Wincustomize and ZoneAlarm - Redux

from WinCustomize Forums
Hello,

In a previous post I asked if anyone running ZoneAlarm firewall software had experienced problems with their Internet access locking up when trying to view a screenshot of a skin in one of the Wincustomize libraries.

I was told the problem was with ZoneAlarm versions later than 4.0.146.029, and that if I reverted to that version everything would work fine. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. I'm an experienced user of XP and ZoneAlarm and successfully removed version 4.5 of ZoneAlarm and installed version 4.0.146.029 and I still get the lock-up, whether ZA's TrueVector service is running or not, but only when viewing Wincustomize screenshots.

I can view the Message Boards, edit my account settings, and basically navigate the rest of the site and download skins, but cannot preview them. It's not the end of the world, but it would be great to solve this problem. So far, nothing I've tried configuration-wise with ZA has made a difference. Only removing it completely and accessing the site makes a difference.

Anyone have any additional insight into this problem?

Thanks.

Brad
2,785 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm using ZA Plus 4.5 and don't have that problem, FWIW. Sounds like a weird and highly irritating problem. Can't think offhand what may be causing it even if you've been told ZA is the problem. Who told you that? Someone here?



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Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I haven't used Zone Alarm, I use Norton's, but there must be some individual settings that you have set up differently than sig101 does. I know with Norton's I have in the past changed some settings that have crippled my experience at a websites
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
FWIW... I dumped Zone Alarm in favor of Sygate's Personal Firewall almost a year ago. I haven't regretted the switch one bit. In fact, I really prefer Sygate. You may want to give it a try...  http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm  



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Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
from experience ZA has always been buggy. it tends to do what it wants when it wants ...heck a friend just the other nite couldnt access some net stuff cause of ZA.. he even disabled it and the stuff was still locked out ..i recommend the sysgate personal fire wall. it's a nice stable firewall that works well . and is free. secondly ive had not 1 problem with it ... did i mention its free ? my friend yanked the ZA off his pc and put the sysgate one in and hes happy as a pig in mud
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've had mostly good luck with ZA and I was impressed with the write-up that Steve Gibson of Gibson Research did about it a couple of years ago. At that time, he found that it was the only consumer-level firewall software that actually did everything that it claimed to do, unlike Norton, McAffee, BlackIce, etc. I'm not knocking those products--that was just his opinion after the research he did at that time. I've heard of Sygate's product, and might give it a try on a Windows 2003 server I'm building soon.

I can get around everywhere else on the web without any problem, unless the site uses a lot of redirection and third-party cookies, but that's what I want ZA to block anyway.

I was hoping someone from Wincustomize might have some insight into this, but I guess I'll just have to keep playing with settings. At least I know that someone with 4.5 can get around Wincustomize without problems.

Thanks for the input folks.

Brad
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
By the way, check out Gibson Research at www.grc.com. He's the author of the original SpinRite hard drive diagnostic software from waaaaaay back when. He also has an on-line port scanning utility that will tell you how well your firewall is working, and other little freeware utilities that are kind of cool. He also writes about his experiences with Internet security in a pretty fair and honest way (I think).

Brad
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've been a fan of Steve Gibson for quite a while...... I used  his ShieldsUp! page, and Leaktest to check out Sygate's firewall before I trusted it.



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Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Install ZA version 4.5.538 and disable 'Privacy' settings for Internet Explorer. Before you install, open ZA config and un-check 'Load ZA on Startup', re-boot and then do the install.



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Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmn...have you been using ZA Pro with privacy features and web filtering? If so, that might be it. Also, if you are using ZAP doesn't it have a way to exempt specific sites from the privacy features? Regular flavor ZA free/ZA Plus shouldn't be doing that.



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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I had similar problems with zone alarm and found the best way to work with it was to make it so wb doesn't skin anything associated with za, also found that doing the same with windows fx helped too.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Wulfn1, but I figured out quickly after first purchasing ZA Pro that I had to exclude it from WindowBlinds and WindowFX or it would be hard to bring up the ZA Control Center.

I have disabled the "Privacy" settings with no luck, but not before installing an update, so I'll give that a try, Yrag. I also tried putting Wincustomize on the ZA exception list for websites, also with no luck.