Gave up on Outpost

I tried Outpost for a few days then paid my 39 dollars. I kept having problems with it blocking things I was trying to do and not even giving me the opportunity to tell it what I wanted. Can't get to their web site or forum. Removed it.

 

Bill sorry you have the problem 'blocking' the things you cant get to.
As far as the website or forum, I also have not been able to get to either
of them for three days!?? why wish I new[instant messaged MegaHertz and he thinks its a DNS problem] once the forum is back for both of us, give it another shot and see if we cant help you some more

 

I was having the same, it just decides on its own to block stuff even when youve allowed it time and time again.

Took it off, want to like it as it always scores so highly but i keep having internet blocking problems that dont work even when i disable outpost. But then i unistall it and everything goes back to normal.

Maybe they can fix it for v 2.7 (hopefully).

 

I had several problems. If it would give you a choice on what you wanted, that would be fine. Instead it just blocked and in some cases locked up the system. My wife plays spades on Yahoo games. It didn't make her happy when it would just lock up.

 

Can anyone suggest a fire wall that works like it is supposed to. I know a lot of people use Outpost and that is the reason I bought it. But when it took it upon itself to start blocking things and not giving an option ,then I could't get to the web site or forum I had had enough.

 

Well, there is always ZA, free or pro.

 

to be completely honest: I took it off too...internet was slower since new version 2.6 .. it's a pitty cause I had it for two years

 

I had Norton firewall for three years and never had any problems. Got my new computer and wanted something better. Now I don't know what to do. I have a router and the XP firewall turned on.

 

well, sometimes when changing software, it can influence other software .. I don't have any other explanation for what happend to me I guess...

 

How about providing some information on what the exact problem was? What was being blocked and for what reason? The previous issues you raised do appear to have been resolved so is this a new one?

Outpost, like most other firewalls, does depend on being configured correctly and this can be affected by factors like how you are connected and what other software you run. The configuration created at startup should work for the vast majority of users - problems are only likely to arise if people change it without knowing what they are doing.

Finally, being problem-free is not necessarily an indication of good security software since its job is to stop unauthorised activity.

 

This is the same reason I took it off here too. Otherwise I liked it a lot and found it to be very good overall.

 

Paranoid2000 what finally broke it was my wife likes to play Yahoo Spades. For some reason it started locking it up. Outpost offered no options. A couple of times it locked up the computer and I had to punch the button. Since taking it off she has had no problems. I couldn't find out what I needed to do. For some reason I can't get to the forum or web site. Can I get a refund?

 

Most likely this would have been the Active Content filter. What settings did you have for it, what did its log show as being blocked and did you try creating an exclusion for Yahoo? (keep it very limited if you do, e.g. create entries for games.yahoo.com and login.yahoo.com only since their privacy policy offers little security about the data they collect). At a guess I'd say that Cookies, Javascript and Flash would be needed.

 

I have to agree because I play very similar games on the net
and had to exactly allow what you posted on active content!!
flash/cookies/and java

 

Were you seeing 100% CPU utilisation on your system in Task Manager. If so, and if Outpost was the main culprit, then this could be due to your anti-virus software - see the Outpost forum FAQ Resolving High CPU Utilisation Issues with Outpost and Agnitum Knowledgebase My system slows down while running an antivirus app and Outpost simultaneously.

As for a refund, you'd have to contact Agnitum directly (via their Support Form). However the licence agreement does pretty much rule it out - that's why it has a 30-day trial period.

 

Well my friends if I have to go through a bunch of configuring for every web site that I go to I would stay off the web. I have NOD32 , TDS3, Process Guard,Counter Spy and use Firefox. I have never gotten anything on the computer. Also I use a router.Outpost should pop up options so you can choose what you want to allowor block like PG does.

 

You don't have to configure exclusions for every website - you can just run with stuff enabled by default (though you then have privacy issues like advertisers being able to track you with cookies). Also while Firefox is more secure than IE, it is not immune to being exploited by malicious websites - blocking active content by default makes it far safer.

Finally, such configuration is a one-off task per site (exclusion settings will be remembered for future access) and only for those sites which you choose to interact with rather than just view (e.g. allowing cookies for shopping sites and forums like this).

Largely irrelevant when it comes to dealing with webpages with malicious (or merely irritating - like popup windows, resized windows and fullscreen ads). A router will only filter out unsolicited incoming traffic (e.g. scans and probes).

It can do, if you want. Just check the "Add Web sites to the exclusions list on the first visit" box in Active Content/Properties/Exclusions.

 

I don't know what the problem was but I had Outpost for about a week and it wasn't locking up on Yahoo . Then it started and it shouldn't have. It should have recognized it.

 

Well that almost surely indicates a conflict with something else on your system, which is all-too-common when running multiple security applications. If it worked in the past, and doesn't now, the key thing is to identify what has changed. Did you add a new piece of software or change the configuration of an existing one? Does reversing that change cure the problem?

In your case, I'd be inclined to try adjusting NOD32's IMON HTTP-filtering - however other possible causes include any network software you have installed. You mentioned Nortel VPN at the Outpost forum so this would be a prime suspect but other firewalls, packet sniffers, port monitors and network diagnostic software can all cause conflict resulting in slowdowns or lost connections - try disabling or removing such software to see if that fixes the problem.

In a perfect world, all programs would work all the time and there would be no need for security software or forums like this. However software writers can't anticipate all possible environments, programs do encounter situations they're not programmed for so people do run into problems they have to work around. Whether you choose to find the underlying cause with Outpost or switch to another firewall (ZoneAlarm would be the easiest one to use, though it has its issues also) is up to you.

 

Thank you for your help. I'm not sure what I am going to do. Outpost just caused too many problems. Or I should say headaches. Momma wasn't happy when her games locked up.

 

Well Outpost isn't the easiest firewall out there - but since you have paid for it, you may feel that getting value for your money is worth a little more perseverance. If so, I'd suggest uninstalling any software that was added before the Yahoo problem arose (was that Nortel VPN software one of those?) and reinstalling Outpost. If things then work, you have a good idea where to point the finger.

Since software installs/uninstalls can be time consuming, you may wish to consider taking a system backup first - if things go amiss you can restore from that backup. While I haven't tried it, others here speak highly of Raxco's First Defense ISR for letting you undo recent changes.

Another option if you have another disk would be Drive Snapshot which takes a full backup of your system - the trial download has time-limited backup and unlimited restore functions making it ideal for "once-off" backups (you will need to create a bootdisk/CD or create a second Windows partition to restore data though, Windows won't let you overwrite its files while it's running). Keeping regular backups is a good habit to get into also, since you can then recover data should your disk fail or your computer get stolen.

 

I believe NOD partners with Kerio.

 

WilliamP,

Just checked your posting history - it seems that you are more than familiar with First Defence so presumably most of my previous post was old news to you. Apologies for stating the obvious...

 

I can not get to their web site or support forum . I may not get a refund and so be it. I did trial it for about 5 days and I thought it was ok. After I paid for it I started having problems.And now that I can't get to their sites I gave up.

 

WilliamP,

Although it might be a bit frustrating and seem like throwing more time at an unsolvable problem, it may be worthwhile to try to figure out what is going on. Without knowing specifically what happened, it is possible that precisely the same scenario may play out with each and every firewall you try.

Since you've already paid for Outpost, it may be worthwhile to pursue diagnosing the situation for an additional day or two. I run a similar set of applications that your posts mention on 5 PC's. Similar on-line gaming is done by some of the other family members, and I've never run into this type of problem.

Mind you, I do not have my software firewall completely buttoned up. I use a router and the software firewall is basically an application focused outbound traffic cop. I went with a default installation, disabled component control and do not have Open Process control enabled, allow hidden processes to have access according to defined rules and policies, use the rules wizard for rule creation, and have Outpost set to run in normal mode. In other words, I'm really not tapping into a lot of Outpost's functionality, but it's configured to do what I want it to do.

I recommend one more install, completely clean (uninstall then delete the Program Files>Agnitum folder), completely default. From there, disable component control and set hidden processes to allow access. Both settings are accessed from Options>Application>[Hidden Proc... or Component buttons]. If you still have problems, you likely have a conflict somewhere with something and I'd focus on you AV/AT if you have customized the settings and tracking that down may or may not be worth the time invested.

The other comment to bear in mind, since you have a router and good coverage elsewhere, is that in my estimation a software firewall constitutes a nice to have but not required feature in your overall security setup. Many will disagree with that approach, but as with anything in this area, it's a risk-benefit balance of forces.

Blue