginess, system slowdowns, inexplicable incompatibilities, crashes, and system freezes.

ITFox reviewed v8.0.020.000 Beta on Aug 28, 2008

@ Lord - Dont be maroon, check out Untangle.com. There you find a 7 layer firewall, antivirus, antispam, anti ..... an allround solution that is even free, if you have a spare PC. Since we use it our software firewall and antirus is almost without work, meaning clean logs ;)

Zankur reviewed v8.0.015.000 Beta on Aug 12, 2008

Although in recent months check-point has made an attempt to improve the zone-alarm products and to restore it to former glory,it still suffers from bugs inherent in code made by them for version:7....which greatly impacted boot-times and system performance...
As a matter of fact i am having new problems with these beta,which being unable to log-off my xp-account as the computer hangs after installing these betas...

Tenoq reviewed v8.0.015.000 Beta on Aug 12, 2008

@ Lord -

Only a moron would equate a hardware firewall with a software security suite. They not even close to the same thing, nor do they achieve the same goals. The fact is 99% of the time, PC infections are trojans clicked on by users that don't know any better - no hardware firewall is going to help with that because it's got nothing to do with the firewall.

bm29759 reviewed v8.0.013.000 Beta on Aug 7, 2008

I've been a ZoneAlerm customer for years... I've recently been dabbling with 64 bit Vista. I'm saddened they have chosen not to provide a 64 bit version.

tafugate reviewed v8.0.006.000 Beta on Jul 12, 2008

i've been a loyal zonealarm user since 4-something. i have many friends that have pc's constantly getting hosed by malware, simply because they won't keep even a free firewall/antivirus/anti-malware program updated. it's always too expensive (less than one tank of gas per year now) or too much trouble (they'll play some mindless car chase game or watch an even more mind numbing reality show), but they can't take a moment to update a piece of internet security software. 'course, i guess if they have a computer literate friend to keep bailing them out, it's not so bad. (8

however, my subscription is coming to an end, and i've been searching for possible alternatives. matousec.com looks like a credible site, and i'm a couple of days into a preview copy of outpost. looks like a keeper, and za is on its way out. but it's still done me proud for many years. i gave it a 4 for having done a great job in the past, but i think there are products that have passed it by.

VictorAnderson reviewed v8.0.003.000 Beta on Jul 10, 2008

I'm with -Lord- on this one. Plus this thing has a pretty bad history too. It started out as the laughing-stock of all hackers - and now one of the windows updates released this Tuesday breaks the thing - which I'm sure is what this release is all about...hahaha

-Lord- reviewed v7.0.006.000 Beta on Jun 20, 2008

they still make this? when will people learn that the cost of hardware firewalls etc is barely more than this crapware? people avoid this stuff like the plague.

pjb reviewed v7.3.040.000 Beta on Jun 11, 2008

Shows promise.
I do personally feel that the AV scan takes far to long. If they can improve on that it would be better.

New interface is ok, clear - concise and easy to navigate.

madmike reviewed v7.3.013.000 Beta on May 9, 2008

Never thought I`d see the day I gave this 5 stars, but its brilliant. Pikced up Virus I didnt know was there, even NOd32 missed them.. real disappointed with NOD32 missing this.

Firewall works a treat and Antispyaware unreal. I used to curse this, but I am converted .. fantastic

trynow reviewed v7.1.254.000 Beta on Mar 24, 2008

we use firewall for our chatting on operating system. So why do we need IM security. Firewall for softwares firewall for IM security!!!

I dont use mail but it has that protection too.
I need only one firewall for all.
I need antivirus protection surfing.
But they divided viruses in two parts why.
Cant an antivirus protect for all.They are same.
All security program getting huge. They will say you have more than 120 gb Hdd. It my hdd not yours.If you want me buy your security keep going smaller or I will forget you.

outofspace reviewed v7.1.247.000 Beta on Jan 10, 2008

no support for 64bit

Jammerdelray reviewed v7.1.247.000 Beta on Jan 9, 2008

Great Security Suite, Zone Alarm & Kaspersky Firewalls are equally the finest anywhere.

Nikkie reviewed v7.1.087.000 on Aug 22, 2007

They just need to work with resources but really this is a great program.It does everything you need.It is very easy to learn.Ive used all of the scanners etc.

p.s buy the serial online and download from the site.most of the stores have version 6 and they state its vista ready but it isnt..

freegoo reviewed v7.1.087.000 on Jun 23, 2007

It **DOES** use Kaspersky:
(From Zone Alarm's website)
"New and improved ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite version 7.0.302.000

All new antivirus engine from Kaspersky includes a new virus database and extended spyware database as well as the industry's only hourly update system."

All in all, not a bad product. It certainly is a "loaded" app though. Whether it's bloat or not probably depends on whether you need all the features ZA has grown to include. I like the game mode, and find the firewall to be pretty friendly compared to other firewalls that provide as much protection.

Finally supports Vista too. The list of firewalls that don't support Vista in at least 32bit form is getting pretty small - notably absent is Outpost Pro which waited far too long to begin beta testing Vista in my opinion.

rustik_one reviewed v7.1.044.000 Beta on May 3, 2007

Was my fav for a while, but starting giving me some headaches.

Uses Computer Associates AV, not Kap, (see VET engine drivers in Device Manager after install)

utomo reviewed v7.1.028.000 Beta on Apr 21, 2007

This combine:
The Best Antivirus (Kasperksy)
The Best Firewall ( Zone Alarm)

ZA need to reduce problems which user experience (look all review) and also reduce the resources.
some people say the last good version was version 4. I hope ZA can learn from user comments and try to improve and back with better products.

ZA need to be able to update the Engine (AV and also the firewall using automatic update. so no need to download new version to get the best performance)

If you experience compatibility problems, please report with data.
what software is conflict ?
otherwise it is invalid reports.

There are some known issue
http://download.zonelabs...in/free/beta/index.html

Dsfargeg reviewed v7.1.028.000 Beta on Apr 18, 2007

ZA isn't bad, but not all that great either, and there are still quite some compatibility issues with many programs.

They don't say anywhere on their page that they use Kaspersky as AV - they would surely advertise with it if they would use it.
Anyway, it would be a damn shame if Kaspersky gave away their good name for this mediocre firewall.

toasale reviewed v7.1.013.000 Beta on Apr 6, 2007

I've beta tested many suites, including ZA's, and ZA is a knockout for "baddies". The anti-spyware portion still lacks the strength of a few stand alones; but then again, what suite has everything that the finest stand alones have!

Byte Me o:)

Jammerdelray reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Jan 15, 2007

Zone Alarm Security Suite 6.5 had a problem with Windows Live Messenger as well as a few other minor problems which all have been fixed. I tried Pccillin Internet Security 2007 and fast realzied Zone Alarm Security Suite is far superior. The Firewall and the up coming 7.0 Kaspersky Additions will make this a state of the art product once again. In all reviews ZA SS surpasses all and has the lowest system resource usage of all. Noted there are bugs in the 7.0 beta as with all betas.

Vista support will probably come with another beta after the 7.0 beta is completed.

ghamden reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Jan 14, 2007

I have used ZA for years --- but thier latest version 6.5 has issues with xp and now they are going to Version 7 and no sign of vista compatiblity in site.
It is sad to say but it looks as if ZA was the security suite of choice has a long way to go to get that recognition again.

darthbeads reviewed v7.0.302.000 on Jan 12, 2007

Zankur said: Couple of reviews here make it very much clear that people very write stupid reviews without even trying the product and don't even have proper knowledge about it.

Zankur, isn't that a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?

In any case, I have been ruining ZA for many, many months now, and have had nary a problem, and this latest release is no different.

Zankur reviewed v7.0.279.000 Beta on Dec 23, 2006

Couple of reviews here make it very much clear that people very write stupid reviews without even trying the product and don't even have proper knowledge about it..

ZA security suite now has Kaspersky's antivirus which is the best in the best business..(if this su***,than god bless)

Its working well,the anti-spyware component has improved as well..

fatray reviewed v7.0.279.000 Beta on Dec 19, 2006

It's the antivirus part that sucks. ZA was running 2 scans at the same time that I couldn't stop, and it never stopped running. This totally bogged down my PC making it unusable. Had to uninstall it only to find out now I can't get version 6.5 to run anymore. HELP

jspratjr reviewed v7.0.279.000 Beta on Dec 15, 2006

Great product.

alanpalmer reviewed v7.0.279.000 Beta on Dec 15, 2006

To Betanews: how about updating the text describing the application? "Once the 6.5 beta closes ..." ZA has been on v. 7.x for months!

phiber0ptik reviewed v7.0.279.000 Beta on Dec 15, 2006

c4p0ne, so true :)

4 for working here, 1 down because others have problem with it :p

THE REAL TAO reviewed v7.0.262.000 Beta on Nov 24, 2006

** WARNING*** THIS SOFTWARE WILL DE-STABALISE YOUR PC -DO NOT INSTALL IT !!
---THE FIRST THING IT DOES IS ID LOGONUI.EXE AS A TROJAN AND REMOVE IT(LOGONUI.EXE IS THE LOGON SCREEN) THIS IS SO AMATUER ITS FUNNY-TOTAL CRAP IS MY SCORE FOR THIS MALWARE !!

hardgiant reviewed v7.0.262.000 Beta on Nov 22, 2006

If it's a beta version then it's meant for testing on a test system NOT your everyday system.

I have plenty of 6.5 installs that work with no problem because I very familiar with the product. Others will complain about the constant popups because they aren't used to a SECURITY app actually doing it's job.

I look foward to the FINAL version of Zone Alarm 7.0 with KAV, it should be a very strong product.

bello reviewed v7.0.262.000 Beta on Nov 22, 2006

well.. some experts rate this product very high. On Cnet.com, for example. A week ago i tried to test it on my machine.too much pop-ups distracting. and a worst moment: i couldn't upload 30 mb video on ftp server.my machine got frozen until reboot...
Stay away!

Zankur reviewed v7.0.262.000 Beta on Nov 22, 2006

Well,this indeed is the best security suite in the making!
It has kaspersky's great detection rates(minus the bugs) and a highly improved firewall.

akh154 reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Nov 14, 2006

It's been a great security solution until the recent versions. Installing a recent version of ZA on a fresh Windows (Not a upgrade from the previous version of ZA) causing a serious problem as it cause loosing the page file on C drive (System Drive) if you set it to be static at a desired size. If you rely on the virtual memory on the system drive it would be a serious problem. It could get 4 if it didn't give me a trouble.

Blackhole8746 reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Sep 11, 2006

This is a great security suite. I just downloaded the new version 6.5 alot of people have been nagging about so much and I discovered that it was FASTER and MORE RELIABLE than version 6.1 (which started getting on my nerves)
It takes less time to run on startup, its scans are faster, yet exactly as secure as 6.1 firewall protection is great as always... I don't use the anti-spyware feature I use Ad-Aware professional instead.

But in general ZoneAlarm security suite 6.5 has proved that ZoneLabs still have it!!

freegoo reviewed v6.5.737.000 on Sep 2, 2006

Wow, so many bad experiences with this program. Which is too bad, as I feel it protects as well as Outpost with fewer popups. The suite is also a pretty good value with a renewal rate of $27 which includes your firewall, virus scanner, and the kitchen sink. I've not had the problems others reviewing have, it's always ran smoothly for me, but it doesn't suprise me others are having trouble- ZA has really gotten to be a complex beast. I suggest using a backup program before installing any firewall, and perhaps checking one of ZA's other solutions if the security suite gives you trouble. This product includes a LOT of extra stuff also that you may not need or want, spend your $$$ wisely!

(It's a good value though if you do want all the features included in the suite).

iamconan reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Aug 10, 2006

I have used all the makes of ZA for the last several years. I have noticed that for the last few years, ZA has been sending out bad updates via their homepage on the ZA Firewall software. Read about the major problems via their ZA forum page. This 6.5 update is another real loser. I purchased the ZA Security Suite and used it with no problem, until the 6.5 update icon showed up on the ZA firewall homepage. I updated and well lets say "let the nightmares begin!". The ZA kept either rebooting or just freezing up, where it involved a manual shutoff via the CPU power button. I can not believe that a company of ZA status would release defective updates, without really checking them out, prior to public release. I had to jump through alot of hoops, to get this ZA software removed, so I could use my computer normally. I have came to a decision to move onto another stable firewall, that gives no problems. That software is no longer ZA products.

east of eden reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jul 6, 2006

I have used Zone Alarm in various forms for several years, but this latest version has completely screwed up my access to the internet. I have tried it on a system with NT2000 and another with XP, with XP the system runs but cannot access the internat, with NT2000 on booting the system all I get is the screen of death. In both cases to uninstall I have to boot in safe mode.

I pay for the full security suite for two machines and use the free firewall for two more. Provided that ZA fix the problems quickly I will definitely stay with them as all told I have had many more problems with Norton, McAfee and F-Secure, and my renewal is due in 83 days.

donsos reviewed v6.5.722.000 on Jun 22, 2006

ZASS 6.5.714 and 6.5.722
software hangs up keyboard movement and went security lock is disabled, ZA wont let me on to network. must shutdown ZA and restart and then log on to network. went back to 6.1.

I am not beta testing software, it should work right out of the 'Box".

Mastertech reviewed v6.5.714.000 on Jun 17, 2006

WARNING! Avoid v6.5.714.000 (and all older v6.5) until they fix a critical bug! The Date Modified setting of Files in Windows Explorer is NOT being saved. This can cause all sorts of issues for files that depend on this behaviour. The only solution until they fix it is to uninstall 6.5 and use v6.1.744.001

You have been warned.

http://forum.zonelabs.or...us&message.id=12052

Ultima reviewed v6.5.714.000 on Jun 15, 2006

I haven't used ZoneAlarm Security Suite in several months, but when I last did (version 6.1.x), I did not have any issues whatsoever. Because I cannot say whether this newer version is better, I'll stick to a neutral rating of 3.

In any case, marindavid, I realize your review was a rant about their customer support, but you're really expecting too much. Since when did paid customer support mean automatic everything? If there's an issue with your computer, do you seriously expect it to be fixed so easily, that you wouldn't have to get your hands a bit dirty to fix it? I see nothing wrong with the e-mail you quoted there, and it's perfectly valid customer support, in my eyes.

marindavid reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 13, 2006

Back in April 2004, I wrote a very positive review for the Version 4.o of this suite. Since then, I have been quite pleased and it has worked, quite thoroughly, as advertised. However (I know you could hear that coming) I recently had an experience which, were I not already prepaid for another year, would cause me to shift my business to a different suite. I thought this experience was worth sharing with other users. So, here goes:
I am currently running Version 6.1.744.
Browsing around online, I discovered (No, I was never
notified by ZA) that a new version (6.5) had been released. I emailed them to ask about it. They sent a link to the new version. So far - so good. Then, the trauma begins. Three attempts to install it resulted in systems catastrophies, including the loss of my internet connection! These attempts required the use of my Restore It program to save me. I emailed ZA, explained what had happened, and asked how to go about updating the software that I had paid for without the complications. Needless to say, the auto-update feature on my version does not seem to know about the newer version I found on ZA's website!
This was the reply I received (verbatim):

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Zone Labs Technical Support.

I understand that you are having troubles installing Zone Alarm. I
apologize for the inconvenience.

I want to make sure everything is gone from your computer as far as ZA is
concerned.

01.) Restart your computer
02.) When you see the screen go black and it starts booting back up keep
tapping the "F8" key (at the top of your keyboard)
03.) This should bring up a menu. Choose Safe Mode off the menu by
using the arrow keys on the keyboard to highlight Safe Mode and press
Enter
04.) If you get a message asking to go to Safe Mode, choose Yes. If you
get a help and support window, close this.
05.) Once you are at the desktop, Click Start, My Computer
06.) Click Tools, Folder Options, View Tab
07.) Place a dot next to "Show Hidden Files and Folders"
08.) Remove the check from "Hide Protected Operating System Files
(Recommended)"
09.) Choose Yes to the warning
10.) Click OK
11.) Double click C:

Note: In the future steps if you do not see any files or folders, please click
the "Show Files" link to view them.

12.) Double Click the Program Files Folder
13.) Right Click the Zone Labs Folder, click Delete, and choose Yes
14.) Close this window
15.) Click Start, My Computer
16.) Double Click the C:
17.) Double Click the Windows Folder (It may also be WinNT)
18.) Right Click the Internet Logs Folder, click Delete, and choose Yes
19.) Double Click the System32 Folder
20.) Right Click the Zone Labs Folder, click Delete, and choose Yes
21.) Locate and delete the following files in this folder

- vsconfig.xml
- vsxml.dll
- vsregexp.dll
- vsdata.dll
- vsdata95.vxd
- vsdatant.sys
- vsmonapi.dll
- vspubapi.dll
- vsinit.dll
- vsutil.dll
- zlcommdb.dll
- zlcomm.dll
- zllictbl.dat

22.) Clear your Temp Directory per the instructions below.

- Go to Start -> Run
- Type %temp% and click OK
- Select all of these files and delete them

23.) Clear the Prefetch folder per the instructions below.

- Go to Start -> Run
- Type Prefetch and click OK
- Select all of these files and delete them

24.) Remove the following registry entries by going to Start -> Run and
typing in regedit. Use the folders on the left side of the window to navigate
to the specified directories.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Zone Labs
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\vsmon
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\vsdatant

*Important Advisory: Deleting registry entries incorrectly may cause
serious problems to your operating system, which may necessitate the
need to reinstall it. Please make sure you are able to perform these
deletions correctly before you decide to edit the entries. If you are not
sure, you should seek help from someone who is familiar with editing the
registry.

For information about how to edit the registry in Windows, from your
desktop, click Start >> Run >> and type regedit. Click on Help >> Help
Topics. Under the Contents tab, click Change Keys and Values (this may
be found under the How to... section).

Also, you should always make a backup of the registry before editing it.
You can find this in the same section of the Help files.

25.) Close this window, then empty your recycle bin.
26.) Restart the computer.
27.) Try to install the latest version again.

If my answer did not resolve your issue, or you would like further
assistance on this issue, please reply to this email. By replying, and
leaving the subject line intact, your response will come directly to me. If
you have a separate issue you would like assistance with, please submit a
new request using the website at http://www.zonelabs.com/tsform .

Thank you for choosing Zone Labs Security!

Several more emails were exchanged. Mine, expressing frustration, surprise and dissatisfaction with what they expected me to do to upgrade a program I have a paid subscription to. Theirs, on the other hand, continuing to state the 'company line' as defined in the email I have posted for your reference.

It seems to me that updates from responsible and reliable firms should be straightforward, easy and, ideally, automated. Asking an end-user to edit his registry, etc. to accomplish an upgrade is... well, suffice it to say that if my subscription were not already paid for another year (they declined my request for a refund) I would dump it and use another security suite.

I realize that this is more of a rant than it is a review - and it is more a comment on the "Customer Service", or lack thereof of the company than it is of the working product itself.

So, I will keep the old version. Apparently, they didn't want me to know about the new one anyway - or they would have told me about it without my having to ask! N'est pas?

A word to the wise ...

Kbker reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 9, 2006

The only thing good in this suite is the firewall. The antivirus is a shame. I tried ZASS when my KAV licence expired and I got whacked after 15 minutes ! Got back to KAV for real protection.
And stop taking PC Mag's word as if it was God spoken ! Those same so called experts put Norton as Editor's choice ... that should tell you a lot.

Zankur reviewed v6.5.700.000 on Jun 5, 2006

a very easy to use security suite with a excellent firewall,anti-spam and a decent anti-virus from e-trust...
the new features like game-mode,spy-site blocking,improved id-protection and os-firewall,add to to this great security suite...

9i08 reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 7, 2006

Blackhole8746 i hope that statement was a joke.
one review does not reflect the whole truth

Mister_RDZ reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 7, 2006

I have Windows XP x64 running on an AMD dual-core processor and, once ZA was installed, the computer would not move past the log in screen! :( Once I did a safe boot and removed the program everything returned back to normal. Now, having said this, I have used ZA successfully on another one of my computers for over two years and was/am pleased with it.

Dave

Blackhole8746 reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 6, 2006

It's PC Magazine's editor's choice you morons

mikeyx11 reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 5, 2006

This firewall is great. Sure it has some problems if you don't know how to configure it properly, but that's your fault.

If you know how to configure a firewall properly, ZoneAlarm is great.

Zankur reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 5, 2006

well after a long time checkpoint has released a decent build!
well as u can see lot of cool new features and believen there are no bugs here,this is working very well...

wingo reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 5, 2006

well i have to say that this is a firewall for newbies, the progress of zas is going more towards the symantec fw suits.

...and let me tell you all, even if you have a firewall/spyware/virus protection you might have been exploited without knowing it.

jspratjr reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

As usual, excellent piece of software and have no problems with it.

"Makes logging into GMail impossible"?????

I have never had a problem with GMail...maybe you should learn how to use Zone Alarm before rating it.

hardgiant reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

ZAS just gets better and better but maybe the frogs butt paranoid level is to much for basic functioning. It will annoy most people.

I use ZAS and
1. Gmail with no problems
2. Utorrent works with no problems.
3. IRC works as well.

People will have to detemine how much security they can live with.

Update: It doesn't run well on x64 of windows. I also tried the new beta build 677 and that also has problems with hang the system. I hope they fix it.

rburly reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

I've used ZA for several years now with only a minor occasional problem. 99.99% of the time, its done its job as it should. The only problems I've had are adjusting for BT usage or other program settings.

I'll continue to use it because it does what the company says it does, and has kept me virus free. Its also blocked people trying to break into my computer. A big 5 from me.

TC17 reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

I'm using the Etrust version of this suite which is free through RoadRunner. Only Etrust I think might use different versions of the software. But I think its very good.

The Firewall is written by ZoneAlarm, and the antivirus is ComputerAssociates Etrust. My suite also has Antispam and antispyware (using Etrust's PestPatrol), but not sure if this suite has it or not.

Floske Tuf reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

Hi,
I am a very heavy Internet user since 1995-1996 and I have been been protected by the following software as sson as they came onto the market.

Computer Associates : EZ-antivirus
Lavasoft : Ad-Aware SE
Microsoft : Firewall XP and nowadays Firewall XP/SP2.

I must be doing something wrong !! but I have never been affected by any virus, worm, spyware, etc ...
What's wrong with me ?

Just kidding :-))
That is why I gave only a 3 to this software (which I have been trying for some time in the past). I stopped using it because ... to difficult to setup properly for a non-tech user like me.

This post is not meant to be offending in any way, please do not shoot at me.
I only wanted to say that maybe the most simple programs help best to remain on the safe side.

Have a nice day

darthbeads reviewed v6.5.666.000 Beta on May 4, 2006

This might be the PC Magazine Editor's Choice, but it sure at shoot ain't mine. Makes logging into GMail impossible, which is pretty much a deal-breaker for me....

EDIT: I have never had a problem with Outpost, Norton, Kerio, McAfee, Sygate or Kaspersky. The GMmail login issue is a known and well-documented bug. Maybe you should learn to use Google before you mock someone.

Blackhole8746 reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Feb 26, 2006

Go to hell, this is the PC Magazine editor's choice

Kal-El reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Jan 3, 2006

mansa brought up a good point below about how you could piece together a free security suite. Dont forget 'K9 Web Protection' which is at least free right now.
ZoneAlarm SS has the advantage of being an all in one solution, you install/uninstall 1 program, a unified GUI, and you only update 1 program.
If you were to tally up the size of the apps needed to subsititute ZASS you probably wouldnt accomplish anything.
I found ZASS to be very effective and benign on system resources. Definetly the best of the security suites.

Zankur reviewed v6.1.737.000 on Nov 23, 2005

I think zonealarm will lose its name in the industry if they continue to be so ignorant to the problems of its customers!
U can see the release date and since then so many bugs and the disgraceful"Calling-home" bug has comeout.....
And what did the best security suite vendor do....nothing!
Even the next 6.5 version is supposed to fix "only" bugs and no new features.....
I think after check-point have taken over...we can only expect bugs and then a 7mth delay in fixing them...
And as for pcmag's editor choice i think...he is fooling us...except the firewall all stuff are pretty much average...
And norton which the editor has excellent firewall,excellent antivirus,anti-spyware...is just good...
Edited:1st March'06

Shaigel reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Oct 17, 2005

It might be a good firewall but a adaware/antivirus program it is NOT. I had 5 viruses on my cpu and it didnt find any of them.

Use AntiVir Personal Edition for viruses and Microsoft AntiSpyware for adaware!

mansa reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 30, 2005

The best security suite ever with both ICSALBS certified antivirus and firewall (the same as CA etrust antivirus and firewall).
But why spending money in something that we can have for free : ZA free, AVG free, Microsoft antispyware free, firefox, foxmail free, A-squared free, ad-awre and spybot S&D = a free internet security suite.
The only bad thing that it uses a lot of ressouces but with a good pc configuration you have the two best security suite ever :

ZA suite VS the FREE internet Suite

Baldrick reviewed v6.0.667.000 on Sep 10, 2005

No really impressed (after all the hype) as when running the ShieldsUp test and discovered that 4 ports in the range 0-1056 were identified as OPEN, when using the set up 'out of the box'. F-Secure IS 2006 beta & NIS 2006 beta both do much better yet the latter is regularly panned.

I also found the firewall rules difficult to set up, when compared to some other products. Plus far too many notifications about what is going on. Thought that this was supposed to be the epitome of IS suites. Unimpressive so only a 3.

jason_dal reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Aug 9, 2005

Don't even think about using ZoneAlarm Security Suite if you are a BitComet user, because these two programs are not compatible, in fact they hate each other.

Whenever I have both of them running simultaneously, my PC crahses within 20 minutes -- my cursor was forzen and "ctrl+alt+del" didn't work at all. All I could do was pressing the power button to turn my PC off.

For eMule, things are different but equally bad. Even though I opened eMule's ports in ZoneAlarm Security Center, eMule periodically lost its connection and then re-connected to the server. So it would took me a month to download a normal file.

ZoneAlarm Security Suite also made my computer really slow. It took me 10 minutes to strat up windows. I had to wait 3 minutes to see the start panel after I clicked on the start button and listened to the noice of my hard drive. I especially hate the so-called "Smart Adviser" in ZoneAlarm. It is so suspicious that it inspects every little move of all my applications and ask me if I wanted to allow them to run. Of course I did! That's why I double-clicked on their bloody icons!

I have switched back to Pc-Cillin internet security as I am writing this comment.

Mastertech reviewed v6.0.631.002 on Jul 27, 2005

Zonealarm used to be the pinnacle of software firewalls but the security suite is anything but that. The software is buggy and causes odd problems logging on and off various accounts among other things. These things should just not be happening with software this mature. The OS Firewall is completely UNWANTED but they give you no way to disable it unless you want to give applications free access to the internet. BS!

The only good things about the suite are the Parental Filter and AntiVirus program.

I cannot recommend this to anyone because it is to complicated to configure and buggy. The only reason I gave it a 3 is because the Parental Filter works well and so does the AV. The spyware protection is unwanted and useless however.

This app has become bloated and buggy from a once reputable product.

Zankur reviewed v6.0.629.000 Beta on Jul 16, 2005

very good,doing very well for"beta",firewall is even better then before and spyware is also doin very good job,
for more read foll,
http://www.pcmag.com/art...2/0,1895,1836243,00.asp

kovenant reviewed v6.0.629.000 Beta on Jul 11, 2005

finally the auto-update works with no error messages from server.
its simply the best suite out there,
best firewall and best antivirus

this suite + spybot search and destroy make your pc safe

jordenpro reviewed v6.0.629.000 Beta on Jul 11, 2005

Definitly a better now than it was 2 years ago. However, I still recommend Sygate Firewall.

Chazwazza reviewed v6.0.617.000 Beta on Jun 25, 2005

The best security suite out there, much better than Norton!!

OscarKardolus reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 5, 2005

Great Programm. The new spyware feature does a great job.

dillapp21 reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 5, 2005

You can tell it's beta. A little buggy. But overall still worth the effort to test on a machine. Ignore the naysayers who dog it. You can't expect perfection from a beta product. That's why they call it BETA.

hardgiant reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 4, 2005

1. It's beta, your suppose to test it.

2. It uses a driver and beta drivers always have a chance at Blue Screening your perfectly stable machine.

3. Most people shouldn't run beta's cause they don't follow the testing rules and this has rules!!!!

4. Known Issues: http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/beta#known

Vantorax reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 4, 2005

They couldn't even fix 5.5.094.000 to not crash when using a custom boot screen and now they got version 6.0 coming. Well, still has the same problem.

Zankur reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 4, 2005

This is height of in-sanity on part of people who post reviews(with 1-star) just for redicuiling the products they even haven't tried and promote the products they like.
even though the product is in beta stage,it is workin properly,and the firewall is doing even better with it's new technology.
Antivirus has imp frm previous versions,overall it is the best!!!!!

Chazwazza reviewed v6.0.591.000 Beta on Jun 4, 2005

Excellent program, and alll you people who say it doesn't deserve 5 stars are WRONG!!! :P

Nikkie reviewed v5.5.094.000 on May 3, 2005

works like a charm . i love how it detects the things all the other scanners couldnt .

princeofpentacles reviewed v5.5.062.011 on Apr 27, 2005

this is a great software, i have been using it for the last couple of months.i just love the functionality of this program.its low on resources too considering it has everything except an anti spyware maybe.if they could add an anti spyware, it would be great.still, i will say that this is the best security packag out there.

Zankur reviewed v5.5.062.011 on Apr 14, 2005

I knew 80% of internet community in the world,use some norton product which i feel was good till 2003 edition.
Now every third person is experiencing a system crash,due to legendary norton softwares.
but,ZA's security suite is the best in every way,A]best firewall,B]Sound anti-spam,anti-phishing,Junk-mail filtering,C]A great antivirus!D]Doesn't slow down the system &&&
ABOVE-ALL IT IS PC-MAGAZINE'S cHOICE!!!!

buckshee reviewed v5.5.035 Beta on Oct 14, 2004

I took am `image' of my system with Acronis TrueImage
Then I downloaded the ZA Security Suite. I uninstalled (not just deactivated) my antivirus program (F-Prot) and installed Zone Alarm Security Suite, activated the antivirus, and rebooted. So far so good.
Then I went on the internet and deliberately downloaded software `cracks' for various programs knowing full well that many of them contain viruses and trojans. Zone Alarm allowed me to open and run every single one with no problem. With a notepad I created an EICAR test virus and saved it as virus.com. I then scanned my system using Zone Alarm, it only found the EICAR test virus which was then deleted.- whoopee !!
Then I deactivated the ZoneAlarm antivirus and reloaded F-Prot. Immediately it reported the w32/silldldj@dl on my computer. After a system scan it found Briss A, Briss C and other trojans/viruses (six in total).

It appears this is purely antivirus (at best !!) and offers no protection from trojans etc - not for me thanks
I reloaded my `image' to have a completely clean system

hardgiant reviewed v5.5.035 Beta on Oct 4, 2004

The new junk email filters are very good but probably a waste for people using Outlook. Outlook Express users should be able to make great use out of them though.

CosmosX reviewed v5.1.011 on Aug 1, 2004

Edit: Spoke way too soon, I have got 3 PCs, one has the main internet connection and the two others are connected via LAN. The laptop had exactly the same settings as the other PC connected via LAN. This version crapped up my Internet on the other PC, it loaded sometimes and sometimes didn't. Looks like HAVEN'T fixed all users problems. I'm finally moving away from ZoneAlarm to something like Sygate now.

--------------------
Everything seems fixed now, no system slowdowns, emule is working fine. Seems to be much faster when using the interface and less resources. Also seems to block better. Looks like they have finally fixed most or all of peoples issues that were delivered in the 5.0 release a few months back.

marcos_cu reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 31, 2004

I was unable to run this software. After install and setting up the program, my system went into a reboot loop, even in safe mode. Had to restore last good config to get back into the system again.

ranasrule reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 30, 2004

all systems go.....issues related to emule seem to have been fixed

ksterling3 reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 30, 2004

Best build in the Zone Alarm family that I've installed during the last year! Plays well with AOL 9.0 and MSN 9.1. Working well on WinXP SP2 RC2. Stable. AlertAdvisor is improving and configuring more programs automatically, and correctly. Minor improvements could be made, but MUCH better than recent builds.

Tyko reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 30, 2004

Very good all-in-one program, what i miss is better spamfuntions.

+fast
+antivius
+firewall
+privacy

pvolk reviewed v5.1.011 on Jul 30, 2004

An excellent proram that combines all the best stuff zonelabs has to offer. I still like zone alarm 4, because of its better ad and popup blocking. There are also some small bugs that still need to get worked out, but overall an excellent prog.