Comodo Question

I have tried Comodo v3 quite a while ago and got tired of the pop ups. Is the new version quieter? Also, is it good to go upon installation or is a lot of configuring necessary? Thanks in advance.

 

I ditched Comodo for the same reason, the large amount of pop-ups. The new version is a *lot* quieter than before, but it's not completely silent... It's definitely manageable now, but I don't have it on the highest settings, I have it set to what Comodo recommends when you install it.

 

Do you need to add registry keys to protect or is it pretty well configured as is?

 

Comodo Firewall 3.5 delivers less pop ups, More usability has been put into this version - and usability will only grow more in the future. The default configuration is good enough. Off course you can change configurations and tweak it to your needs.

 

I installed COMODO Firewall with Optimum Security a few days ago, and I have noticed that it is much quieter than previous versions. So much, in fact, that I was surprised when I was not getting as many alerts! I had used COMODO Firewall Pro (before Internet Security was released) on my older laptop, and was well familiar with the frequent alerts.

This was without tweaking. Upon my first reboot, I just set everything to training mode, and a few days later, I'm running Custom Policy Mode and Safe Mode with no problems. I'm quite pleased, it's very light, quiet, and more stable .

A tip, though: it helped me when I used the "My Own Safe Files" and "My Trusted Software Vendors" sections of Defense+. For example, I run it alongside avast! Home, so I just told COMODO to trust all files signed by "ALWIL Software" (makers of avast!). I haven't gotten a single alert dealing with avast! ever since .

 

My biggest grevance with Comodo Firewall 3.5, is its popups. Its shows up for common executions, like when a program launches another *trusted* program via dll.
Ex: Browser dowloads ZIP file and it opens in WinRAR.(pop-ups)!! Then you extract and open the .doc file (pop-ups!!)

If they could just allow *trusted* apps to run other *trusted dlls*. It would so much more usable !!
Till then using OA Free...

 

My understanding was that "Proactive Security" was the most secure configration for the new firewall version.

When I initially did in update install to my v3 firewall, the 3 new configurations did not come over. If you only see Network and Optimum Security after upgrade, you will need to uninstall/reinstall using the CIS installer.

 

You can always disable defense+. Very few pop-ups after doing so.

 

Big $$ is being put into whitelisting in CIS. In the next version, hopefully end of the year - CIS have even more usability.

 

Comodo should get rid of the pending files in *any* mode (including clean pc). I don't know how, OA does it, so Comodo can do it too. It's the most nerve-braking thing i 've seen in a security application.

 

Call me insane but, I don't mind seeing the pending files list initially. Go through all your apps in Clean PC mode, check the pending list, select ALL to remove then purge. Set D+ to Safe mode and your good to go, no more pending files!

This version has way less popups than previous versions. Even when I even have the thing in PROACTIVE security for the configuration, its much better than before. I'm using the Firewall, D+ and the AV, it's one of the lightest security apps I have ever used.

Ice

 

No, this is on a new, two-month old laptop running Vista Home Premium 32-bit. There was no upgrade from a previous version of any COMODO product, as I wasn't using a firewall until last Saturday (when I installed CIS).

I'm happy with my current configuration. I'm looking at the settings as I type this up, and the only things unchecked under "Monitor Settings" (Defense+ tab -> Advanced -> Defense+ Settings -> Monitor Settings tab) are Computer Monitor, Disks, and Keyboard. Yet even so, I had these same settings in the older COMODO Firewall Pro, and got more popups. So I do think that the usability has improved. Sure, it required a bit of tweaking, adding the Trusted Vendors and Safe Files, but it certainly is not as bad as it used to be.

 

If i well remember, the current "proactive defense" by default, hasn't all options enabled. That's why it has less pop ups. If you do check all options, in D+ settings, then it's no different than the previous versions. If you leave it at default "proactive settings", it's not as secure as with all options enabled.

I did try a clean pc mode and then turn to safe, but once i installend new things, i got more pop ups than with clean pc mode.

 

Actually its just the opposite. When you install CIS, it will take the Internet Security config which leaves some stuff out of the D+. But if you set it to Proactive config, it selects all the options in D+. I'm not trying to sound like a "Fan boy" here but they definitely expanded their whitelist to include more system type updates hence fewer popups. The only real niggle with this program and I have posted it at Comodo is, if you ever put the thing into Training mode there is no visible way of knowing you did it. OA puts a little L on the shield to let you know what mode your in. I wish Comodo came up with something similar. Other than that it's really a good piece of security for a great price.

Ice

 

I guess i am confusing "proactive" with "optimal". The latter being the new "recommended" setting during installation. All i know is that i check all options. So, you must be right.

True. Comodo enters installation mode and only after some time it asks you if you want to turn it off. Sometimes i had forgotten i had put it in installation mode. For my taste, OA is easier to use. But for its price, Comodo IS is a bargain. I would also like Comodo improve the firewall (about 85% in Matousec perf test). And in emule i consistenly have higher pings towards the servers than with other firewalls.

But all in all it is very good.

 

I installed the CIS firewall yesterday so I have to give it some time to quiet down. I was hoping that pending files was a thing of the past as well but no such luck.

So far I would say that OA is certainly easier to use and runs lighter on my system. I'll give it some more time.

 

Switch to Safe Mode and you get no pending files.

 

It's already one of the strongest Firewalls. There is a bug that caused those results and an update will be out next week.

 

according to this thread http://forums.comodo.com/help_for_v3/configuration_settings_solved-t30457.0.html at comodo forums, you are supposed to see 4 configuration choices on a clean install of CIS firewall only:

COMODO-firewall security
COMODO-internet security
COMODO-proactive security
COMODO-antivirus security

Proactive is the strongest - internet is the default (slightly weaker) to make Defense+ more user friendly.

Here is what they do (taken from a Mod post in that thread):

Optimum - Imported Configuration from previous
Internet - Default Settings (Fresh Installation Configurations)
Proactive - The Most Secure And Yet Most Alerts Appear
Antivirus - Disables Firewall
Firewall - Disabled AntiVirus

Optimum is an imported setting from an old CPF 3x install. If you only see two options under configurations, you are either still running CPF 3 and installed that clean or your CIS 3.5 install had some issues.

 

My mistake, i wasn't clear. I couldn't care less if Comodo lost 10% in Matousec's leak tests. I was referring to the once called TCP and UDP Perf tests of Matousec, that i actually found it useful. In those tests, Comodo was at about 82-84%. And i do get higher pings.

 

Oh okay.

Never mind... Sorry I misunderstood.

 

You're right about the four configuration options, but I distinctly remember that I was not offered one of those four choices during installation. Now, once the product is installed, I can easily change the configuration to one of the four you've mentioned (I am currently on "Firewall Security"), and there is no "Optimum Security". However, when I ran the setup file, I opted to only have the firewall installed. Then I was presented with three options: install just the firewall, install firewall with all of D+ enabled, or install firewall with most of D+ enabled (those are in my own words). I selected to install the firewall with most of D+ enabled – it was bolded and selected by default, so I just left it at that.

So, you're right about the four configuration options that are present after you install CIS, but during installation, I was not presented with any options other than the aforementioned three. Perhaps it's a typo in the setup file, but whatever the case, it's a lot quieter for me, and I didn't import any settings.

 

Just put defense+ in training mode and run everything you would normally use on your computer. Then move it up to wherever you are comfortable with and abra kadabra no more huge amount of pop-ups.

 

I for one like antivirus programs to have a lot of pop up notices. Because it lets me know that it's doing it's job.

 

I decided to take the plunge again and install the new free firewall suite but i did not check the antivirus program. Since i really do not know too much about their antivirus program and have not seen any reviews on it, I do not know how good it is compared with the other good ones.
The first time i installed it was with the optimized defense +. (btw this was all done on a test machine running xp pro sp3). I had installed the firewall prior to this a few months ago and it made my computer go real slow but i figured this was a newer version maybe they fixed it. Well in my experience they did not. So after testing it for a day and having popups for everything all over asking me to allow/dissalow and having my computer go to a crawl I decided to uninstall it.
When i uninstalled it I found I had no connectivity to the internet and my internet shield had a yellow question mark in it telling me I had limited acitivity.
Another reboot fixed that.

OK I again i installed it- this time ONLY installing the firewall component without the defense + just firewall and now i am finding everything is much better. Computer is not crawling, and i am not getting any popups- only on the programs it doesn't know yet. I have it set to Safe Mode as I had it before.

So, so far it seems to be working better for me just as a stand a lone firewall which is really what i wanted to begin with. And this version is much faster- doesn't make my computer crawl like the older version did. I had tried the older version without the defense + but i was having the same problem- slow moving computer.

robin