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What's your opinion on these firewalls?

(27 posts) (21 voices)

Started 8 months ago by surfidiot
Latest reply from Quantum Dragon

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surfidiot

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Which of the following firewalls do you think is better? Do you think they both are the same or does one of these stand out?

Outpost Firewall FREE
The FREE version of Outpost Firewall offers a basic protection solution for casual web surfers and low budget systems. Please note Agnitum does not provide personal Support Service or any other advice via email for Outpost Firewall FREE.

Key Benefits:
Basic Firewall Protection
Connections Monitoring
Surfing Protection

Download Information:
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/index.php

PC Tools Firewall
This is a powerful free personal firewall for Windows® that protects your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. By monitoring applications that connect to the network Firewall Plus can stop Trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other malware from damaging your computer and stealing your private information.

Key Benefits:
Protects your PC as you are working, surfing and playing.
Intelligent automatic protection without all the questions.
Easy to use. Designed for both, novice and expert users.
Advanced rules to protect your PC against common attacks.
Best of all it’s FREE. No catches, limitations or time-limits.

Download Information:
http://www.pctools.com/firewall

Posted 8 months ago #
Lee

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Bit hard to answer as I have not used either.

Doubt anyone else here has too.

Posted 8 months ago #
BuBBy

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Like asking which car is better?

Choosing the best firewall would depend on a lot of things - like user experience, your expectations, what features are important to you / or not.

The fact you are only considering two free products it probably doesn't matter too much which is better - with such loose requirements - for you they will probably both do ok.

If you were more specific, then better/worst could be compared between the programs - but I'm sure in some aspects one is better than the other, and vice versa.

edit: reading that last line back... I'm sounding like Kelly now....

Posted 8 months ago #
Chip

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Windows Firewall works for me ;]

Posted 8 months ago #
surfidiot

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if you'd like delete this post entirley, the name say's idiot but you don't have to make me feel like one.

Posted 8 months ago #
Robert

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I'm sure Chip didn't mean to make you feel that way,nor did anyone else.Fact is ,a lotta people still put their trust in Windows Firewall.
As to your question ,I 'm not familiar with any of the firewalls you mentioned.
But maybe others are..so hold on,ok?

~Robert~

Btw Who's Kelly?

Posted 8 months ago #
Michelle

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I would say neither are the best imo. If you want a good free firewall if it were me I would use http://download.cnet.com/Comodo-Firewall-Pro/3000-10435_4-10460704.html?tag=mncol or http://download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm-Firewall-Windows-2000-XP/3000-10435_4-10039884.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10864451

I have never used pctools firewall so I don't know how it is, but in my personal opinion you would be better going with comodo or zonealarm.

Posted 8 months ago #
Txnnok

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AS for me I have used most except Outpost, but I have wanted to try it, unfortunately it doesn't work on vista 64bit. My pref is Comodo. ZoneAlarm is a pain to remove, but ok and as for pc tools I can't stand any of their products.
Outpost is suppose to one the top rated free firewalls.
I just reinstalled my pc the other day and am thinking of going with Zonealarm. Maybe they have fixed the quirks from a couple of years ago.
Comodo was my regular one before the reinstall, but I can't stand the layout for when you want to change rules or add them for certain programs.

Hope that helps a little.

Posted 8 months ago #
notblocklox

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Hi,surfidiot,
your question is very unspecific, like BuBBy said, when you ask which car is better, you will get as many pro as contra answers for both of your mentioned brands.
I think your suggestions are not very common - so until now nobody could give you that answer you was waiting for.
I use Kaspersky - free for Computer-Bild readers (a German magazine). I never had any security problems with it - however it can be rather annoying with all questions I could not answer. Meanwhile I have learnt a lot about the use of firewalls and can answer (sometimes). I have learnt by means of these questions and with the help of good friends in these forums (Hi Robert, Delenn, Kelly aka BuBBy :P ...). What I will say is, it is always best to make experiences, learn by own mistakes. When you can't get your answer here, look in more specialised sites e.g.: Gizmo's
A good check for your firewall is ShieldsUP!
By the way, I am absolutely sure, that none of the community-members who have answered in this thread will make you feel bad.

Hopefully this will bring you a step further to your answer.
graylox (on the track to become a nerd)

Posted 8 months ago #
Ashraf

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Outpost Free seems... too basic

Posted 8 months ago #
Chip

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Lol, sorry if you thought I was making fun of you. I was simply stating my opinion. Windows Firewall does work fine for me but I can see how other people might want a firewall with more features. I have Zone Alarm but don't use it that much. This post is turning more into a discussion on people's favorite firewalls but I'm not deleting it ;] People need to know the options they have out there to choose from.

BTW I edited your original post content and title to give readers more information.

Posted 8 months ago #
dsekirka

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I used PC Tools Firewall about a year ago, but had problems and got rid of it and switched to Comodo Internet Security. Never tried Outpost Firewall.

Posted 8 months ago #
SimpleMinded

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Yeah I agree with Bubby and notblocklox. surfidiot, I am sure the community could provide a much better answer to your question if you mentioned what it is exactly that you want out of a firewall.

As for the answer, I can't help you there, I haven't used either of the firewalls in question. I did however use Outpost Firewall Pro for some time before moving on to free alternatives. At the time it was quite the capable firewall but overkill for the average user IMO. Atm Windows Firewall is my firewall of choice. It doesn't offer all the bells and whistles but I like it that way. It's quiet, light on resources, provides a decent level of protection and is out of the way, characteristics I value in a firewall.

So the question to you surfidiot(assuming you are deciding over a firewall):
What do you want and value out of a firewall?

There are plenty of knowledgeable people here that can recommend or suggest a few firewalls you may find useful.

Posted 7 months ago #
AlexSJ

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The company I work switched from NOD to Kaspersky Security Suite and I wasn't happy with it at all. The constant questions went on my nerves, it didn't seem to quit. It also made my Outlook slow as hell. After 3 days I took it off, getting rid was another pain. Suddenly I was in the market for something else. Along came the mention of Agnitums Outpost from Fubar and the following reference: http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-challenge/results.php
That, a short trial period and the New Year edition offer made up my mind and I bought it. So, I'm not using the free firewall, but the complete Security Suite, with which I'm pretty happy. The IT guys still use Kaspersky (they bought it after all), but they do like all the logs etc. mine brings.
On top of all though I'm almost always running Returnil, which provides another layer of security. I just had to reformat my son's pc, it already has Returnil on, Outpost might follow this weekend or next since the lisence is good for 3 pc.
As advice I think you should just give them both a try and then see how it goes.
Pura vida, AlexSJ

Posted 7 months ago #
penneddragonone

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I like zone alarm because it tells me when someone is trying to call home. Otherwise I would use Comodo. As far as paid ones, I'd use Kaspersky. I'd avoid PC Tools because I like those annoying questions. So of the two, Outpost would be the one I'd try.

We're all idiots to some extent. My visiting mom asked me if I always used the fire alarm to tell me when dinner was done. I tried to cook eggs in the shell in my microwave....once. You shouldn't resent constructive criticism. anyway, as long as you know you're not an idiot, who cares what anybody else thinks! When you get right down to it no matter what you do, you're gonna make somebody happy and piss somebody else off. Just make sure you're in with the happy bunch and the police, etc. aren't in with the pissed off bunch. IMO.

Posted 7 months ago #
Paulga

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I use Comodo Internet Security,...its a full version,...and freeware,..it has a lifetime Licence.
the experts describe it as one of the top Firewall,..Anti Virus and Defence+Security,..however it is also stated as not for the inexperienced,...as it has many advanced facilities, that only can be understood by someone with experience of settings and the outcome of such settings,..in other words nothing gets in or out,..without your permission,..no leaks!,..i am using Comodo for the past six years,..never any problem,..be it virus or malware,..and it sure keeps itself up to date.
Nothing wrong with Windows Firewall,..but very basic!,...any firewall,..is better than no Firewall,..but when you do get a problem,..through a firewall allowing something through,..its a case of bolting the stable door,..after the horse has gone!,...we have covered comodo Firewall,..which is now known as Comodo Internet Security,..in previous threads,...all very helpful to anyone wanting to know just how important a good Firewall is,..and essential i might add.

Posted 7 months ago #
Buzz

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outpost sounds better, but only guessing

Posted 7 months ago #
delenn13

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I am using Zone Alarm Pro(but I don't mind the free one either). Since I am in charge of 3 PC's software...It's quick and easy to set up. The hubby can be a bit click happy and hates setting up rules, so ZA makes my life simpler. It works for me and that is what matters. I think any program like that is up to the user and how much time you want to spend on it setting it up and what knowledge you have.

I don't like any of the suites because I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket. surfidiot, I am not familiar with any of the ones you listed. I have used the PCTools Virus protection but I wasn't impressed. I don't like an anti virus program that won't scan an individual file you just downloaded. For the life of me, I could not find that option................ so off it went.

***Waves*** @ SoManyNamesICanNotKeepUpLox

Posted 7 months ago #
surfidiot

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do appreciate all the feed back, sorry I was taking some responses the wrong way, must of been a wrong way sort of day. Im usually able to take most kinds of criticizm well enough. And it is fair enough to say that I didn't post more specifics in what I was looking for. A few people said that Outpost was a good one to go with, I've read where it is one of the better free firewalls, and pc tools was written up well too. I am running pctools but it pops up windows way too much for me. Even with established programs it will pop those yellow windows up and if I'm not paying attention it will sit there and nothing moves. Which does 'wake me up' but that is getting kind of old. Outpost is a little more complicated (pctools isn't complicated just a pain in the butt) so I would have to read up on how to configure it. I don't think it would be too much of a problem. I use to have a real simple firewall called "filesclab" and this worked pretty well too. But to answer in part what I'm looking for is an anti-resource hog, some firewalls tend to drain resources. There are some really good ones mentioned here but they consume a lot of resource, like Comodo, Zone Alarm, and a subscription I had once to AVG...big time resource hog. I had the suite and slowed my computer down greatly. Somebody mentioned they weren't happy with Kapersky, I've read it's a great firewall, but it's all according to what you're looking for (as been established, lol). Several months ago when my AVG license was running out I searched the internet for a Kapersky bargain, thought I found one but it turned out to be a scam. I paid for it and the license was basically no good. I paid for it through Paypal and they wouldn't give me a refund. It was an unverified merchant in some other country. I decided after that to go with layering security. Lesson learned.
When I posted the first time I was trying both Outpost and Pctools together, not sure that was good, internet was getting choppy, slow and fast. So I uninstalled Outpost but wondered if I should have kept that instead.
The 'Windows Firewall' someone talked about, is this the same one that is built in to XP? I usually have that disabled only because I get mixed messages that it isn't that good, or it's 'ok'....never heard it was a real good firewall. Thanks for the comments.

Posted 7 months ago #
hotdoge3

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I run Comodo & Zone Alarm firewall on XP with 256 MB Ram 1000 CPU is ok change to Comodo as not like mic fix Zone Alarm Installation of Microsoft Update KB951748 may result in loss of Internet connectivity.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/867671/solutions_for_kb951748_and_zone_alarm.html

Posted 7 months ago #
cimmind

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Just adding my two pence worth!

I was using Zone Alarm (free) since long. Important point is that i was using version 6.5, which was way way faster than later versions. The later versions are more of bloatware really.

Recently switched to Comodo Firewall. You need to download 'Comodo Internet Security' program from their site, about a 30 MB download. This has both firewall AND their new antivirus program together. While installing, you can uncheck the anti-virus installation. (I recommend that as their anti-virus is fairly new and unproven yet i believe, but firewall is proven good). See http://www.matousec.com

Switched because matousec.com shows the performance of Comodo Firewall is best among all FREE programs. However, it is much more noisier and shows many popups compared to ZAlarm. I am ok with it.. would depend on the individual user.
The additional popups are mostly beacuse of an addiitonal component of HIPS that Comodo has in its free version (only ZoneAlarm Pro has it, not the free version), called as "Defense+". In the purely firewall generated popups, i dont think there is any significant difference.

Adding to the poster above, i agree, i wont regard either Comodo or ZoneAlarm as resource heavy. Ran both without problem on a 256MB gig, both take about 20MB of active memory useage.

One thing i may add.. whether Comodo or ZoneAlarm, i was using both with Avast antivirus. Avast has a module 'Web Scanner' that scans ALL your net activity, and can be regarded as a good adjunct to your firewall program.

{PS: That comparison to cars was a really apt one! If we all agreed on one 'holy grail' among cars, there would be no variety on roads!! However, i wish to add one more perspective. There is no car sold for free, but as the price level increases, the level of safety features provided generally go up. Small cars cant compete with the big sedans in terms of saftey on-road. In case of firewalls, there ARE free, absolutely free programs available that offer superb safety features. We should be able to decide among them who is the boss!}

Posted 7 months ago #
Txnnok

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Well I went with ZoneAlarm pro. I just so happened to have a key from a giveaway that I forgot about 4 months ago. I was testing Bitdefender on during its beta, so I had forgotton about it. I was trying the free one, but the lack of options caused me to uninstall, while doing this I went ahead and installed IE8. I ended up checking my hotmail, which is my junk email box and ran into the key while deleting emails.

Pro comes with antispyware(very uneeded), I am running two other spywares besides it. It has a really nice set of features and I can only say to give it a trial run.
My favorit pay for version though is Iolo's Firwall. It isn't rank very high, but it hasn't ever let a virus in for me. I would be using it on this computer, but I went with 64bit when I built it and Iolo hasn't got there firwall going for it yet. They did just recently get System Mechanic working for 64bit, so it should be coming soon.

goodluck on your search

edit: I just ran into this. It is called Kingston Research and they are giving a whole security suite for 180 days/6months. might be worth a try. I might post this again for software. http://www.kingsoftresearch.com/
-------------------------------------
Hey chip did set windows firewall for outgoing communications? I so, I was wondering if windows gave any sort of alerts. I had thought about going that way a few times, but always changed my mind.

Posted 7 months ago #
hotdoge3

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http://www.firewallleaktester.com/

http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tests_overview.php

LEAK TESTING * KILL TESTING

http://www.firewallleaktester.com/advices.htm

http://www.firewallleaktester.com/articles/vista_and_leaktests.html this may help!

Posted 7 months ago #
watcher13

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Thanks, hotdoge! That's a very interesting site and I bookmarked it. Has a whole bunch of applets to test firewall vulnerabiltiies, a good general security discussion, some useful security links, and a little software advice.

Posted 7 months ago #
paradise

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I tried to download Outpost to try it out, but it doesn't work with Vista. I did try the PC Tools Firewall and I didn't like it. I had a lot of connection problems with it. In basic mode it won't let you edit any rules, and in advanced mode I had to change settings I wasn't confident were very secure, in order for pages to load. It may depend on what anti-virus you are running, as to what firewalls will be compatible. Also, if you are wanting something very techinical, or more user friendly. My first choice would be Online Armor. They have a free version. It is generally rated at the top, along with Comodo, but Online Armor is much more user friendly. Unfortunately, Kaspersky won't play nice with it :( I'm currently running Webroot Desktop Firewall. It's fairly user friendly, and when I tested it at Shields Up, it tested pretty well. If you are able to run it, my suggestion would be Online Armor.

Posted 7 months ago #
hotdoge3

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Antiivirus that ok with most firewall are free AVG avast AntiVir, AntiVirus with Securty like McAfee, NOD32, Norton, Kaspersky, need the firewall that come with them if no firewall you need to check with them,I think Kaspersky will work with the old Zone Alarm but check.

Posted 7 months ago #
Quantum Dragon

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This link gives a well designed look on Firewall performance: http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php

Outpost Firewall Free 2009 6.5.2724.381.0687.328 is in 3rd place (with an "Excellent" mention): http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/reports/PSC%20report%20-%20Outpost%20Firewall%20Free%202009%206.5.2724.381.0687.328.pdf

PC Tools Firewall Plus (Free) 5.0.0.36 is in 8th place (with a "Very good" mention): http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/reports/PSC%20report%20-%20PC%20Tools%20Firewall%20Plus%205.0.0.36.pdf

Regards

Quantum Dragon

Posted 6 months ago #

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