Whats a good Firewall for XP?

Question

Whats a good firewall for Windows XP? I was going to install Zonealarm, but the current reviews are horrible. Problems with crashing pc as soon as its downloaded.

Answer 1

ZoneAlarm is fine but if you want another try Comodo:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

wdw

Answer 2

ZoneAlarm Firewall

Answer 3

ZoneAlarm has traditionally been great.

I like Comodo better though for the streamlined interface. ZoneAlarm does tend to have a lot of extra buttons.

If you are looking for a good overall security package, I recommend Kaskpersky's Internet Security Suite which also includes a decent Firewall.

Answer 4

It depends. You can divided firewalls in to 2 groups. Firewalls in the first group require input from the user to either allow or deny a Internet connection. These are best suited for users who are computer savvy. Users who can differentiate between a valid connection versus a malicious connection. Firewalls which belong to the first group are: ZoneAlarm and Comodo Firewall. They are very powerful firewalls but their effectiveness is only as good as the user's ability to differentiate good from bad connections.

In the second group of firewalls, the firewall makes the decision on whether a connection is valid or malicious. There is little or no action required by the user. These firewalls are best suited for computer novices or just someone who doesn't want to constantly be bombarded with popups asking if a connection is allowed or denied. Firewalls in the second group include: Trend Micro and Sunbelt-Kerio firewalls.

So, you have decide which group of firewalls is better suited for your needs. I have personally used all the firewalls I've mentioned above. They all work well and provide good protection. Comodo firewall requires a lot of user input, the most out of the 4 firewalls. ZoneAlarm requires a lot of user input in the beginning but, with time, it learns and relies less of user input. Sunbelt Kerio requires very little user interaction while Trend Micro doesn't require any.

You can find these firewalls and more at http://www.filehippo.com/software/firewalls/

Answer 5

I found Zonealarm too heavy on system resources.

I now use Online Armor free edition, which I think it awsome. It's very light on resources and has great protection. It allows you to scan for programs to allow/block straight after install and rarely bothers me with popups. It already recognising most of the known programs like Internet browsers, antiviruses, etc, etc. and automatically makes rules for them.
It's very easy to setup and use.

I did use Comodo which I liked, but v3 has become a bit bloated with tons of options. It also kept annoying me with popups and unfortunetly it is not compatible with Kaspersky AV, so I couldn't use it anymore.

Online Armor also got FIRST PLACE in the firewall leak tests at Matousec (see source list).

It is a free download and available from here: http://www.tallemu.com/online_armor_free.html

Answer 6

If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 then just the normal Windows Firewall in Control Panel would be fine.

Answer 7

An excellent free and extremely strong firewall is Comodo Personal Firewall. It can pass firewall "leak tests" that even most of the "paid-for" firewalls cannot pass.

And Comodo has a great support forum. Where the CEO / President of the company (Melih) might even himself answer your question! Check it out at:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

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Or if you prefer a decent and free firewall that is extremely easy on using your computer's system resources, then Kerio 2.1.5 is just about the lightest firewall there is. Uses about 4 MB RAM on my machine.

Although it is no longer officially supported by the makers of Kerio, there is a great Kerio 2.1.5 support forum at
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/kerio
to help and guide you if you have any problems.

2.1.5 is availible for free at:
http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page7.html

Answer 8

I use the free Zone Alarm with my Windows XP since they first came into the market. And I have never had one problem with Zone Alarm Free. Plus I check daily by performing a leak test and the free version is 100% leak proof. Nothing gets in or out without your permission.

You also get auto. updates if needed daily, and all new versions are downloaded free for installation over the old versions.

http://www.zonealarm.com (Check on their webpage for the home usage). And you will find the free version.

Minddoctor, France

Answer 9

Zone Alarm Pro.

Answer 10

By a cheap small computer and load this:
http://www.coyotelinux.com/products.php?Product=coyote
onto it. I worked perfectly for me.

I used a 486 and it works perfectly for my Damn Small Linux, XP, and (ancient) apple units.