Latest Xp Update Vs. Zone Alarm

[rps]

Learned the hard way today that the latest update to XP (home and professional) has a bug if you are using Zone Alarm AV and Firewall. The end result is NO internet access. After much telephoning finally got an answer. Use Control Panel to undo update and wait until the bug is fixed befrore installing the update.

[jdmidwest]

It did not affect PcTools Firewall or Avast Antivirus. Both are free downloads and work well. I have always had issues with Zone Alarm and XP, I had always used it with Win 2000 without any hitches. With XP, it has caused mapped drives to disappear, wireless router to lose access, other problems.

[strangercreek]

Are you talking about service pack 3? I have installed it all over the place and have not had any issues but I will watch out for any PCs with Zone Alarm.

[rps]

I am referring to Security Update KB951748 issued a few days ago. MS found another truck size hole in its code which allowed breach by hackers. The update was designed to fill that hole (probably with more bloated code writing) and the end result did not agree with Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm has since issued an update of its own. You install the Zone Alarm patch first and then the MS patch.

I run Zone Alarm because it receives high ratings from experts not paid to say so. I don't like it that much. It is not intuitive, it is a resource hog, and its undisciplined. When it wants to do something, whether its a scan or an update, nothing will stop it from using 98 percent of the resources until it is done. However, it is as protective as it advertises.

It says something that I use equipment on which both the operating system and the firewall/antivirus cause me fits of ambivalence.