I had Avast 5 Free (with all shields enabled) and with the latest version of ZoneAlarm installed. It was a brand new custom-built computer which includes Core i7 860, 8 GB DDR3 ram, and Windows 7 x64. for 5 days, i couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I tried disabling sleep, hdd sleep, and hibernation, but my computer would randomly shutdown or reboot with a blue screen. in event viewer, it was Kernel-Power event id 41. used memtest and it said there were no errors.
Then I recalled that I helped 2 of my friends with similar spec’d computers and installed Avast 5 Free with Webshield disabled and with ZoneAlarm installed. (both were new computers as well). i asked them if they experienced any blue screens or crashes. they said no. so then I disabled the Webshield on my computer and for the past week, i havent had any more blue screens, crashes or reboots!
It is more likely a problem with ZoneAlarm.
I strongly suggest to use a hardware firewall.
Depending on how you connect, you may already have one if you use a router/(cable)modem
If you have such a device check the specifications.
If it has indeed a firewall, there is no need for a software firewall at all.
ZoneAlarm is known to cause all kinds of problems.
If you really need a software firewall I suggest Comodo.
It is a freeware one and very good.
Please, zip and upload the C:\Windows\Memory.dmp file to this anonymous ftp server: ftp://ftp.asw.cz/incoming
Please, go to folder \windows\minidump and send the newest (recent) .mdmp files for analysis. There is also C:\Windows\Memory.dmp file.
Better if you can compress (zip) them and add some information about the BSOD and the link for this thread.
I had major issues with my XP 32 bit system with Zonealarm. It had been great until they sold the ZA company several years ago, then it got pretty bad. Over that first year after several updates I couldn’t get on the net and after a particular one ZA didn’t get along with my AVG, another app that went bad. I chucked ZA, got comodo and oper the last year or so, comodo got bad too with their updates and I am not the only one who had issues. One comodo update killed my XP system even booting up. After de-installing their neat firewall luckily in safe mode, I reinstated the windows one and boom my system got online. Then I checked comodo’s forums and found people leaving in droves. I tried comodos email and anti virus and sure enough with their updates have found that while they have neat stuff, their release of bad automatic updates left my system consistently crippled and many other folks too. As for ZA and AVG, junk, all junk. AVG constantly had tons of false alarms and trashed a system file too. As for ZA, avoid them as well, not a nice company anymore, even their pro stuff.
Avast anti-virus so far has been swell. Too bad they don’t have a simple free firewall.
Whether ZA is or isn’t, ;D is not the point here. What is the point is that at one time ZA was a great stealth firewall. Then they sold it to the company and it tanked from there. I had several instances where it killed my internet connection, prevented my XP SP2 system from starting up and I had a pretty bare bones system at that and later found out it wasn’t my system, but rather their software. I then tried comodo and found their updates to kill my net connection, which happened three times, the third also leaving me a BSOD except in safe mode to uninstall it. In fact their antivirus bundle also had issues with updates, even trashed like AVG once did, a system file. Again, comodo had issues like ZA and AVG (AVG many false alarms, even trashed a system file) have with their software updates, not my machine. It was their fault, not once in ZA’s case, but a number of times. Yeah ZA has a great interface and when it works it does a great job, noticed I said “WHEN” it works, cause since I abandoned it, I have not had any net problems :o Have a nice day!
Thanks for adding backup to what I have posted. ZA was great, not anymore. Their application got much worse, forces you into updates or even at times de-installs or deactivates itself leaving your system naked, has advertising at times and they on top of all of this have been said to make it purposefully have issues with other security apps. What is needed is a main FREE OPEN SOURCE firewall that works! If Avast provides a basic free firewall great, if not then an OS firewall would be welcome by many around the globe using the Windows system.
No you are dead wrong! In all the cases of a crashed system or other issues, the forum posts at the ZA, Comodo and AVG sites indicated that the issues were wide and far with many other users, which thus throws the blame back on those companies and their products. The truth is ever since ZA was sold to the new company, it went downhill with a number of Mickey Mouse issues added too. It was not my machine’s fault, and many former users will confirm this. The fact that ZA has a mental lock on you and your computer system illustrate you are in a state of total computer software denial. I deal in reality. The reality was that removing their horrible bug ridden software restored my computer to a fully functional working status and that of many other users as well, so please try not to shove ZA’s propaganda down my throat. Their software is these days, glitzy junk and anyone who has not yet experienced a BSOD, partial start-up and lockup, or unable to access the web will concur. Have a nice >:( day!
Nobody’s a fanboy of anything. We just want something that works and doesn’t force you into updates or deactivate as ZA has done, and doesn’t kill your net connection, and doesn’t BSOD like ZA does
and doesn’t partially crash your system so it doesn’t load all the way. ZA gave me that, ZA gave many folks those issues. ZA has gained a nasty net reputation and all he or most everyone else wants is something that works. ZA for many folks at one time or another stiffed their systems. If anyone is a fanboy, it would have to be yourself since ZA no matters how much it has caused pain for many users, can do no wrong in your eyes. ZA is a corporate owned JUNK product these days and deserves to be explained as that to the world wide community so they don’t suffer as others users and I did at one time or another. Comodo is just as bad and AVG gives false alarms and trashes systems too. Have a nice day!
I am not blaming Avast as it has been fine so far, actually the best so far. ZA by itself on my machine crashed it multiple times, forces you to updates or deactivates itself leaving you without a firewall…heh! AVG has done damage by itself and comodo became a nightmare with all their stuff. These are just the facts, not fiction. People should avoid these apps like the plague especially ZA unless they like suffering. Glad you are having no troubles, but many others have and it again, as I try to explain to a ZA fanboy, was not their computers, but rather ZA’s major fault. That is it in a nutshell. Push ZA all you want, I just want other folks to know how bad it has been so they don’t have to SUFFER! Have a nice day!
My personal opinion: Comodo Internet Security (CIS) has much more to offer than ZoneAlarm.
I’ve used ZoneAlarm for years. It was the best free firewall imho. When they start the paid version, the software become a bloatware.
Besides, I’ve followed some problems with the Zonelabs support team and get disappointed: they do not acknowledge and they do not help.
The lack of support, the bloatwarism, the presence of much better options made me give up on ZA.
But I admit, when someone wants an easy firewall, ZA is an option. I recommend it when people asks for freeware firewalls.
Personally, I use AIS (and CIS in virtual machines, as I have only one license for AIS).
Actually in many respects I agree with you. ZA was at one time a very stable and great product as I noted. In those days I had no issues and would recommend it easily. Over about the last 5 years or so, it has gotten very bad. When people say its great, good for them. Unfortunately what I experienced was not my machine’s fault, but rather I would learn it was the ZA fault cause many others had similar or the very same issues, and I would discover that after several days offline.
Comodo looks great is well packaged, but they release updates that are bad. They let bad updates go out fast and bang, your computer gets disabled. With AVG it was great at one time too. But they grew it into a sort of free spam-ware and then made it so bloated that it finally either crashed a system, made the HD spin consistently slow killing the life of my drive, got false alarms on software that was perfectly fine, again causing me hours of trying to spend my valuable time finding out that AVG had a false alarm and finally trashing a system file that completely killed my computer from starting up. All of these apps are bad, and I would tell anyone trying to use them, stay away unless you want depressing headaches and a computer that doesn’t work or worse.
I have been using Avast (4 & now 5) and ZA Free and later ZA Pro for over 3 years now. I started out with Avast 4.8, ZA Free and XP. Later while still using XP, I upgraded to ZA Pro. Then last year I bought a new Dell computer with Vista. On this PC, I started out with Avast 4.8 and ZA Pro. I later upgraded to Avast 5. In all this time I never had a BSOD caused by Avast or ZA. I have had serveral minor problems that were quickly resolved by each software tech reps or thru their forums.
regards
johnb
Vista Home Premium, SP2, 64Bit, Dell 435T, 6GB RAM, WD 1.5 TB External HD, IE8, Avast Antivirus 5.0, Spybot S&D, ZoneAlarmPro, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Windows Defender, Windows Malicious Software Removal, SuperAntiSpyware, Spyware Blaster, cCleaner, Glary Utilities, Speccy and Dialup.