AVG vs. Zone Alarm

Message

julia · #1 Post by **julia** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:42 pm

My new computer has Zone Alarm which seems pretty spiffy. I own AVG (which seems more flexible) on my other computer, paid through November. How do people here think they compare? Should I stick with Zone Alarm or go back to AVG?

Thanks for your thoughts!

ajkula66 · #2 Post by **ajkula66** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:24 pm

Personally, I like AVG and have found Zone Alarm to be a little overbearing, but that's just my opinion.

Agotthelf · #3 Post by **Agotthelf** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:01 am

I would confirm ajkula66:

Zone Alarm causes often some problems, with wlan or other internet services. I would deinstall it!

AVG or Antivir or may be Nod32 are decent antivir programs, small and fast search engines.

Greets

USSS · #4 Post by **USSS** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:17 am

Ditch ZA and install Comodo firewall, which is free. Alternatively, Online Armor is another well-respected firewall.

Need further convincing that ZA isn't worth the risk?
http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewa ... ls-ratings

When you say "AVG", are you referring to the firewall/anti-virus suite (AVG Internet Security) or the standalone anti-virus product (AVG Anti-Virus)?

If you are using AVG Internet Security on your other system, you should replace it with Comodo or Online Armor. AVG Internet Security received a "Poor" (Not Recommended) rating along with ZA at matousec.com

AVG's anti-virus product, however, may be a good choice.

Be aware that conflicts may occur between some of the better firewall and anti-virus products. Most can be overcome, and a little patience can pay off in the form of a system hardened by "layered" security.

sarbin · #5 Post by **sarbin** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:13 am

USSS wrote:Be aware that conflicts may occur between some of the better firewall and anti-virus products. Most can be overcome, and a little patience can pay off in the form of a system hardened by "layered" security.

can you elaborate on a few 'challenging' combinations?
tia

USSS · #6 Post by **USSS** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:21 pm

Comodo/AVG Anti-Virus and Comodo/Kaspersky Anti-Virus may introduce some problems onto systems. Whether users encounter issues with either of these is highly dependent on other software that may be running on their PCs.

Workarounds are available for most conflicts. See the Comodo Help forum: http://forums.comodo.com/help_for_v3-b105.0

sarbin · #7 Post by **sarbin** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:23 pm

^^^
thanks. i'm running comodo/nod32. so far, so good.

USSS · #8 Post by **USSS** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:43 pm

^^^
Yes, that has been reported as a very good combination for most users. My brother has been successfully running the free versions of AVG and Comodo on his new Dell laptop for about six months now with no issues.

sarbin · #9 Post by **sarbin** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:46 pm

^^^
i was running avg free v7.5/comodo previously. i decided to get out of avg based on the less than kind reports of v8. i'm quite happy with nod32. worth the cost to me.

USSS · #10 Post by **USSS** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:53 pm

Well, I should have added a caveat to my last post about AVG 8.0. There have been a lot of complaints about it, and not just related to conflicts with Comodo.

beGi · #11 Post by **beGi** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:00 pm

I'm using AVG8/Commodo with no problems...

sarbin · #12 Post by **sarbin** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:06 pm

^^^
did you use avg7.5 before 8? if so, what's your impression on speed, etc?

beGi · #13 Post by **beGi** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:33 pm

sarbin wrote:^^^
did you use avg7.5 before 8?

Yes, 7.5 was faster a bit, but v8 is better at detecting...

Commodo can slow things down, but if properly configured you'll never know it's there....

#14 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:18 am

Been there, done that..
(free) AVG 7-7.5 / (paid) Agnitum Outpost Firewall. Problems with Outpost V3
(free) AVG 7.5 / (free) Comodo Firewall. Problems with Comodo V3
(free) AVG 7.5 / (free) OnlineArmor. No problems.
(free) AVG 8 / (free) OnlineArmor. Problems with AVG V8.
(paid) Eset NOD32 / (free) OnlineArmor. No problems. Best combination so far!

sarbin · #15 Post by **sarbin** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:10 pm

RealBlackStuff wrote:(paid) Eset NOD32 / (free) OnlineArmor. No problems. Best combination so far!

i tried oa and liked it except for one problem... it didn't like the help system for office2k. no matter what i did as far as hips rules, it was a mess. i searched the oa-free support forum and there was 1 post that got 1 response request for more info that went nowhere.

so i went back to free comodo and all is well... so far. at the price of complexity, comodo has just about the most complete control granularity i've seen in a firewall/hips application, free or paid.

BillP · #16 Post by **BillP** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:46 pm

sarbin wrote:
RealBlackStuff wrote:(paid) Eset NOD32 / (free) OnlineArmor. No problems. Best combination so far!
i tried oa and liked it except for one problem... it didn't like the help system for office2k. no matter what i did as far as hips rules, it was a mess. i searched the oa-free support forum and there was 1 post that got 1 response request for more info that went nowhere.

so i went back to free comodo and all is well... so far. at the price of complexity, comodo has just about the most complete control granularity i've seen in a firewall/hips application, free or paid.

I just tried help for Excel 2000 and after telling OnlineArmor it was ok, it opened without problems. Comodo on the other hand destroyed my internet connection...

sarbin · #17 Post by **sarbin** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:51 pm

amazing, the different interactions, huh?

miro_gt · #18 Post by **miro_gt** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:36 pm

I have Zone Alarm and AVG, both free, lol ... work very good both of them

leoblob · #19 Post by **leoblob** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 4:06 pm

Zone Alarm 6.5.737.000 and AVG 7.5 with absolutely no problems here.

Potiphar Breen · #20 Post by **Potiphar Breen** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:53 pm

I have AVG on my laptop, Kaspersky on my desktop machine. No real problems with either. Each has its own minor inconveniences, and which you prefer will likely depend on comfort more than functionality. I have also used Comodo and liked it better than either, but version 3 was trouble, especially once I put the antivirus package in. If they get that fixed, I probably would go back to Comodo when my subscriptions to the others run out.

FWIW.

PBreen

#21 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:56 pm

leoblob wrote: and AVG 7.5 with absolutely no problems here.

They stopped supporting that version in December 2007!
Really time to put on something more up-to-date, and that should NOT be AVG 8!

Temetka · #22 Post by **Temetka** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:32 pm

AVG 8 and whatever the latest Comodo is are happy as clams on my T42.

On my Mac I use ClamAV and 'iptables' because I like configuring my firewall from the command line. I also run littlesnitch to catch stuff I may miss in the manual config.

fschwep · #23 Post by **fschwep** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:10 am

I'm using ZoneAlarm 7.0.337.000 on my machines (T42 with XP SP1, R51, X30, X31 all with XP SP2). No problems there. I'm using the free version that is only a firewall, not antivirus.
I did note recently that ZA can get deep into your OS. Windows always wants to think ahead of you and use its own firewall, even if you have told it not to (the Windows firewall works only one way, apparently; any malware that gets into your machine can communicate with the outside world). I had been installing a 3G key with its driver software on an X31, and had to deinstall it as it did not work (happens a lot with 3G keys; in many cases these things are a scam). However, my normal dial-in connection was also cut off. I had been experimenting with an ADSL connection behind a hardware router and had switched off both ZA and the Windows firewall, on advice from the network provider. The Windows firewall kept blocking the wired connection and all and any applications I used no matter what I did. Re-installing ZA finally did the trick, it managed to override the OS and allow the modem and the ISDN connection to dial in again, and reinstate the various communications programs. I was glad I had it.
ZA has grown over the years, like most software. And apparently there is better stuff now. From the test mentioned I noted that several big brands, like Norton and McAfee did very badly. Being large and expensive apparently is no guarantee for quality.
Antivirus and firewall software in general can cause problems with other applications, install packages for quite legal software, and such. They can also slow down your perceived connection speed and your system in general. And I'd be very wary of using several different ones at the same time. Better get one good one that is not too large and uses few CPU cycles.

julia · #24 Post by **julia** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:41 am

Why not AVG 8?

I've always used AVG. I just downloaded the anti-virus program for a trial period and find it easy to use and pretty good. I can use for free till the end of September before I have to buy.

What do you not like about it?

Thanks

#25 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:18 pm

Did you not read the other posts?
AVG8 is an enormous drain on resources and can slow your laptop/PC down considerably.
The protection level is also not what it used to be.
There are better free AVs available (see above posts).

#26 Post by **carbon_unit** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:23 pm

It's not an "enormous" drain but it is certainly more than it used to be.
Some people are seeing a slowdown and some are not. Each person will have to decide for themselves.
The protection level is not so cut and dried either.
It is still a mater of choice. There are others available but better is a subjective word. Some people still like AVG and others do not.
Julia, if you want the free version it is here. No trial period.

seaweedsl · #27 Post by **seaweedsl** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:06 pm

I just spent a day in various securtiy forums and have to also comment that while AVG is no longer the darling of the free antivirus programs, it's still considered very good and still has a good name.

I recently installed AVG8 (free version) after years of using AVGfree 7.5 and still like it. I don't have any problems and any additional drain on my resources is not noticible on my R50p. Scans are more thorough and take longer than before. They seem to be moving from being lightweight to being more comprehensive. This bothers some people and pleases others.

I have to add that I googled AVG8 installation beforehand and learned how to install it without the problematic linkscanner component. This may be fixed by now anyway, though. Do a search. In any case, it's mostly linkscanner that's caused the slowdowns reported in AVG8.

Still, after researching them all, I will probably switch to Alvira antivir (free) at some point just because I like to stay as trim as possible.

Also somebody commented that 7.5 has been out of date since Dec 07. You have the dates wrong. AVG released a revision of 7.5 in the last 30-60 days and it has been updating all along.

What I read on their forum is that AVG 7.5 free will no longer update as of today but that AVG 7.5 paid will continue to update until Dec 2008.

If you already own AVG, I'd install it now and use it. When it comes time to upgrade to AVG8 in Nov, you should get a discount on renewal as an existing customer. Just be sure to do a search on "AVG8 install" for up to date info on any modules you may want to leave out of installation and how to do that.

Cheers,
Steve

seaweedsl · #28 Post by **seaweedsl** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:49 pm

AVG 8 experiences discussed here:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=218571[/url]

Kaz · #29 Post by **Kaz** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:11 am

AVG Free 8.0 deployed on many non-business customer computers. No complaints about CPU drain. This was a better alternative chosen over Norton and McAfee security suites which were severely draining resources. However, there have been a few issues with unsuccessful updates. With Grisoft's recent 8.0.169 update, there appears to be many bug repairs as shown below.

By no means am I advocating this free software package as there are other good choices. I simply have not had issues with either 7.5 or 8.0 that have warranted looking for an alternative.

Re: AVG 8.0 FREE EDITION (8.0.169)
Posted by: BIG AL 43 - Moderator (IP Logged)
Date: August 28, 2008 06:22PM

Program update AVG Free 8.0 169

Improvements
Added new contacts
Improved parsing of Google advertising URLs
Implemented detection of newer version of Opera cookie
Implemented AVG Toolbar compatibility with Firefox 3.0.1.
Added new format of email certification
Improvements in GUI

Fixed Bugs
Fixed crash during the update process
Fixed problems with detection of some external USB DVD/CD drives
Fixed problem with inactive components after update
Fixed problem with switching to small font size in Microsoft Internet Explorer after closing AVG User Interface
Fixed repetitive backup of scanned files by Vista incremental backup service
Fixed problem with link scanning if tag is presented on a web page
Fixed problem with Whole Computer Scan on systems with damaged or not initialized partitions
Fixed problem with crashes during the infected archive scanning
Fixed problem with security vulnerability (reported by Sergio Alvarez) that could cause the scanning engine crash on specific samples
Fixed problem with crash on some corrupted NSIS archives
Fixed problem with MSN authentication
Fixed possible crash of MS Outlook 2003 if AVG license has expired
Fixed missing outgoing certification for emails with attachments if Personal E-mail Scanner is used
Fixed problems with Alert Manager crashes

AVG vs. Zone Alarm

AVG vs. Zone Alarm

A question for RealBlackStuff

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