What is Last ZA Free Still Compatible with Malwarebytes?

You're welcome!

 

I looked again at the restriction on MBAM and it is shown on the very bottom of the ZA Free Firewall page http://www.zonealarm.com/software/free-firewall/. I didn't see an option to not include AV in the Free version. So I'm afraid I'm confused about whether it is a restriction

 

When you install the program you will see the antivirus program. Just don't click on that and you will be able to run MBAM.

I have the free version 2017 on a Win 7 computer with no problems.

 

Yes, simply a bad work from the marketing department copying/pasting the same message on all ZA product pages (even for those ZA products without an AV, i.e.ZAfree and ZAPro)

 

This is what the program looks like.

If you want anti-virus just push the button.

 

vsdatant.sys is the ZA Firewall Driver and it runs under vsmon.exe.

I'm always perplexed by independent vendors' firewalls and Windows' BFE. ZA (and BDIS on my other systems) don't show as being dependent on it. But, AFAIK all current firewalls need BFE.

The Security and Maintenance Control Panel reports Windows Firewall is Off, and that was nicely done when ZA was installed.

But the Windows Firewall Service remained Running/Automatic.

I stopped it and set it to Disabled without detriment to ZA.

Windows 10 Home AU x64
ZA Free no AV 15.0.139.17085
Running with BDAV Free Beta, Defender Periodic Scanning, MBAE Free 1.09.1.1275.

 

Thanks haakon
I just checked and got this message.

Am I in trouble?

 

Perplexing to me as well.
Here's an excellent diagram from M$
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366509(v=vs.85).aspx
I never know when people write turn it on or turn it off - does it refer to the windows firewall service or the whole thing or what.
I suspect it means mpssvc, which if turned on, then it runs parallel to whatever other firewall is installed.

 

I am not computer literate enough to understand any of that.

I'm sure smarter people would appreciate it.

 

In your earlier posts you mentioned you're using Windows 10.

This is what it looks like for me in Windows 7 Action Center & 10 Security and Maintenance. (Different names, same exact thing.)



And in 7 & 10:



I think you're Good to Go.

 

The benefit of not tampering the OS firewall services is that, if by any chance, ZA will fail/crash/shutdown then Windows firewall will automatically kick-in.

 

Thank you very much.

Most appreciated.

 

BUT-- can we keep both firewalls working?

Do they work well together? Wouldn't bother me if both firewalls were working.

 

To me the illustration helps explain the levels: various firewalls hook to that filtering engine. Likely with no need to observe details of traffic by a 3rd party firewall. And it, I think, also shows that the windows firewall is a GUI for the engine traffic observations.
What's not clear is if ZA overrides the engine by its own driver, and if so, what's the point of having both running.
haakon says to run just ZA. Fax says to run both. Confuses me.
I'm where I started - when Fax mentions to keep OS services alone, is not clear to me which service is referred to, base filtering or windows firewall service. Arrgghh.

After reading posts up to #38, bottom line for me really is that I don't understand any of it.
I don't see how two firewalls can work together at the same time.
Let's say one is supposed to deny some traffic, and the other allows, would that not be an enormous conflict? And which firewall do you change when you don't like the result?
Or maybe the windows firewall is in control and another, such as ZA, is just a GUI for the windows firewall and doesn't really watch traffic such as MBAM updates (out) or firefox/seaMonkey localhost (in/out)?
And do you then need to make rules in both firewalls?

Having to make rules in the built-in windows firewall is akin to torture, hence a hunt for something better that I can understand.

 

Thanks for you reply.

 

Both working but only one active. There is nothing that a user should worry about. You just install ZA on the system with the windows firewall ON and ZA will take care to turn it off. If, for whatever reasons, ZA will turn OFF, then windows firewall will turn back ON automatically.