ok guys so after reading this site and also zdnet for reviews and downloads, what should i get??? i have a cable modem w no firewall, just a direct plug to the modem and thats it. I just cant decide and i dont want any problems that i read about - people having to reinstall systems, etc. my win2k is running great and i hate to screw it up but i guess i should have some sort of a plug on the pipe, so which one is the least problem prone? i use ib and schwab sspro for data. and quicken, so is it zonealarm, sygate or this other one called TINY that i picked up on zdnet as well. Any info is as always appreciated. thnx
hapaboy, Do yourself a favor and buy an internet gateway. Something like a Dlink 704P or equivalent. The concept is that you are putting a protective layer between you and the internet. (Like a condom). This will allow you to block connections on a port by port basis. It also has a 4 port 10/100 ether-switch. You can find them for under $65 with a $20 rebate. A small price to pay for the added security. Mike
Mike, thanks for the advice. Now, should I also use software i.e. ZoneAlarm or Sygate along with the gateway, or is the gateway good by itself? I want to be protected but I don't want to keep slow-downs to the minimum if possible. Thanks again.
I'm using both a gateway and a software firewall. Since I installed the gateway, there were no outside "attacks" detected by the software firewall. However, I think the software firewall is still needed to prevent unauthorized sending out of information by trojans - whenever an unknown program tries to send out some information, the firewall sounds an alarm and lets you decide whether to authorize the "send" or not. pretzel
Think of each one as another level of protection - another locked door. If your machine has the power, the firewall software coud not hert. It is possible for you catch a virus that can initiate outgoing connections on well known ports even with a firewall. Mike
I use both a hardware gateway from Linksys and zone alarm both at the same time. Don't have any application or performance issues on an 800mhz PIII processor with dualhead video card. A lot of java app problems are spyware related that can be cleared up with programs like ad-ware from lavasoft. Also on a Linksys you can buy the license ID from ZoneAlarm and put on the hardware gateway itself. Tightens up stateful inspection of every packet that passes thru. My two cents worth Bsulli
Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Huios I just downloaded the TWS standalone software and am running a charting program fed by eSignal. Will I have any problems running zonealarm? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We tested a few different personal firewall applications, ZoneAlarm among them and it worked just fine. Here's the full list we tested: http://www.esignal.com/support/FAQ/connecting_firewalls.asp Thanks,