Netveda Firewall

Originally posted by pcalvert

That is interesting when some users get the license prompt after about a year and some get it after a few weeks. Maybe there is a random number generator involved in determining the expiration period of the software? The expiration prompt must be an inducement for you to purchase the program. Not surprised at that tactic. The program does have its good points such as small footprint and not too complex to use. But the bad points include non-existent tech support and no updates for over a year (plus the potential of an expired message prompt). The bad points far outweigh the good points for me. But for those who don't have any problems with it, it might work for a long time and there are many other old firewalls that many users are still using.

P.S. BIOS? That reminds me. I have to back up the CMOS info on my old PC because the battery on the motherboard is over 7 years old.

 

It is probably set to expire after a year. As for those cases where it expired after only a few weeks, it is easy to trigger the expiration by messing with the computer's clock. And many people have messed up clocks on their computers due to dying CMOS batteries and whatnot. Also, suppose someone installs it to try it, uses it for a few days, and then uninstalls it. Eleven months later, he/she decides to start using it on a more permanent basis. What happens then? I'll tell you what. That person will get, at most, one month of use before uninstalling it because the license will expire. That's because the timer starts when the program is first installed, and uninstalling the program has no effect on it. That's not true for all time-limited demo programs, but it is true for the "smart" ones.

I have an Macintosh SE whose CMOS battery is about 18 years old. I haven't turned it on in three or four years, but the last time I did it was still working fine. I really need to turn it on again sometime soon. Hopefully the battery is still working and I can back up the CMOS data. I should probably buy a new battery for it, too-- if they still make that kind. I no longer use that Mac, but I was thinking of setting it up to use as an emergency "backup" machine in case my main computer breaks down. Although that Mac is very slow, I can still use it to check and send email if I put an old version of Eudora on it. And it's fine as a word processor.

Anyway, back to NetVeda Safety.Net. My opinion about it has changed; I now think that it's best avoided. The only people who will be able to use it are those who use Ghost, or a similar program, to periodically return Windows to a pristine state, and do so at least once a year.

Phil

 

Originally posted by pcalvert

You mean the user will have to keep restoring the whole system back to point A about every year just to continue to use the software? That will require a whole bunch of saving and reloading of files and that definitely will be a real big annoyance. No program is worth that much trouble in my opinion.

My 486 machine has the battery soldered into the motherboard. Needless to say to replace it means that you will need a new battery plus a solder gun. I just retype back the CMOS information if I need to power on the system.

 

Some people do that regularly just to keep their systems in tip-top shape and free of accumulated crud. It's actually a pretty good security practice, too. That's because you rid the system of any hidden malware every time you wipe the slate clean and start over. If you plan things well, it can be accomplished without too much bother.

Phil

 

thanks Phil... I have been stressing about how/who/why/what/when.
Now I know it's not something I did (my usual cause of software stuffup) I can rest with a clear conscience on this one.
Don

 

pcalvert,
That may be true regarding restoring your PC back to an earlier point to avoid the crud that builds up like soap scum. But I want to minimize the bookkeeping aspects of my computer. My paper files are already too much to manage and I don't need another thing to worry about.

jumpshot,
Looks like you got the hidden time bomb message with Netveda. It looks like Comodo came out with a new version today. I guess I will wait and see how it works from the other users.

 

Think of it as part of disaster recovery. When some malware or misbehaving software totally screws up your computer, you can say "Okay, it's time to wipe the slate clean and start over." But instead of it taking days to reinstall Windows and all of your software, and configure it all to get your system back to where it was before, you'll be able to accomplish almost all of that in a few hours.

Phil

 

pcalvert,
Disaster recovery is a big issue with my IT company, but in the case of my PC, it is not that big of a deal. Even should I lose everything on the machine, I don't store anything that I really need on the hard drive. The system is a bit old so going back to what it was like in 1999 (or an earlier point) may or may not be worth the trouble. But it always is good to have some recovery point in case something does mess up your system and you need to do something on the PC in a short time period.

 

Is the final version going to be released this year?

Cheers.

 

You may doubt that. There were no updates whatsoever in a whole year. And technical support on their forums is zip also for quite some time.

 

No, I was referring to Comodo.

 

Originally posted by gesc

The most recent version of Comodo was released last Friday (version 2.3). You can download it from their website.
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo....?currency=USD&region=North America&country=US