Firewall for comp noob?

G

goawayugh

New Member
Personally I've always been a big fan of Zone Alarm, and never used any other firewall However, with it constantly asking if it should allow certain programs or not, I don't think it would be a good choice for my friend who is getting a computer this weekend. She really doesn't know much about computers. I would say she's at a VERY basic level.

So, of the other free firewalls, which one would you guys recommend as the easiest (read 'have to do nothing with it') one for an inexperienced user?
 
Concordedly

Concordedly

New Member
I always liked ZoneAlarm for free firewall. Used to use Sygate but they sold out to Norton I believe. Anyway, most firewalls have an automatic mode. I pulled this from the Zone Alarm website:
If your ZoneAlarm continuously pops up alerts for applications you regularly use and trust, you may want to switch to the Auto-learn program control setting. Auto-learn setting will enable ZoneAlarm to remember programs you use regularly and it will stop producing alerts about them. This is the default setting for the first 21 days after ZoneAlarm installation, after which it will prompt you to go to the Max setting.
Click to expand...

Otherwise I'd have to agree. Windows firewall is very transparent.
 
V

Vamilvas

Member
Both Comodo and Online armor offer really good firewalls, Comodo also offers their Comodo Complete suite 1 year free for those that cant afford it.
 
The_Other_One

The_Other_One

VIP Member
The problem is any firewall will either prompt you frequently regarding various programs are simply allow/deny everything. Most firewalls that I see just automatically block everything and wait for user input. I suppose some might be somewhat more intelligent, but then you risk blocking the wrong thing.

Personally, I use the built-in firewall with "Windows 7 Firewall Control". It's very light with a few added features (well, easier access to things like blocking all connections).

But that coupled with a properly-configured router should be plenty.
 
Twist86

Twist86

Active Member
Best firewall for "noobs" is Commodo Firewall imho. Once you installed it right click the task Icon and Set Firewall Security to "safe mode" and disable the "defense + security level" and you will only be bugged when programs connect to the internet. Its a bit of a safety issue but it lets all the tedious files go through that are not threats and in all honesty your never truly safe. Someone can always bypass most software programs.
 
R

rif

New Member
I agree with most of the above posts. A advanced software firewall for non-advanced users is generally not a good idea.

They'll only annoy the hell out of the user with prompts and the user may inadvertently block services/applications/ports that are necessary for certain programs.

Because a non-advanced user cannot identify potential threats or answer any/most of the prompts the firewall is useless.
 
softe

softe

New Member
Windows Firewall in deed works great, my friend use AVG instead though, works great so far
 
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