Hi, everyone. Could you please tell me if Privatefirewall is fully compatible with Windows 10 and if it worth using it now? Thanks! Koliko
I did try it on windows 10 and it did work. but I do not recommend it , to use it since it has not been maintained / updated for some years now.
I'm running it on W10 64-bit for back of a better alternative. No major issues as far as I can tell, but I have not really tested it to see how well it actually stops intrusion attempts.
I am running it on Win 7 and it's working fine. I notice the Website now also lists Win 10. I see no reason to not use it.
I know this thread is specifically about the compatibility of Privatefirewall with Windows 10. However, I just wanted to put in my two cents. I've been using PF (with XP) for well over five years now and absolutely love it. The fact that it's no longer being developed or maintained hasn't affected me in any way whatsoever. It's very effective and very efficient (low on resources). A great little firewall!
You might find that some of the built in windows 10 apps like mail, weather, calculator etc wont open at all with Private Firewall, I had this issue & the apps would just show the outline of the window & then close right away. I ended up switching to Comodo Firewall instead.
Thanks for the feedback all. I appreciate it. So, I might encounter some issues if I used it on Win 10. I guess I should avoid it until another update.
Same here Tom. I recently installed Win 10 Pro x64, latest build. PFW appears to do just fine. I always do the right click install as admin. One problem I did have was when I activated windows, it kept failing saying it could not reach their server and to try again. I exited PFW, retried and it activated with no problem. It could have been just a MS server issue which is not uncommon, but activation went right through when I exited PFW. Otherwise, PFW has been working excellent for me. I love the fact it is such a small unbloated program that just works and is not complicated at all. Anyone wanting to install PFW on the Windows 10 installation just remember to right click the install file, choose "Run as Administrator" and it should work fine, at least it has for me.
I wanted to revisit my comment about PF running on Win 10 Pro x64. I had begun to notice some issues, such as higher than normal CPU cycles, and drive thrashing the other day. Not being able to really pinpoint the issues, knowing it was not an update, etc., going on in the background, I decided to uninstall PF, and the difference (improvement) in system performance was immediately noticed after rebooting. Boot time was slightly decreased and all other issues appear to have calmed down. This is just my situation, but I have used PF for many years, and it was working on Win 10. But for me, there did seem to be some degradation over the last week. So far so good since uninstalling it. I am using Win 10 firewall now, and after latest updates, system seems very stable. I really do not know what happened with PF, but I began to question it after noticing system degradation. I am going to miss PF, one of the best firewalls I have used that was not complicated and did not cause many issues at least on Win 7 Pro, but unfortunately, on Win 10 Pro it did not work out for me. Just wanted to update my experience with it running in Win 10.
I have been hunting for a FW since Emsisoft Antimalware deferred to the Win 10 builtin. Comodo trial really slowed things down. Running ZA on two laptops and WFC on two desktops. This thread has been interesting to say the least. Haven't been happy with FW since Outpost was sold. Hope the Russians are happy !!!
I am about to buy a new PC with Windows 10, and I would like to know others' experience with PF who have been keeping up with Windows Updates. If someone did experience problems with PF, did you follow the advice of the PF developer quoted above? I have been using PF successfully in Windows 8.1 for years. I am aware it is no longer listed on privacyware.com, but it is still available on lots of free download sites.
I can't answer your question since I don't use PF, but sooner or later updates might break certain software, that's why I don't install them at all. I still use an old version of SpyShelter Firewall on Win 10 1909 without any problem.
What version of SpyShelter Firewall are you using? The free version? Why didn't you update SpyShelter? If you have tested whether SpyShelter blocks Win 10 from phoning home, please report your results at https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/which-firewalls-can-block-win10-phoning-home.452327/ I read in other Wilder's posts where Windows Updates brakes PF, requiring reinstall. Like you, I plan to disable Windows Updates on my new PC. Win 10 1909 supports 10th generation Intel hardware, whereas my new PC uses 13th generation Intel hardware. So why not let my PC retailer will install the latest Win 10 ISO and test?
Windows Pro and beyond have switch for a timeout. default is 7 days, but you can tweak it to some more. but general avoiding or disabling updates is not clever!
I'm using an old SS version (12.3) because newer versions wouldn't work correctly on Win 10. And yes, disabling updates will safe you from a lot of trouble. And about blocking of Windows phoning home, I'm actually using TinyWall and O&O ShutUp10 to limit the phoning home. So I'm not using SS for the firewall.
@Rasheed187 - Thanks for the tips. Is anybody using Privatefirewall who keeps up-to-date with Windows Updates? If so, was it necessary to specify the Win 8 compatibility setting to prevent Privatefirewall from breaking each time a Windows Update occurs? This will help me predict if Privatefirewall is compatible with the latest Win 10 ISO.
to be more specific - on your Windows 10. your used 1909 is dead for over 2 years. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PrivacyFirewall was abandoned and thus deprecated. Dont know why you want to use an "ancient" software concerning security which is not fully compatible to the current windows builds. digital suicide wanted? at least it seem that you spend too much time for seeking something you never can achieve with your current knowledge base. not personal, just an objective view to the things. keep it simple, please. hint: i just switched back from win10 LTSC to Win10 Pro, because the LTSC builds are getting obsolete and the next major LTSC will be Win11 LTSC in 2024. current win11 22H2 is running so charming here, but for personal reason i also still need win10. and i dont have any additional firewall installed again, there is no need. what i have done is using O/&O appbuster to uninstall the uninstallable apps i dont want or use, and O&O shutup based on the other machines experience, so copy and use. my first step with such software was after creating a backup, because my first steps in 2015 with win10 were a complete fail. you cannot compare win7 to anything beyond. if you want to block or limit another software a rule is created with ease. blocking telemetry is no good, told you so.
may this a guide for you. i use same settings on several win10/11 machines with no issues. no ms account. Edge/Edge Webview2/Firefox is also setup with GPO (Windows Pro)
Correct, I don't know if newer versions of SpyShelter work correctly on other Window 10 versions. However, SS also had a couple of bugs, so I wouldn't use the new versions anyway. SS 12.3 works just fine, there is no reason to upgrade.