Best free 'out the box' for newbie

What's considered the current, best free set 'out the box' firewall for a complete newbie.

I'm talking about somebody who is very new to PCs and mature (53).

It's not me!

Still ZA? How about Comodo?

Thanks
Ian

 

i prefer Comodo. It do a good job and simple to use. easy config, few "alert/permision" popup, almost install n forget about it.

 

I simply love Comodo Firewall. I have it in learning mode and it still passes all the Leak Tests. Also when I had a question about something awhile back, it was answered in their forum right away. I have used ZA Free, and Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall Free and although I liked something about each one, Comodo is superior to both of them, and I suspect at this point maybe even superior to the paid versions of both of them as well. I have also used many different Free Antivirus and Antispyware Programs, so take it from someone who likes trying many different softwares (And needs to stop. LOL.) when I say that at least for me, this one is a keeper.

 

Another recommendation for Comodo.
It's the best firewall I have used and I have ran a few.

 

Comodo has overturned ZA. ZA rein as best free, days are numbered if not gone. Thank you very much Checkpoint.

 

Ian,

Because of the above statement, even though it appears that Comodo is superior to ZA, I think the best choice is ZA. I think someone very new to PCs will find Comodo confusing (they may still find ZA somewhat confusing but not as much as Comodo).

Simple way to find out is to install ZA, give them a basic understanding of what is going on with the pop-ups, how to respond, etc. and see how they do. If they master ZA easily, you might then want to try Comodo. Although, if they have sufficient security (i.e., NAT firewall, etc.) you may not need to have them switch to Comodo.

 

Thanks for the advice.

As I don't know Comodo (I run LnS) I'm a bit concerned I may be leading them into a minefield.

Is it as easy as ZA or should I suggest they follow InfinityAz's advice and start with ZA before proceeding to Comodo.

Do the Comodo users agree that it is as easy to use as ZA i.e. give the program authorisation to network and then forget?

Thanks
Ian

 

i also vote for comodo also its very easy to use out of the box and does want it is suppose to do and i agreed with the forums of comodo also they do anwser you very quick

 

I don't think Comodo is harder to use.
You don't have to use all of the features like Application Monitor or Application Behavior Analysis.
With ZA you still get asked for permissions for programs.
Comodo can be set up to be easy.

 

Really? Doesn't seem like a revolution(similar to Firefox) is happening. I still think ZA (Free) is the best for people looking for a free product or trying to understand the technical jargon that comes with the use of firewalls.

P.S. Other companies like Kaspersky seem to have much more faith in Check Point than even you.

 

I'd have to say the xp firewall would be best for a new person who just needs basic firewall protection. Easy to use and pretty much silent.

 

Tried them all, I do alot of Gaming online, Comodo is easy to use and easy to set up + its free + good support if you run into any problems.

 

ZA Free is still the best for the first day user. Comodo maybe too imitating, or at least not till after a few solid months of computer experience first. Using either one will demand your help in setting them up properly for the new user.

Windows firewall and a router is the easiest for any new user.

Set up the FireFox and he is probably safe anyways.

12fw

 

Can't say much more than this!

 

ZA may be as simple as Comodo, but consider what you must do to do a clean uninstall of ZA. If you don't know, check out the ZA forum. I have been using a computer since 1997, and I smoked 6 cigarettes during my uninstall of ZA Security Suite. You don't just click uninstall and it's gone. There is a 2 page procedure that you must follow to the letter. Then there's installation. If you are installing ZA without any prior knowledge of which version is safe and which version is unstable and buggy, you could be up to your waist in alligators.
example: I had upgraded to version 6.1.744.001 and found it to be a good stable version. Then they came out with the next upgrade 6.5 and all hell broke loose. People were flooding the forum with stories of all kinds of system failures and bugs in general. After 2 more attempts to rush out a good version, they finally sent out version 6.5.737.000, which is a little buggy but not too bad. That's when I did my clean uninstall and installed Comodo. It is everything described in the replies above. My computer boots up faster and shuts down faster, and all I did was install it and make a few minor configurations, just like ZA.

 

Windows XP SP2 Firewall. No popups unless they engage in any activities relating to inbound connections (like gaming and p2p) and if they do engage in these activities, the SP2 firewall will set them as exceptions if the user decides they are acceptable. Other than that, there are no popups for outbound communication which can be very overwhelming for people and cause them to always click yes, so outbound is worthless if you don't consider what the question is being asked and whether or not you should allow it.

Alphalutra1

 

Comdo is very new compared to ZA given time and if it stays free it clearly will over throw ZA. Imo it already has. ZA was never the same firewall after Checkpoint got a hold of it. I still like the older versions of it but with new ones like Comodo coming out the market will continue to splinter and I think ZA will continue to shrink in market share as superior less buggy FW come out. The garbage that ZA leaves behind after an uninstall is unexceptable too. I had no such trash to hunt down after uninstalling Comodo.

For these reasons and more Comodo trumps ZA free.

 

My vote is for Comodo too. I've used Zonealarm on many computers, but never liked it much. Like some others here, I feel like maybe zonealarm used to be one of the best free firewalls, but not any more. Uninstalling zonealarm was never fun either. Comodo would be my top pick of free ones now.

 

> If you are installing ZA without any prior knowledge of which version is safe >and which version is unstable and buggy, you could be up to your waist in >alligators.


I had this problem a few years ago when I used ZA for a little while. I uninstalled via add/remove but its installer did not get rid of the whole program. Vsmon something was still there.I had to go to the ZA forums to find info on manual uninstall.A nightmare.

No more Za for me for sure

 

Hi guys

two quick questions from a newb? I just built my first computer, loving it, and I need to know -

1. I had some internet connectivity problems recently. Asked around and someone suggested I uninstall ZA and run the XP firewall. Always ran WIN 2K before this so forget about the native firewall. I uninstalled ZA (using Add/Remove Programs and my problems went away. I then installed Comodo. Working fine, but twl845 - can i still do the complex uninstall procedure if I've used Add/Remove programs to uninstall ZA? I will go to the ZA pages you mentioned to try to figure this out on my own, but not until tomorrow.

2. The reason I wanted to post here. Is there a compelling reason for me to use a NAT router (as firewall), in conjunction with the Comodo? I am running DSL, my modem is a Broadmax Technologies LinkMax HSA300A-2. Is this overkill? I am using Firefox a lot, as well as Outlook Express Office occasionally (tried Thunderbird but it ate one of my folders). I heard somewhere that it matters if I am logged on as admin (root?) or not - is that right?

3. Recently switched ISPs and the guy at the new place asked me which DSL modem I have - I told him (see above) and he laughed and said 'the company is no longer is business' or something like that. Is this a piece of ****? Am I hamstringing my 5 MEG connection by using it?

Wasn't that 3 questions?

 

mset - Uninstalling ZA via add/remove is what any logical person would do. Then they realize there's alot of ZA files still left behind, like vsmon. Some people have problems as a result and don't know how to proceed. It ain't easy, but going to the ZA forum is your best bet. Address your inquiry to a Guru named Slyfox. He has answered this question at least 1000 times, and he will direct you.

 

Excellent, I'm on my way over there now. Thanks.

Does anyone else care to chime in re: the other two questions above?

Thanks

 

You must be joking:

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

Comodo here. As for Comodo's positioning in that test:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16883733.


Comodo is okay for a newbie. Not that difficult to handle. Pretty much a set and forget FW.

 

About Windows XP firewall

You must be joking, Windows firewall doesn't try or claim to control outbound, judging it by that citeria is silly. You might as well run antivirus tests on firewalls.

Set and forget FW? I always get those funny OLE warnings.. no clue what so ever those are...

 

Yes, remember that the user is a NEWBIE, therefore installing a third party FW with a two way protection is a MUST.

Comodo's warnings are not a big deal. Just google for them. Easy as...


Regards.