Firewall Issue Tech help please

[Hurrikane]

This has been bugging me for a while now...

Had Norton pre-installed, decided on renewal date to change to AVG free (a tv prog said there is no difference so why pay)...

About that time the Firewall seems to have vanished. All I get when I try to access Firewall settings (your normal, standard windows firewall) is the message "Due to an unidentified problem, Windows cannot display Firewall settings".

I was told it might be a stubborn Norton, so I downloaded the Norton Removal Tool to exorcise this bastard program completely... but still have no Firewall and no means to change it.

I still seem virus-free and the PC has worked fine like this for over a year... but I really think a Firewall is something I should have.

Any advice?

Thanks

Hurrikane

[jdegre]

i'm using zone alarm (firewall) + AVG (antivirus), seems to work pretty well.

ZoneAlarm

[Redster]

ZAP Pro and AVG work just fine for me also. I have found though with Norton that even the uninstall doesnt clean up the registry. You might look for a reg cleaner and see if it helps.

[Blake Seven]

The free version of Zone Alarm works pretty well in the absence of a more featured pay to use one and none of the tight fisted people I've installed it for have had no problem running it with AVG free either.

[endermigne]

From what I know

• none of the people I know who had Norton installed could uninstall it without issues (they either reinstalled the entire system or simply didn't care)
• AVG doesn't have a firewall
• ZoneAlaram is easy to by-pass (i.e. I read discussions in forums a while ago which started like "I have ZoneAlarm and I'd like to know..." and had replies like "Choose something else because..."); yes, I also had ZoneAlarm once

There are more bad things to say about Norton but since it was pre-installed on your system it's not your fault that it is on your system (you see, I'm not saying it _was_ on your system ). But Norton seems to leave its dung in one's system and it's massaged right into the center portitions.

I use Kerio (firewall) and Kaspersky (virus). Works nicely and both had good reputation at the time I decided to go with that duo.

As a sidenote I don't trust a firewall coming from a company I don't trust but I still use the operating system they sell...

[toorged]

Have a similar issue, tried un-installing norton from my system and it's dung was left behind. Now i'm left with several error messages at boot (clicking ok gets past them)

Not in the mood to re-install.

After searching the INET and try this link

"Windows cannot display Windows Firewall settings" error while accessing Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2

GL and keep us posted.

[Dreicc]

A free firewall (better zonealarm in my opinion) :
Firewall 3.0 for Computer Security - Overview

[GullyFoyle]

Originally Posted by Dreicc

A free firewall (better zonealarm in my opinion)

Why is it better than ZA?

[Metatron]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

Why is it better than ZA?

I would also like to know...And is there any spyware attached to that program?

I'm not a big fan of zone alarm right now so I'm trying to find some other free options...

(used to have Kerio, might go back...)

For virus scanners, use AVG. A lot of viruses these days are written to specifically bypass Norton and McAfee. With AVG you should also periodically scan your computer using the housecall.trendmicro.com website. This online scanner is great to pair with an installed one because unlike the one on your PC, viruses can't disable an online scanner or make themselves invisible from it.

[Dreicc]

Originally Posted by GullyFoyle

Why is it better than ZA?

Better is maybe not the good term but simply i prefer comodo i use zonealarm before and except some crash he do a good job.


So u can see some test of firewall here :
Leak-tests results - matousec.com