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May 4, 2008 | 07:07 AM

rangersvt04

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From: On A Ship, MI

Firewall questions

ive got web root desk top firewall. it came free and im using it...yadda yadda all is well until today. the dang thing wont let me access the net unless i set it to allow all traffic...wtf? ive done several spy ware- anti virus sweeps with spy sweeper, spy boat search and destroy, and AVG. i havn't come up with anything yet.

so any clues as to whats going on?

its a laptop (dell) and i did leave a web page (my banks page) up all night and since the power cord wasn't plugged in it went to sleep mode. well when i fired it back up this morning i was at work and it says i was still connected to my wireless at home!. now it says im connected at work after i have shut it off 3-4 times.

im starting to hate this laptop!!!!! i think it might have chebbie parts on the inside!!!!!

Last edited by rangersvt04; May 4, 2008 at 07:08 AM. Reason: i cant spell

May 4, 2008 | 08:30 AM

projectSHO89

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From: St Louis

It's got Microsoft stuff in it. far worse than either chebbie or ford stuff.

Manually disconnect from the access point and try reconnecting to the one at work.

Uninstall the webroot f/w and see if it now works. Reinstall it from scratch.

Steve

May 4, 2008 | 12:08 PM

Secret Agent 069

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From: North Van BC, Canada. EH!

If you have a router and it is locked down, then your already running a hardware firewall, which is far safer than software. Software will always be limited, and prone to issues.

IF your still adamant at running a software firewall, then I suggest switching to BlackIce Defender it is IMO the best firewall software ever made.

May 4, 2008 | 12:58 PM

FTE Ken

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From: Enjoying the real world.

I have both a hardware and software firewall. The hardware stops them dead in their tracks trying to get in... but one thing it cannot do which software can:

If you get spyware, virus or root-kit on your system a software firewall can stop them from comminicating with the outside world, and warn you of the problem. I've tried Norton, Black Ice, System Mechanic and other software firewalls. I keep going back to Zonelabs free ZoneAlarm firewall. If it were Linux, IPtables blows away anything ever made for Windows.

May 4, 2008 | 03:43 PM

Secret Agent 069

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From: North Van BC, Canada. EH!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTE Ken

If it were Linux, IPtables blows away anything ever made for Windows.

Hey... There isn't anything wrong with windoze... Windows Problems - Google Search

Well at least nothing a BFH can't fix.

May 5, 2008 | 11:17 AM

rangersvt04

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From: On A Ship, MI

this is what my fire wall is blocking.

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox*****(restricted parent process c:\windows\explore*****

do any of you know what this could be or is?.

May 5, 2008 | 11:20 AM

rangersvt04

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From: On A Ship, MI

BlackIce Defender is dead. i just goggled it and the ibm site said there letting it die, sept 29, 2008 is the last time they are going to up date it .

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May 5, 2008 | 05:12 PM

krewat

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Joined: Jul 2002

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From: Long Island USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTE Ken

If you get spyware, virus or root-kit on your system

You have to stop clicking the link for that Jessica Alba screensaver

May 5, 2008 | 05:54 PM

#10

FTE Ken

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Joined: Jan 1997

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From: Enjoying the real world.

The one thing about Zonelabs is they make it hard to find their free version... so I provided a direct link:

Firewall Freeware, Free Firewall Protection Software, Firewall Shareware: ZoneAlarm® Free Firewall Software.

The only downside to this firewall is the free version is configured to allow anything except your browser and email software through. If you have any software which updates itself through the Internet, or other legit software which needs to access the Internet, its going to be a pain to use for the first few days when it pops up a warning window asking if the application is allowed to access the net. If you have any warnings you're not sure about post them here.

May 5, 2008 | 10:25 PM

#11

Secret Agent 069

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From: North Van BC, Canada. EH!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTE Ken

ANY software can be made "free" you just have to know where to look...

Zone Alarm is the best way to leave you system WIDE OPEN to every exploit out there.

The BEST hardware Firewall you can get is the Alpha Shield Firewall

Quote:

AlphaShield<sup>®</sup> is a revolutionary device that connects between your computer and high speed modem.
Connecting to the Internet without AlphaShield<sup>®</sup> is like leaving the front door of your home unlocked. Hackers and unwanted intruders can easily enter your system, steal your valuable information and even take control of your computer to engage in Internet attacks.
Once active, AlphaShield<sup>®</sup> monitors all Internet activity and effectively protects your system from all unauthorized intruders. AlphaShield<sup>®</sup> is your simple, most powerful and cost-effective Internet privacy solution.

Quote:

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May 6, 2008 | 01:43 PM

#12

FTE Ken

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From: Enjoying the real world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Secret Agent 069

ANY software can be made "free" you just have to know where to look...

I'm referring to a legal license. We're talking about security, yet you bring this up? Cracked software often comes with hidden, malicious payloads.

Quote:

Zone Alarm is the best way to leave you system WIDE OPEN to every exploit out there.

I disagree. Earlier I said you should use a hardware filewall in conjunction with a software firewall. You should never really on just software, or just hardware for firewalling. For the software side of things, Zone Alarm is pretty robust, but should not be relied upon exclusively.

Quote:

The BEST hardware Firewall you can get is the Alpha Shield Firewall

While its adequate for light home use on Windows systems as a personal firewall where the user doesn't have a lot of technical sophistication its nowhere near the level of a good Cisco firewall, Barracudas, higher end ZyWalls,, the higher end Sonics and any free iptables based firewall (and the dozens of free Linux standalone firewalls based on it) or any of the many robust firewalls that don't come in tiny little boxes. Sure, its okay if you want inexpensive, small and works for someone who doesn't know how to configure a smarter firewall. If you want a really powerful firewall, its going to cost more, come in a much larger package, and its not going to be a cheap plug and play Windows based device. You can't even build rule chains and tables with it hence its not very industrial strength. The mere fact that they say it never needs updates will leave some people with a false sense of security, because sooner or later all such products will have an exploit.

Using the various hardware/software combinations I've had over the years, I've been connecting to networks without a single exploit on my system since the 1980s when we didn't call the Internet the Internet (most of the time we referred to the various services instead, such as telnet, ftp, gopher, Usenet, etc.).

The thing I like about ZoneAlarm is it isn't the constantly changing favorite flavor of the month firewall of reviewers, where you end up changing your brand every couple of years. Instead, it is consistently ranked among the best, and has done so for nearly 10 years.

Commodo is a good second choice, but doesn't have a long track record.