ZoneAlarm Update 6.0.667.000

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I was seriously considering installing ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite on a friend’s computer, but was put off by the problems (mentioned, inter alia, in Fred Langa’s newsletter here and in following editions).

Do you get the impression that this product is now safe to install and use?

Thanks!

John

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John,

I’m opposed to security suites on principle, so I won’t give you an opinion on that, but I think the firewall, or in their latest parlance “ZoneAlarm Security Service”, is finally ready for prime time. I highly recommend doing a clean install and using the wizard to do initial setup. The popups to train it after that can be irritating and they require that you pay attention during the training process, but the end result seems to be worth it. The one caveat that I have is that the processes that run in the wee hours will leave a stack of ZA dialogs on your desktop the first time they run because you aren’t awake to answer them, and the processes themselves will most likely have timed out that first time or collided with one another. Once you sweep up the mess once, things seems to run smoothly. However, in all installs of ZA 6.0x so far, I’ve had to reinstall Diskeeper afterward because something gets corrupted.

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Brian Livingston’s recent Newsletter seems to give the thumbs-up to this 6.0.667.0 version of ZoneAlarm, both for the firewall and the Security Suite

And it also says that Woody Is Back!

John

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Zone Labs has rolled out 6.0.667.000, which they recommend installing as a clean install, not an update. I did so and have had zero problems with it, although of course I’ve had to retrain it for all my various applications. At least this version was smart enough to not shut down the internet connection and to allow its own client to function properly. They seem to have fixed all the miseries that went with the previous 6.0.x builds.

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Yes, it’s finally working the way it should. At last… I’m having no problems with ZAP now at all.

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I have ZAP version 5.0… on several computers. I plan to wait at least until 2006 before I upgrade to 6.0. In my estimation Zone Labs made a major error trying to build a fortress and not a firewall. It sounds like the risk of 6.0 doing major damage and losing a lot of time trying to repair it is real. My subscription expires in 3 days. So in a few months if I decide to renew it may cost more, but nothing compared to the time lost if 6.0 does the damage as I have been reading about. Fixing my own computer is bad enough but helping my 92 year old mother, my wife and other family members scares me to death – much more than an attack from the Internet.

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Helping your 92 year old mother recover from an internet attack should scare you even more. The latest revised version of ZA is rock solid. You’re only hurting yourself by not upgrading.

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Thanks – I will try the poison first and report back.

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She’s right — the new version IS rock-solid and reliable. You certainly shouldn’t hesitate to install it.

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