Rating: 
Summary: FREE VERSION - 5 STARS, PAID VERSION - 2 STARS
Review: I'd never considered getting a firewall cuz I'm still using a dialup connection, but when I began getting the pop-up SPAM ads (via IE messenger app) I decided it was time. I downloaded the Zone Alarm Pro 30day trial software & was quite happy with it. It was simple to configure, takes you through the controls step by step, so easy even a tech-challenged person like myself found it easy as pie. The firewall put my PC in "stealth" mode, and I basically forgot it was there, never even bothered to look at the hacker attempt logs, I only cared that my puter was protected. FIREWALL DRAWBACK:
The inability to access paid skill-game sites like (i.e. prizegames.com, iwin.com), I'd have to disable the firewall to enter the site, which kind of defeats the purpose, but on some sites I could raise the wall again once I'd logged in and I was still able to play the games, although, I did have problems with the sites logging me out sometimes if I raise it after entering, NOT ALWAYS, but sometimes. Don't know why its only sometimes, but the basic problem is that paid game sites need to be able to read & record your IP address for security reasons, if the IP is blocked by a firewall, you can't get in and if you do happen to make it in, somewhere along the line, the site will kick you. Its a problem but I don't think there's a fix for that, the game site and firewall are both protecting you, their purposes just happen conflict. My favorite feature was the cookie handling settings, you could set them for EACH & EVERY SITE , decide whether you wanted to allow session cookies, persistant cookies & third party cookies. You enable the Privacy Advisor & if a cookie tries to install, a little window pops at the bottom the screen to let you know whats being blocked, you can click on it and it'll tell you whether its the site you're visiting or some adware that's trying to install a cookie, you can make your choices and get back to surfing, takes about 2 seconds. However, you don't need to deal with that then and there, you can turn off the Privacy Advisor and know you're protected. The software logs cookie placement like it does hacker attempts, so, when you have the time, you can look at the logs & edit the cookie settings for the individual sites. But I found that if you turned it Privacy advisor there were problems getting sites to work probably cuz some require the placement of cookies, so for the 1st week, I recommend leaving it on & configuring the site settings as you surf, then you can look at the logs later to edit settings for adware. If you visit iwon.com, you'll need to do it that way cuz, lots of their pages require adware cookies to load porperly, in which case you'd need to allow them all, but Zone Alarm allows you to configure it so persistant cookies expire after a certain period of time, from 1 day til whenever. You use that same page to set whether you want web bugs (they track you from page to page within a site) disabled. On that page you can also set whether you want the page/site you're leaving to send header info (your network, username, work station, IP addy, etc) to the page/site you're trying to open. If you like to sure fairly anonymous, its a neat little tool. PRIVACY ADVISOR DRAWBACK:
You can block pop-up & banner ads, plus prevent mobile codes, java & active-X from running. But if you're on a site that uses pop-ups to relay info (such as clicking on a privacy policy link and having the info displayed in a pop-up box), you won't be able to get the info you're looking for. Some pop-ups are legit, so you need to be careful if you're blocking them. I don't use ad blocking at all cuz its a pain and slows me down.......All in all, I found the FREE TRIAL version to be a excellent, but the paid version is amother matter altogether. My problems began after plopping down 30 bucks and downloading the updates. All of a sudden, I was having problems getting pages to load, accessing sites and at times my PC would lock up and I'd need to log off and reboot. I also had problems with downloads, I had to lower the firewall and leave it off, even after the dowload completed, the paid version seemed to fight with my Norton 2003 anti-virus software, I'd try to scan something and the firewall would interfere and I'd get error messages. The software has this "internet lock" feature locks the PC down when the firewall senses an extremely high security risk. And trying to unlock it can be a pain, twice, I've had to completely uninstall Zone Alarm and re-download it cuz of the problem. The kicker is that even though you can disable the auto-lock feature, it still happens. Calling tech support is useless, they send auto-replies that may or may not help you and getting a live person to reply is the ultimate impossible dream. Calling on the phone doesn't help, you have to go through several menus before you can be put on hold to wait for a live tech and its hit or miss whether you'll be disconnected prior to speaking with anyone. I've had to call 6 times and experienced disconnects with 4. I've never gotten a live tech in lass that 15 minutes. And when you do get a tech, they tell you one of 2 things, either its a known issue thats being worked on OR they'll tell you to go to the site to get the latest update. The problem with that is I think its the updates that are causing the problems cuz none of that happened when I was using the trial software. But just try getting the techs to admit that. When it comes to customer service, only MSN is worse. I ended up uninstalling the paid version and re-downloading the free version, $30 bucks down the drain, but my PC is back to its old self and the problems disappeared.. When you pay for the software, you're basically buying the ability to send hacker reports, Privacy Advisor AND a subscription to the updates, but if the updates are bug-ridden, you're buying a headache and who needs that. You can always opt out of downloading the updates, but they drive you nuts with reminders to do it and you have to remember the subscription needs to be renewed every year, but you won't have full use of many features you're paying for, making it a waste of money..... ALL IN ALL, THE PAID VERSION IS GARBAGE!!!! I do miss the Privacy Advisor and individual cookie controls a small bit, but I simply set my IE cookie settings on "advanced" so that I can allow session cookies for all sites, persistant cookies for my favorite sites, but get prompted when 3rd party cookies try to install. Some will get through, but not that many and when I weigh that small thing with the hugh problems caused by the paid version of Zone Alarm, its a trade-off I'll take. So keep your money and take the free version, your computer will still have the same level of protection from hackers, which is really all you need from a firewall.
Rating: 
Summary: Piece of Junk
Review: I'd stick with the "free" version. When I loaded it on to Win 98 SE I had no idea what was going on. Too much trouble. Don't know what it's doing. When I try to launch the 'exe' it doesn't do anything. Poor...
Rating:
Summary: Arguably not for high-end XP/Win2K domain environments
Review: I've never found a version of ZoneAlarm which worked with my XP/Win2K domain environment. I use IPSec/Kerberos, two factor authentication, & various other msft goodies. ZoneAlarm probably works well with some vanilla systems (it used to work for me under Win95 back in the old days), but assuredly does not work with my systems today. One of those 'set your expectations accordingly for a $30 product' issues. Download it for free & try it before buying it. If you feel you have something of value to protect & can afford it, buy a real hardware firewall (i.e., the Cisco PIX 501).
Rating: 
Summary: "Just Don't!" - Support? Nadda.
Review: I've used ZoneAlarm since 2.x. Decided to upgrade. Bad move!!! New "Wiz-Bang" interface is, well... neat, but somewhat confusing at first. The problem comes when you get to a site that uses cookies. ZoneAlarm "I wish I was a" Pro offers the ability to pick-and-choose what a specific site can do. So, I unchecked everything; that is, "let the site play all it wants" mode. Nope! I have a site where I use Artman from InteractiveTools.com. Their Author interface uses cookies. I can log into my own site, create a new article, but then can't save it! Turn-off ZoneAlarm and bingo... no problem. A quick e-mail to ZoneAlarm's "lack of" Technical support informing them of the problem, and begging for a solution. My request has gone TOTALLY ignored for two weeks. While I haven't seen what Norton has done to their software since they purchased Guard Dog and made it their own and screwed it up, I think I'll visit their site and try a recent copy. It CAN'T be as user-hostile as ZoneAlarm Pro 3.junk!
Rating: 
Summary: It's the Best
Review: So they say. How would I know? I installed it and it has never caused a problem using Win 98se. It is supposed to be the best firewall software going.
Rating:
Summary: BEWARE! NO Tech Phone Support!
Review: The installation on my Windows 2k machine was a nightmare. The program will not install correctly and crashes my cable connection. No computer software is immune from bugs but... I attempted to call customer support but Zone Labs has NO telephone tech support. You heard it right! The website instructs the consumer to first read through 100's of meaningless FAQ's such as "did you type your registration number correctly?". If these FAQ's don't solve your problem you can fill out an online form and someone from Z.A. will get back to you. Well, its been 2 weeks and I've received the Auto Reply "we got your message" but I have yet to get a reply from a real human. I'm afraid to send them another e-mail because their website rudely states that they will cancel ALL tech requests if you send them more that one request for tech support! Manditory registration robs the consumer of all privacy but I'll let other users write about that one! Rating: Big Fat Zero Stars
Rating:
Summary: You're not really secure online without this!
Review: The mediocre ratings that I see about this product really has me scratching my head, since I have found Zone Alarm Pro to be nothing less than an invaluable firewall that performs as advertised. When I first found out about Zone Alarm (about a year and1/2 ago), I was using a popular competitors version (think anti-virus software maker) for my Internet security needs. After hearing the buzz about the superior protection that I was supposedly missing out on, I decided to download the trial version and test it out at the various security web sites that are scattered across the Internet. What I found out really surprised me. As it turned out, my current firewall software wasn't offering me the protection that I had hoped for. It did a pretty good job for the most part, but it came up short in a few key areas, such as the ability to "stealth my computer's ports (In plain talk, this simply means that my computer can "hide from those who mean to do it harm" so to speak, while online). Zone Alarm, on the other hand passed with flying colors. My ports were now hidden from prying eyes. Needless to say, my old firewall was shown the door. Since this time my computer has been as dependable as it ever was (show me an operating system that doesn't act up from time to time), and I can honestly say that I'm quite pleased with the peace of mind that Zone Alarm has given me. No software is "foolproof", but this one sure comes pretty close. I give it my highest recommendation, and I feel no computer should be without it.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible customer service
Review: The product works, but their customer service system is horrible.
I had some problems with the license key, so I followed the instructions on the help and got to their support web site.
Broderbund's support web site makes you go in loops until you finally find a form where you can submit your problem. The reply I got was useless and did not permit and continuous dialog. (in other words: there is no one to talk to - they never answer you back if you reply to their email).
Their phone support service is also useless - you wait for 20 minutes while hearing endless menus, and then being disconnected just before you get to speak with anyone. That's the last Broderbund product I'm ever going to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Every one needs a firewall!
Review: This was the easiest to install in my system. It alerts you of everything that is "tapping" your system. You can set the variances of "alerts". I first got this a free download,
orginally called Innocolate Firewall. It has a very good site
for questions or to reach a tech. Have you ever had a hard
time reaching or asking a question on a site?? Well, no more
"ask Sammy" Everything is nice self explanatory. Remember
there are people, even as I write this article, that are viewing
me,STOP THE HACKER!!!!This was about 29.95 ,and well worth it.
Dont worry ,if your are asking if you can update this,you can its easy!
Rating:
Summary: hassle registration spoils all fun
Review: To install this otherwise probably just fine product, you got to go through the mandatory registration; I don't like generally to be pushed hard to give away my personal data, e-mail etc, and that's what ZoneAlarmPro3 (boxed CD version which I bought)exactly does. To my second bad surprise, I found AOL and "trial software" shortcuts on the desktop after the installation, I think it's a rather bad joke, considering that this is a firewall including ad blocking component and claiming to protect you from the advertisers.... After the startup, I also found out that while I registered, my 12 month free upgrade feature is already 5 months expired and no explanation what to do except purchase an update; I guess some instructions how to upgrade have been sent to the mailbox I filled in during the registration; well I don't care, and I'm not going to buy from these guys anything anymore. I purchased this product for my close relative and needed to let it installed in order to protect his new broadband connection; if it would be for for me, I'd return it to the store instantly. Box contains CD-ROM in the jewel case, no manual or other printed documentation, except AmericaOnline 1000 free hours promo ad.... great job :( (note: the registration doesn't have to be mandatory; compare how Symantec software installer handles this controversial problem: a SKIP button. In 99% customers don't profit from software registration with company; all the entered information serves to the advertisers only to spam your e-mail address, fill you house mailbox daily with tons of printed junkmail, and ring your phone regularly around dinner time).
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