ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 - Internet security and firewalls

User Rating: 9/10

Easy to set up and useby desertsunangell - March 27, 2007

Pros: Is everything I need in one easy to use package!

Cons: Scans when I don't want it to

Review: I have had Zone Alarm for years. First as a free firewall then upgrading to Pro and now the Suite. It's always been easy to setup and use. You can have default settings or customize them to your preference without any hassle. Yes, it scans at times you don't want it to but you can change that. I find this easier to use than Norton and McAfee and there is a lot less conflict with operating systems. I had Norton in the past and something was always going wrong because it conflicted with something. Zone Alarm was my choice when they started offering more features. I'm no computer geek or guru. Just a woman who wants to protect her computer from all the idiots out there with too much time on their hands trying to hack into innocent people's computers!

User Rating: 9/10

Excellent productby adam_s05 - January 25, 2007

Pros: covers all the bases

Cons: ZAP has no cons

Review: I've used every internet suite out there, and when my ISP was giving every customer ZA internet suite I tried and haven't had a single problem. It doesn't slow down my computer by any noticable amount. All these people that say they know all about computers and are experts and still can't set it up are a joke.

User Rating: 2/10

This & the new version 7 is buggy & not worth the $$by larrylesq - January 20, 2007

Pros: Install problems - so no pros

Cons: Instal problems

Review: I used to be a big champion of Zonelabs - but now I have to say that they have become a very big disappointment. Their new version 7 won't install well - disables Windows Security Notices - & uses a lot of CPU when you do finally get it installed. Further, Zonelabs user forum is no help - if you complain & seek help they will quickly ban you from the site - thus censoring user views. Very, very unfortunate.

Updated
As for version 6 & 6.5 - virus scan is weak - but version 7 is an improvement (Kaspersky) but the bugs just don't quit not making it worthwhile. ver 6 & 6.5 is better on CPU & install issues - but again, if you run into issues & seek help in the users forum be prepared to get banned if you express your disappointment or detail your problems in an effort to seek help from Zonelabs.

Updated
In the interests of being fair to Zonelabs I feel compelled to post the following update:

I was reading about ZA Security Suite version 7 on the ZA User Forum, as I am recently no longer banned, to make sure that I wasn't missing something about my recent comments or review. I take the responsibility for my comments seriously as other people may rely upon them (& others') in making purchasing decisions.

I discovered that other people are having problems with Version 7 & that these install, system resource, and critical error locks problems are likely attributable to a conflict with the very popular Spyware Sweeper program. As I also use this product & experienced the same issues with ZA SS version 7, I feel compelled to post this follow-up as a possible explanation for the product issues that I experienced.

It doesn't change my mind about Zonelabs corporate behavior toward its customers, but it does offer an explanation for the problems that I (and apparently a lot of others) experienced.

This also doesn't change my score because, since Spyware Sweeper is so popular, Zonelabs should have developed a work around for conflict & other issues (like Windows security notice disabling) before releasing it to the public. Further, the lack of independent third party testing & certification is also a major issue - and may have prevented the problems described above.

Anyway, I hope this helps and provides clarification.

User Rating: 9/10

Great security suite, easy and effective.by Jim Radcliffe - January 7, 2007

Pros: Works flawlessly and works all the time. Simple, effective interface with good help screens.

Cons: E-mail filtering of junk mail could be more efficient by deleting the junk mail in the junk mail folder and not placing it in the deleted mail folder. Support (if you need it) is to costly.

Review: I was a long time user of both ZoneAlarm Pro and McAfee VirusScan. When I went to the latest version of McAfee it constantly wanted to verify the program license and then presented an error message, leaving me without protection. McAfee was uninstalled and my contract with them cancelled. McAfee, over the last several years, has produced numerous situation where I did not know if I was protected or not and on some occasions the program just did not run.

Enough already with McAfee. Enter ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6.

The ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite not only replaced McAFee VirusScan but also replaced Qurb Email protection and another spyware detection program I was using.

The other great thing about the ZoneAlarm product is that it does not constantly nag you about license verification like the McAfee suite did. What a pain that was.

It is great to have an all in one solution for firewall, email spam and spyware.

Sytem resources are fine and I am a happy camper again.

I highly reccomend the ZoneAlarm Suite of programs for PC protection.

User Rating: 9/10

Great product though requires some hands-onby radio63 - July 9, 2006

Pros: Does what it says, quickly and excellently

Cons: Takes some time to set up

Review: After many years of growing increasingly frustrated with how long Norton took to update and how much junk got past it, I decided to try Zone Alarm about a year ago. It is so much better than Norton it's amazing. Updates are fast and painless; scans are fast; security is A+. However, it's not a run-and-forget program. It takes a little tinkering to get set up, and it takes a little tinkering to configure for special web pages. If you're looking for easy, look at Norton. But if you're willing to spend a little time to have a great security program, ZA is it! The berries.

User Rating: 8/10

The easiest and best internet security suite available.by Chimlim - July 3, 2006

Pros: Plenty of options to configur the firewall, anti virus, anti spam, ad blocking, etc.. Runs smooth and is very efficent.

Cons: Ad blocking doesn't block all ads, my not catch all spyware.

Review: I was a Norton fan for a long time. That is, until I came across Zone Alarm Security Suite. Everything that was wrong with Norton, Zone Alarm excelled at.

The firewall is the best available and the anti virus and anti spam scans your computer for anything wrong. It doesn't take up nearly as much memory as Norton or McAfee. It updates itself on a regular basis and it's not aggravating at all.

User Rating: 5/10

Yes: It works good, if your sighted.by forereel - July 3, 2006

Pros: Has a fifteen day trial. Vary easy to download. Easy setup. Vary full featured.

Cons: Not user friendly for the visually impaired.

Review: The only problem I have with it, is it doesn't work well if you use a screen reader. I'd love to be able to use it, due to it's wealth of features, so have it on wish list for the next version. If you have a sighted friend to help you, say allow or disallow access to programs and your not a download geek, then get it!

Updated
Before downloading, turn off your other security software, because Zone Alarm wants to be your only! *SMILE* and causes problems instead of getting along. Also if your system doesn't have memory and processor mocha then it's not for you. It will slow you down, but then most new software is becoming power hungry too!

User Rating: 1/10

6.5.722.000 is BADby Mar66 - July 2, 2006

Pros: Can't find any pros at the moment

Cons: Slows computer big time

Review: I have used ZA for several years and was very pleased with it but this latest update has really caused many problems on my system. I never had problems with earlier versions of ZA Secutity Suite but will be looking to eliminate using ZA in the future.

User Rating: 6/10

Nothing to Cheer Over, but acceptableby Sam from L.A. - June 28, 2006

Pros: Seems to have it all, just as Norton IS 2006 has.

Cons: Too many obstacles to jump over just to get your standard start up programs going.

Review: Nice, but the interface looks way too cluttered. Too many pre-using settings to get going. Price-wise, better than Norton. Ease of use, stick to PC-Cillin.

User Rating: 1/10

Good firewall with major problemsby Centius - June 16, 2006

Pros: Works well until upgrade

Cons: Upgrading can cause serious problems

Review: Zone Alarm was working well for me until a recent upgrade came out. While trying to upgrade some very big problems occurred starting with my Internet locking down. From there major system files became corrupt and I ended up losing a large amount of files and settings. Originally i would have recommended this product but because of the huge problems and loss of data it caused any benefit of this product is quickly lost due to the fact of how dangerous it is to update. I would suggest looking elsewhere for a good firewall unless you want to deal with possibly file corruption and data loss anytime an upgrade is available.

User Rating: 2/10

I do not like the Zonealarm user interface, because I am used to the control Norton provides.by husarich - June 15, 2006

Pros: Seems to work, but I also have Grisoft AVG running at the same time to catch spy ware.

Cons: Zonealarm?s user help (guide) is not sufficient for figuring out how to adjust and personalize the software to run to meet one?s specifications.

Review:

User Rating: 3/10

Uninstalled and doing betterby ryork272 - June 13, 2006

Pros: If you like constant pop ups, you will love this product!

Cons: Causes issues with other programs

Review: This application lasted only 2 days before uninstalling. It caused strange behaviour with other apps. As soon as I uninstalled it, those applications were fine. Do not trust CNET's review. If you want to use Zone Alarm, be sure to take advantage of the 15 day free trial. Make sure it works on your machine before buying.

User Rating: 9/10

Great Programby Jim_in_Illinois - June 8, 2006

Pros: Effective, Easy To Use

Cons: Many pop ups after initial installation as it learns your system

Review: I used Zone Alarm Pro for the last three years and upgraded to ZA Internet Security three months ago (was using Norton Anti Virus and SpySweeper). I've kept the Spy Sweeper and completely deleted Norton from my system. Not that I had any major problems with Norton, I just liked the ZA program and it saved some bucks going to the ZA program. ZA works great on my system and has kept it secure with no noticable hassle or slow down. When I first installed ZA Pro, it does constantly pop up asking for permission to access certain sites or programs, but after the initial couple of weeks as I granted or denied permission and ZA learned my system, I rarely get the pop up anymore.

User Rating: 2/10

Very complicated to useby itgerald - June 8, 2006

Pros: Good Rating

Cons: Very Complicated

Review: I bought ZoneAlarm to replace my norton, after installing it, I could not browse some sites any more, if my internet speed slow down some site will never load, i tried editing the settings but some sites in trusted zone and all, i tried everything still the same,is just to complicated to use, it rendered my Firefox useless, I can't sign into this site if the sortware is runing, i had to shut it down so that i could post this, the norton version never gave me such problems, i just regreted buying it

User Rating: 2/10

Buggy and not intuitiveby marquis103 - June 3, 2006

Pros: Nothing stands out

Cons: Not intuitive, requires uniformed decision making, buggy

Review: I can't recommend this Zonealarm version at all. For one, too many times it requires you to make decisions through the 'alerts', but then tells you that no info is available to help you. It even reports some of its own activities as suspicious, thus encouraging you to block them. This is true of many necessary functions such as launching Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Why should I have to approve Internet Explorer using the internet when I initiated the action? Norton at least is intuitive enough to know these essential actions should be allowed. After using the program for 3 days, and sending emails all that time, Zonealarm suddenly gave me an alert that Outlook Express was trying to access the internet. So I had to re-approve a program I had approved 3 days before. This morning, after a full week of use, the program told me it couldn't load the anitvirus and spyware panel. The message said it was either missing, or corrupted. I rebooted a couple of times to no avail, and then finally decided to completely shut down Zonealarm and switched the power off. When I started up, Zonealarm had miraculously healed itself. As other users have reported, there's times I have to refresh a page to get it to load properly, and sometimes you have to change a lot of settings in the Zonealarm program to get standards such as Ebay to display properly. This is stuff I never had to fool with before. I even had to log onto my other PC, which is protected by Norton, to log into Cnet. Even though I told Zoenalarm to allow all cookies, ads and pop-ups, as well as having my browser allow everything, I couldn't log in. I can only assume it's Zonealarm since I can't log in on that PC, But I can on the one with Norton. Oh, and you have to tell the program to allow popups and ads if you want to see radar animation on the weather sites. That's something I never had to do before. Norton and MacAfee are so much more intuitive about what goes on in the real internet world, they put Zonealarm to shame. And as far as speed, I find this latest program doesn't load much faster than when Norton was on the machine, and viruscans take about the same time. All in all I'm shocked this program got such a good review from Cnet. I'm going to be certain to keep my Norton subscription on my second machine, and will go back to Norton when the Zonealarm subscription runs out on the first machine. For your reference, both machines are fairly new Sony Vaios. My opinion is to avoid this program unless you're into aggravation,

User Rating: 2/10

Misleading Informationby audazfox - May 20, 2006

Pros: None, never got to use it.

Cons: No integration with other software, no free trial.

Review: I wanted to keep my McAfee anti-virus and add the ZoneAlarm Pro firewall. I downloaded the trial version. It told me I had to uninstall the McAfee Firewall. I did, it had to be permanent. THEN it told me I had to uninstall the entire McAfee including the anti-virus!! When I called customer service I was told they offer no support for trial downloads.

So to try out their firewall I would have had to disable all my security. No sane person would do this. Is this intended to "encurage" purchase of their entire suite? Had the opposite effect on me.

User Rating: 10/10

It's the bestby - May 18, 2006

Pros: Good protection and easily interface

Cons: Some times slow the computer

Review: For me is the best AV vs other programs, but you have to setup correctly for work without problems.I prefer this version tha Norton or Mcaffee is more complete.

User Rating: 3/10

does cnet get paid for there ratings?????????by zues420 - May 11, 2006

Pros: doesnt slow down my system

Cons: it doesnt remove trojans

Review: hey this will say you were infected and it took care of it no it didnt viruses and trojan installers fly right by this thing itll say all treated and youll think your all good when it didnt remove the virus or trojan..........i lost alott of good files trusting this crap they say is better then nortons..i gues they just give cnet more of a kick back then norton

User Rating: 4/10

Joke Of The Year 2006!by Phenom_Deadman - May 7, 2006

Pros: Excellent Firewall and Anti-spam

Cons: Anti-virus,Anti-spyware very much below par..

Review: One thing when you write a review of security suite is please styop pleasing your sponsors!
Firewall accepted is great but is that all....
Anti-virus,anti-spyware are good but lack features which other products have....
detection rate is average...ad=blocking,content-blocking is poor...
removal of viruses,spyware also below-par!
People have hell lot of stability problems and to top it,"phoning home" bug!
My God!

Updated
I have critised Za in the past,but having problems with other famed suites like Kaspersky(in particular),panda etc etc i have come to a conclusion that this suite is the one recommended...
ZoneAlarm is the best suite available in the market with the best firewall,a good anti-virus and anti-spyware..

the anti-spam from mailfrontier is one of the best in the market...

And above all a very easy to use security suite,very light on system resources and no frills!

Cons: The only problem which hampers ZA is sometimes the bugs associated with it,but they are not universal and happen for some pc's...

User Rating: 2/10

A disappointmentby Yaron Kohavi - May 5, 2006

Pros: The ultimate firewall in protecting your computer, very good anti-virus and good anti-spyware, reduces neither loading nor execution time of OS and applications.

Cons: The ultimate firewall in annoying user questioning, mediocre user interface, two separate update locations, buggy

Review: CNET's and PC Magazine's editor's choice turned out to be my greatest disappointment of security suites. At first, all went well: the program is very light, and does not reduce applications loading or execution speed, and scanning is quite hasty. Despite a slightly confused user interface (for instance, there are two distinct locations to update the program ? one for the firewall and one for the anti-virus and anti-spyware., it seemed the right choice.

But then, the firewall started asking me tons of questions, which other packages simply not ask: just to play Dungeon Siege II, I had to confirm ds2.exe access to the Internet and to access my graphic card's driver; I then had to confirm setup.exe to launch ds2.exe? After approving nwn.exe (Neverwinter night's executable) full access both to the OS and to the Internet, Zone Alarm asked me about another module, rendering the game inaccessible.

But the worse thing about this product that it is buggy: my IE started to crash with no apparent reason, and the firewall kept asking me about granting permissions to applications I had permanently approved.

From my experience, the product is simply too annoying and, even worse, too buggy for using on a production system. I have uninstalled it, and requested a refund.

User Rating: 9/10

Much Better Than Nortonby jshowers - May 2, 2006

Pros: Fast Loading, Great Suite of Tools

Cons: Won't Log Web Sites

Review: After using Norton for years I tried ZA and couldn't believe how much faster my system ran and I had a better anti-spyware tool. Give it a try.

User Rating: 10/10

Excellent, Error Free, Powefrul and Complete!by drewman9000 - April 30, 2006

Pros: All-in-One worry free security. Won't hog resources!

Cons: None! Perfect Security with no sluggishness

Review: People who rate this slow or error producing are ametuers on the computer. Run this security suit and no other real time agents that will conflict, and I guarentee you will be a believer. There are too many idiots out there who download security programs on top of eachother, and then complain of problems. If you are a computer user with knowledge, this program is excellent. Two thumbs up!

User Rating: 3/10

Won't be using this product Can you say "User-Friendly" or "Customer Support?"by rossfl - April 12, 2006

Pros: Not applicable

Cons: Not applicable

Review: This is not a review. I've got the free ZL firewall on one of my older laptops and am looking for a replacement for my Norton security on all four of my computers. With even the slimmest possibility that a product will shut down my computers, I will NOT buy it. Have had problems with the freebie not remembering settings and giving me the option to "allow" something that looks like #$%^%$#$%^&*& to access the internet when I have NO clue what it is.
MUST be more user-friendly and REASONABLE customer support is only good business. Why do som MANY computer businesses NOT UNDERSTAND REASONABLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND "USER-FRIENDLY"????????????????????

User Rating: 9/10

Zone alarm has proven to be top-of-the lineby semper-fi - April 11, 2006

Pros: easy to install,no "Gimmics".this company knows the needs of real security

Cons: No "CONS"...straight-up company

Review: I have personally tried "all" the so-called top-of-the-line Firewalls and,they just don`t do all that is expected.Zone-Alarm "DOES"and more.if you want to feel confident about what is really safe guarding or...if you are just hoping for the best,you can trust this one to be there and I trust zone alarm.it does the job.

User Rating: 8/10

Beats all the leading Internet Sewcurity programs in my personal opinion.by Unlimited06 - April 10, 2006

Pros: Great Firewall, virus and spam protection.

Cons: Not user-friendly if not just a little computer literate. Can get agrivating at times.

Review: Wonderful program. I build computers and most of my customers who know a little about internet security software... Love Zone Alarm :P

User Rating: 2/10

Very Unhappy So Farby M_Oppie - April 10, 2006

Pros: Good User Interface

Cons: 4 hours to reboot after initial load. $3.00 tech support

Review: I have spent 48 hours regretting (so far) switching from Norton to ZA Security Suite. After inital install it took 4 hours to reboot(including lockups and power downs). After uninstall and reinstall same thing happened...and twice more. The problem is at start up. As soon as the desktop appears everthing comes to a halt. Most of the time I cannot even select my control panel to uninstall because everything is frozen.

From 7:30am Sat to 10pm Sun I was been sunk.
48 hours later I am waiting for help from ZA.

To be fair, I will reevaluate if/when Zone Labs assists me. I figure 4 days from my initial install to resolve the problem or obtain a refund is more than fair.

My bottom line at this point is to be cautious unless you are technically astute in resolving this type of issue on your own.

To be continued...

Updated
Two days into this mess I rated this product a 2 because it locked up my computer for hours on end at start up. 5 days later I rate a 2. The only reason I do not rate 1 is that I can disable it from loading at start up and then manually start ( I hope I do not forget).

Their Tech Support is ATROCIOUS. I receive scripted (very generic..."I undersand your concern..") replies to my questions and twice when I specifically and in bold asked a question about something they indicate I should see but do not, they just ignore it and send the next script in their sequence. The problem is it take 24 - 30 hours to ZL Tech Support to reply. So, who knows, maybe next week we'll get it done....
Any suggestions?

Updated
Atrocious Tech Support. 24 - 30 hour turn around time with only scripted replies. Have not once address my questions as I specifically asked them to do.

Updated
*******NEW RATING 1*******************

Abysmal support lowers my rating to 1. This was a problem that should have been solved IF the Tech Support actually answered the questions that were asked. Instead, all I ever received were scripted replies - likely sent to all customers regarless of their problems. Yes, THAT scripted.

Without a serious recommitment to their customers, I would never purchase from them again.

By the way, this seem like a VERY good product. But if you have the problems I did, do not make my mistake and spend 9 days thinking the next contact from ZL support would be better than the last. It won't be.

User Rating: 4/10

slows internet downby passingthrough - April 8, 2006

Pros: does catch viruses

Cons: slows down internet

Review: I with I had not gotten this software. Yes, yes, I understand that when it is scanning in the background, it would obviously slow down computer. However, it slows down the internet ALWAYS! Turn it off and surf to sites you frequent and you will see just how much it slows down. I am very disappointed- paid for, but don't want to be stuck with it. I suppose it does an ok job at virus protection, but I'd rather pay again for something that does not slow down my dsl connection. I'll keep searching...but slowly for now.

User Rating: 4/10

Fair firewall, poor antispyware, privacy prevents you from logging in to websites...Slows surfing.by mantzelevi - April 6, 2006

Pros: Fair to good f irewall but far too many alerts that require security knowledge..

Cons: Alerts too many and require thorough knowledge of security

Review: I had 5 spyware running actively in memory and one nasty one that on booting the computer, directed me to an ad page on IE that declared my computer was vulnerable and needs immediate attention....I couldn't eliminate that spyware because ZoneAlarm would not start scanning till all the icons and desktop was visible, which is when spyware became active. Every day scanning revealed 4 new spyware by ZoneAlarm even though I didn't download any programs. Because of privacy section of zone alarm I couldn't LOG IN to six websites. And loading other websites was slowed. Completely turning off privacy helped in logging in..Email anti spam slowed down and interfered with Outlook Express message delivery and composition of new email, and I had to discard Zone Alarm's email scanning.

The firewall had far too many alerts requiring user input, which required thorough knowledge of security. And I ended up letting everything in or out, which translated to no security if any.

All in all the ZoneAlarm suite was a nuisance more than a help.

User Rating: 3/10

Horrible...Slows surfing by 70%...Don't waste your money.by Jack2466 - March 31, 2006

Pros: Integrated Virus, Spam and Firewall Protection

Cons: Doesn't assimilate Friendly Programs, Hard to Train, Slow's XP down significantly

Review: I stopped using this program after about 8 weeks of trying to make it work effectively. Although I have a P4, running at 1.8 ghtz, 2 gigs of DRAM and a high speed connection, this program slows down my surfing by at least 70%. Even after "training" the program to recognize friendly programs, it still blocks them out. Friendly webpages and Scripts are constantly being block. It gets to the point where you find yourself turning down the security setting so low, that you were better off not even purchasing this program in the first place. The virus software has NEVER found a malicious virus, script or trojan on my computer which i find hard to believe based upon the hundred of hours of surfing I do a month. The Spam Cleaner is complete crap and only cleans low level spam (I use CCleaner instead). Don't waste your money on this one.

Updated
I originally rated this product poorly because it was slowing my surfing down by 70%. In the last month Zone Labs offered a software update that has seem to fix this problem. The product is not perfect, I still have to shut down the spam and virus scanning when I'm using the computer because the scanning slows down surfing significantly but I peform the scans while I am asleep as they take 1 - 2 hours to complete. The bundled Firewall, Anti-Virus and Spam software cannot be beaten for the price.

User Rating: 4/10

Okay program has a couple of big issuesby JPMancini - March 31, 2006

Pros: Easy to work with kinda

Cons: Pop UP's like crazy for firewall. every single 3 seconds there would be one

Review: Well this program I guess is alright not as what it is rated. Extensive Pop up's from firewall. Then my Opera Browser wouldn't work. I tryed configuring it for 3 day's but still messed up so I decided to forget it and unistall it. I have McAfee which to Me is
way better than any other program for sure. Best firewall you can get, not bad privacy service better than most, Multi-User access is great, Virus and Spyware are way above average but not near perfect. But I wouldn't reccommened Zone-Alarm

User Rating: 9/10

EXCELLENT Triple-Action Product!by GatTech - March 31, 2006

Pros: Easy to use, has everything combined into one, and it's no resource hog.

Cons: None so far.

Review: I recently installed this program over, Norton Internet Security 2006 (removed), and my system suddenly accelerated to three times its original speed. The Zone Labs interface is very easy and intuitive. This is THE BEST security application.

User Rating: 9/10

As good as it gets for the moneyby limitholdem - March 30, 2006

Pros: set it and forget it, ease of use

Cons: No dedicated helpline, support

Review: I have used ZASS for about 3 years and it is an excellent product, their previous update was a disaster and would not update the spyware, this has now been fixed and it is back being a superb product, the only drawback is either an expensive telephone support centre of they have a Forum, which though helpful does not have dedicated "Zonelab" experts.

User Rating: 7/10

Generally effective software, though not without it's weaknessesby tanjacob715 - March 30, 2006

Pros: Very effective firewall and anti-virus

Cons: Anti-spyware not comprehensive enough, a little on the expensive side

Review: I've used ZASS for more than a year and I have never had any problems with it. The firewall is excellent, being easy to use and powerful. The anti-virus is effective; I have never had to suffer any infection since I installed it. The suite is easy to configure and use, and the system slowdown is marginal, which is very commendable considering that it is a full-fledged security suite.

The main complaint I have is that the anti-spyware seems to be weak, though I can cut it some slack since the anti-spyware is something that is newly introduced into the suite. It roots out only very common spyware, and is not as comprehensive as others such as Ad-aware and Spy Sweeper in providing real-time protection. Also, it is a little on the expensive side.

All in all, I feel this is an effective software that serves my needs (sans the anti-spyware). I use more than one type of anti-spyware program so the weak anti-spyware is just a bonus. Some other users might have had serious problems with it, but I guess this is the case for every software out there. Sometimes, certain programs simply don't mix.

User Rating: 5/10

Good, if you like ZA stuff, but I dontby corbypete - March 29, 2006

Pros: Good firewall,

Cons: You dont FEEL secure, Scans are something to be desired, do they actually work? I'd never know.

Review: YOu will say to many people "tried ZoneAlarm?" and they will often give you the same response "hmm, yeah it was ok, but i couldnt get on with it" And they dont know why. I had this isntalled, sure after the million and one popups asking about every system process it shuts up and sits in the background, but sometimes thats not enough, sometimes you need alerting that things have been found, spyware blocked, so-on, but i got nothing. ID run scans and get no results, until a week later all the pcs it was installed on got a virus.... but what a surprise, it couldnt kil the virus. MY question was why did the virus get in in the forst place?
I just didnt trust ZA, i didnt feel it was doing enough. Then it got buggy. UGly Crashes on boot up, various components closing and needing restarting.
PRobably one of the better suites (theyre all rubbish, still a year on) but its for those real ZoneAlarm fanboys. Unfortunately theyre's not much of an alternative all-in-one, not even from Norton worth installing, PC-cillin ignores wireless LAN rules, smae with F-Prot, eTrust IIS is not a suite but all four products installed through one setup - not what i want, too messy. Norton is buggy, KAspersky doesnt rate well firewall wise, and mcafee im only just trying out. I cant go back to the old AVG+SygatePro combo cos Symantec have taken them over too! Pain...
Oh, and now Zone Alarm is sending encrypted data back to HQ regularly. What they are sending they wont disclose, but sounds dodgey to me, beware.

User Rating: 6/10

Don't Buy! Slows Computer ALOT~!by comptuerwizard56 - March 27, 2006

Pros: Great firewall, easy-to-use

Cons: SLOWWW! freezes computers

Review: At first, like most people, I thought it was a great program. I blew away my Norton Antivirus 06. Until I used it for about a day. Then I realized that it was lagging my computer like crap. It takes forever to load compared to Norton 06 and uses a lot of system resources (though still less than Norton Internet Security 06). My computer is really good and fast (3.2 Ghz Dual-core, 1GB Ram, 250GB HD) but the Zonealarm constantly froze my computer and made my MSN Messenger even slower. Beware! I have to admit this program has a wonderful interface that's easy to use with an EXCELLENT firewall though.

User Rating: 9/10

This software is outstandingby chuck5406 - March 14, 2006

Pros: Easy to install, easy to use, does not seem to slow down my system

Cons: No negatives

Review: i would like only one thing. i have recomended this product to all of my clients but i would feel more comfortable if they offered a better set of recomended settings for novice users. since i do not set up all of my clients systems it would be easier if they set the controls a little more stringent than they do.

Updated
I would recommend this product to anyone that wants an all inclusive suite. I have used McAfee and Norton as well as all a
hodgepodge of products to try to accomplish my security and have found that this all in package surpasses all of the others.

User Rating: 5/10

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 Overratedby lemaech56 - March 12, 2006

Pros: Relatively easy install, easy configuration

Cons: Several applications no longer work

Review: After reading many outstanding reviews of ZA ISS 6, I decided that I would try it on my main server (WinXP Pro SP2) which was running NAV and NPF 2005--flawlessly I might add. ZA installed easily, and seemed to be easy to configure. However, several applications that worked flawlessly under NAV & NPF 2005 no longer work. Since I was new to ZA, I decided to install NAV & NPF 2006 on another of my WinXP Pro SP2 servers, and the difference is compelling: a) error free installation, configuration and updating; b) all programs functioned at their repective permission levels without problems. Hence, I am trying to determine what I gained from trying ZA ISS 6.

I filed a problem report with ZA, and they were extremely quick to respond. Unfortunately, the suggestions didn't resolve any of my issues. I am giving them one more chance to resolve my problems. If there is no success, ZA ISS 6 will be uninstalled and I shall purchase NAV & NPF 2006 for all of my servers, chalking up the entire experience to Caveat Emptor. I am curious as to how you and other reviewers arrived at a rating of 8.0

User Rating: 9/10

had mcafee int sec suite now i have zone alarm love itby eddie almond - March 12, 2006

Pros: very user friendly need i say more. lots better than mcafee

Cons: nothing to this point

Review: had mcafee internet security suite no more.then i read the cnet review and got the zone alarm internet security suite and they were right on. it is very user friendly and easy to install and is lots faster than the mcafee scans. and scans a lot more of the files.and i like being able to scan for viruses and spyware at the same time. and every thing is in plane language and very easy to understand.i hope next year the dont mess up a good thing by trying to make it better.like mcafee did (to bad)

User Rating: 3/10

Is it growing bigger?by Bill Wang - March 8, 2006

Pros: Efficient and elegant

Cons: Getting slower in a few months

Review: I liked the appearance and convenience of the suite. I bought it following CNET review, which stated one of its advantage is not to slow down the computer. It is true in the biginning, however, in a few months it keeps growing and becomes more resource demanding. I have a P4 2.4GH 512MB 40GB. I keep my hard drive very clean, with still 27GB available. I don't play games. I use mostly only Word, Powerpoint, and Internet, and usually open no more than 3-4 windows. With this not at all aggressive pattern, in the past 6 months, I found the computer slowed down significantly, to the point now it often stuck for seconds after any click. I reloaded Windows XP Home Edition, and the problem is still there.

User Rating: 3/10

great product, brought down by bad program controlby markph - March 3, 2006

Pros: very secure firewall, easy interface,

Cons: poor program learning control, horrible support

Review: I have been using zonealarm on my main desktop for quite a while and love it, however when I bought my new sony laptop, (vgn-sz110) I installed zonealarm in norton's place. What a mistake! It has blocked, or removed some of my tray icons, will not allow me to access my secured "safe" files program, and sony specific utility programs. I emailed zonelabs support twice, but both responses seemed somewhat automated and unspecific about my paticular problem at hand. My guess is that the software in my laptop is too new, and zonealarm maybe has not released a new version yet to address this issue. But either way, I feel alienated right now about this company. you shouldn't have to spend $70 for protection only to have it screw up your computer, and get no real help to fix it!

User Rating: 9/10

Great Productby money18 - February 28, 2006

Pros: Fast Scanning, Easy to Use

Cons: Would like to see better parental controls

Review: After mulling over which internet security suite to purchase I landed on zonealarm. I read all of the positive vs negitive reviews. It seems more of the positive reviews came after the new verision was released. I have not had any problems with it. I do agree however that you do need to have some knowledge of programs in order to run this as it does ask you if you want to allow or not allow certain things. I use zone alarm for my lap top in which I have alot of infomation I want to keep private. I find Mcafee works great for my home desk top as well as my kids laptop's. I love the parental control features of McAfee. You can actually set the times that the the kids are allowed on the internet.

User Rating: 8/10

this is good...by jim65 - February 17, 2006

Pros: Solid Protection

Cons: requires a little work to set up

Review: I bought a new computer and knew, based on past experiences, that i didnt want to use the Norton that came with it. I read about the Zone Alarm Security Suite 6 and its high ratings by the editor of cnet. However, the user ratings were low and this led to confusion and days of frustration while i did my research to find out if Zone Alarm was really a problem. Finally, I bought it. Im happy to say that after 5 days, this is by far, the best security suite i have owned. McAfee, Norton etc just dont hold up. The software is a little more advanced and may need some tweaking with the settings in order to have it operate properly, but i have done this, yes it took a little extra time, but its worth it. I have had no problems, it installed quickly, i havent noticed a reduction is computer speed and it isnt a system hog. Seriously, if you know a thing or two about computers... this is the security suite for you.

User Rating: 9/10

Power and simplicity, a great product.by NHFishercat - February 13, 2006

Pros: Not Available

Cons: Not Available

Review: Luckily for me I listened to the positve people on this board and not the negative.

I tried the FREE 15 day trail to see if I would like this product or not and I am VERY glad I did so. Well before the trail period was up I bought this software (and for a great price I may add, around $49.99) to protect my PC from viruses and spy/ad/mal-ware.

The install was stupidly easy, the UI is VERY straight forward and easy to use.

It took a couple of sessions using my PC before I stopped getting Program warnings/advisories (the software tells you when a program is trying to use a resource, contact the internet, etc) and now I only get these popups if I use a new software product. I didn't see any problems with these notifications as the product is training itself on how you use your PC and what you think is ok, after that the product simply cleans up the spy/ad/wal-ware junk off my PC and keeps me protected from viruses, just what it's supposed to do.

If I have to run a program that requires a lot of horsepower, like PC Games or Studio 10 Plus, I just simply turn off Zone Alarm Suite for the time period and everything runs nice and fast!

I'm an extrememly happy customer

Cheers,
NHFishercat

User Rating: 4/10

No support from ZoneAlarm, trying to do too many thingsby rslegge - February 10, 2006

Pros: good at authorizing outbound programs

Cons: too much a resource hog

Review: I was pleased with 5.5 pro, but with 6 it became a real resource hog. I emailed support (supposed to be free with Pro) and asked them two questions: 1. Why did 6 use so much memory? 2. When I run Firefox why was there no recommendation? (like ZA never heard of Firefox) After about 10 days they wrote to say my case had been forwarded to the technical area. I have never heard another word from them yet (10 months). I uninstalled 6, put 5.5 back up but still have to content with the nags to upgrade. Bottom line, 6 is bloated and ZA does not provide support to paying customers.

User Rating: 6/10

most comprehensive security suite availableby ashishtx - February 4, 2006

Pros: all in one, excellent firewall

Cons: antivirus scanning cannot be customized, rare firewall problems with the system.

Review: If you are looking for a security suite which has all the features, this one is for you. Antispam from mailfrontier, Antivirus from computer associates adds strength to the suite. Operating system level firewall can be problematic at times. As i said antivirus needs to be more customizable for real time scanning. Good intuitive installation which warns if you are installing over other firewall or any other security program.

User Rating: 8/10

Off to a much better start than Nortonby carlos.nice - January 29, 2006

Pros: Comprehensive, straigth forward install, powerful.

Cons: Over use of rebates like many other companies. They should inact laws to restrict routine use of rebates as a marketing tool.

Review: 4th day using ZASS 6 and so far much better than Norton 2006 Internet Security. I had to evoke Norton's 60 Money back guarantee by sending back the CDs. Still waiting for Norton to refund my money. Norton was a total waste of time and I hope not money so far. ZASS seems to be more powerful, straight forward and configurable. I understand better what the software is doing as opposed to Norton. Norton is just bundling a bunch of outdated software together and giving it a new name. I use to be a Norton customer but no more.

User Rating: 10/10

The best!!by henryjl - January 29, 2006

Pros: Doesn't use alot of memory :D

Cons: Nothing at all !

Review: Just the best!!
I had norton internet security 2006 and I uninstalled that and installed this, and now my computer is super fast

When I was using norton the firewall wasn't blocking anything and it used alot of memory.
I've still got 329 days left on my NIS 2006 what a waste of money norton!!

User Rating: 1/10

Don't buy itby Skane12 - January 27, 2006

Pros: NONE again I say NONE

Cons: very buggy again I say VERY buggy

Review: I have used Zone Alarm for years. Then I bought this version. I did not beleive the other reviews here. That was a mistake. Why CNET recommends it I do not no. I will not pay any attention to thier reviews from now on.

User Rating: 8/10

Easy configuration, clean interface, secure firewall plus good AV featureby Vy - January 21, 2006

Pros: One suite does all, low CPU usage, stability

Cons: AV feature could be better, automatic firewall configuration could be simpler

Review: I have been using Zonealarm for 4 years now. The firewall feature has always been the excellent. The added AV and anti-spyware features are good add-ons for the 6.0 version. The suite does not use to much of CPU processing but I do not recommend running a scan while you are using other programs. The anti-virus scan can be time consuming. The suite is simple the best comparing to others. Never got a virus since using this program. If you are insecure, you can use this suite along with AVG antivirus program where you can not use it along with Norton for double the protection.

User Rating: 1/10

Loaded With Problems! Sad Decline of Once Great Productby Kid Curry - January 17, 2006

Pros: Could Be Great If ZoneLabs Cares Enough To Fix It.

Cons: Causes hours of work to fix its errors which are numerous.

Review: I have been a great admirer and user of ZoneLabs products for many years. I am an experienced pc user and I can normally work through errors caused by programs and resolve them. Prior to the introduction of version 6, ZoneLabs Security Suite was an excellent product. When version 6 was released I did a clean upgrade to it, as I have done numerous times before when other upgrades came out. I have ZoneLabs Security Suite 6 installed on 3 pcs, one of which is my husband's. All of the pcs are running Win XP Pro. All pcs have large amounts of memory and harddrive space. All pcs are kept current with Windows updates and all are frequently scanned for spyware.

The installation of version 6 caused all manner of problems on all 3 pcs. ZoneLabs Security Suite takes forever to load and I mean forever. ZoneAlarm boxes pop up during load which says it will take a while for ZoneAlarm to load. Then they pop up again after you have waited and waited and they say the same thing.

Version 6 kept 3 pcs from connecting to the internet and caused all manner of other problems. I worked numerous hours on all 3 pcs trying to resolve these problems. I uninstalled version 6 and went back to the 5.5 version. Then a newer version of the 6s came out and I decided to give that a try thinking ZoneLabs had fixed problems. The problems were not fixed at all. I decided to remove the newest of the 6s from one of the pcs and all attempts to remove it failed. I followed directions given by ZoneLabs tech support, I followed suggestions given in the ZoneLabs user forum by pc gurus and nothing worked. I could not reinstall it or get it totally uninstalled. I ended up having to reformat the drive.

Please visit the ZoneLabs user forums to read what others are going through with version 6 before you decide to buy it. Many long time users of ZoneLabs products have had the same problems I have had and some have additional ones. I am now trying out Norton's Security Suite 6 on a 15 day trial period. Norton's is working well with no delays in loading and all other programs are working well with it. I plan on buying Norton's Security Suite to replace ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.

ZoneLabs doesn't seem to care that loyal users are now dumping their product due to the problems with version 6. ZoneLabs has a tremendous firewall, the best in my opinion, which is why I have used ZoneAlarm for years. ZoneLabs had a great security suite prior to version 6. As you will see when you read the ZoneLabs user forum about this product, many feel that ZoneLabs basically released a product that is still in beta form. This is a sad decline for a great product. I hope it is fixed eventually. I am writing this review in hopes it will help someone, but I am also writing it with regret.

User Rating: 7/10

ZASS Will Rock YOUby VIIAP - January 13, 2006

Pros: Marvelous Internet Security Suite

Cons: Novices should read manual First !

Review: Hi,
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 has great, unique and wonderful features such as Triple Defense Firewall, SmartDefense, Antispyware and... BUT it seems new features bring many BUGS too!!
Anyway, I'm using ZoneLabs products for about 5 years and I love the way they protect users. till now that I'm writing this note, ZASS (ZoneAlarm Security Suite)v6.0 has been upgraded to v6.1.737.000 with many fixes!! and I give 10 to ZASS v6.1.737.000 and 7 to v6.0 , So If you really like a software stick to it and try to make it better; Guys in ZoneLabs do their best to bring you the best, I trust them.
Well, If you read ZASS 6.0 comments by users and regret to try it, Now try v6.1

User Rating: 8/10

Good Security but some bugsby Bug-Finder - January 10, 2006

Pros: User friendly, less CPU, automatic updates known programs

Cons: Anti-Spyware doesn't update properly

Review: User friendly, even a novice user can configure the settings. Uses less processor, allows permit/deny for unknown applications to access internet with triple protection for system allowance strength. There are only three minor problems which I have known while using this version for a month.
1) ZASS crashes and shuts down when configuring custom firewall with port specific while connected to the internet with the same port specific opened in router. ZASS crashes when an incoming message detected while configuring the specific ports.
2) Anti-virus updates every time but anti-spyware updates once then keep getting successful update message without updating the anti-spyware data. It?s an unknown problem since first releasing 6 with new built-in anti-spyware.
3) Programs in list grows, grows, grows and stays in the program list, even when they were uninstalled months ago. Zonelabs should put a ?refresh? button to remove the programs from list which are no longer in the computer or ZASS will become slow to load.
The good part of ZASS, it can catch an installation of unknown file with its triple protection which did happen twice on my system that was used to track information from a few of my product via internet by key logging and data reading. ZASS works best when most programs filled in ?Program Control? to reduce popup alerts so it can catch newly installations which does not run normally in system everyday. If you are about to buy this product, I would recommend to backup the setting often with this product. About twice a week is a good choice to keep known programs in ZASS to be well known for less popup permission alerts so it could catch freshly new alerts for better option choices. I wouldn?t be using any security suite other than ZASS and wish to bring Zonelabs attention to the three minor problems and wouldn?t be tell you not buy this product but only of what you will get for buying it as I myself like this one better than Norton Internet Security Suite.

User Rating: 10/10

Forget the rest, get the Best!!by jedialan - January 1, 2006

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing so far

Review: I have been using this security suite for one year now. It far superior to McAfee and Norton as the program is much smaller and does not bring your system resources to a screaching halt like the other two do. I just hope ZoneAlarm keeps this product small and simple. I've read lots of reviews with people having problems with the software being slow or not installing. Let me just say that your problem is either with the computer itself or possibly the user, but not this software.

User Rating: 10/10

Great blocks viruses, spyware,spam,HACKERS... amazing....!by thecomputergeek123 - December 29, 2005

Pros: updates automaticly blocks hackers.... spam ,spyware ,and viruses

Cons: might slow down your comp if you have a older one...

Review: This is a great product.... it now comes with a manual. It blocks alot of things that are very bad for your computer.So far.. mines has blocked over 1000 acsess atemps (some hacker was trying to get in.. but it blocked it). I recomend having a updated computer... so it wont slow you down at all.This is a great firewall over all.

User Rating: 2/10

Buggy software slowed down my systemby pradoja - December 29, 2005

Pros: Easy to use interface; fast anti-virus & spyware scanning

Cons: Slow & buggy internet access; no IM & e-mail protection because of LSP conflict

Review: I installed ZA on my brand-new Pentium IV with Windows XP, which became MUCH slower than my older computer (also Pentium IV, with XP) as a result.

I could not enable instant messaging and e-mail protection because of an LSP conflict. E-mail sent to Zone Lab's tech support had no reply. Once I logged into their customer support web service, I was told to disable IM and e-mail protection (!).

ZA kept asking me to make the same decisions on software access at every reboot, despite the fact that I asked it to remember my previous settings. In addition, it gave me little or no info to help me decide.

ZA's firewall also did not work well with my cable modem, which would just quit working or slow down to near uselessness every so often. Maybe it was because ZA kept finding a new network connection all the time.

I trashed ZA and switched back to Norton, which resulted in increased system performance and MUCH faster internet access. Good riddance!

User Rating: 1/10

Don't Buy - Made Outlook Crash Numerous Timesby dchase - December 20, 2005

Pros: Good at handling spam

Cons: Seriously conflicts with MS Outlook; Terrible and unresponsive customer support.

Review: Terrible Product! I installed it and it made my MS Outlook crash several times a day. Twice I had to reinstall Outlook. Contacted their customer service about the problem. No help, they kept telling me how to reset my Zone Alarm account password. Obviously they don?t read their incoming emails and just send out some canned message. After several days of this, I uninstalled Zone Alarm and installed PC-cillin. I had no further problems with Outlook. I previously used Norton and never had my email crash with their product either. My recommendation, don?t buy unless you enjoy having Outlook crash and you like to reload software. Interestingly, when I asked for a refund they never answered my emails ? go figure.

User Rating: 9/10

Works for meby mark_n_spencer - December 19, 2005

Pros: Easy to use and uses less system memory

Cons: Is the anti-virus at pare with Norton or Mcafee?

Review: The moment I started using the program, I followed it's instructions and removed my Norton Anti virus program so it can use its own anti virus program... the result... a faster PC for me. If you have a pc that has low memory, I suggest getting this program for yourself. The installation is quick, the program is easy enough to understand (for me anyway) and it eats up less resources than using Norton and Ad Aware put together. Don't get me wrong I like Norton and Ad-aware, but if my pc can handle to demands of these programs ZoneAlarm is for me.

User Rating: 9/10

Best security suite out there!by Claudester - December 5, 2005

Pros: easy set up, easy to use, works great

Cons: wished that spam blocker worked with incredimail

Review: I have been a long time user of Symantec products, the last of which was Norton Internet Security 2005. I found it buggy at times and found that Symantec had terrible telephone support.
I have recently switched to Zonealarm Internet Security Suite 6. I'm glad I did. The program is rock solid and I have had no problems whatsoever with it. Removing Norton first is an absolute must. That means getting rid of every little tiny componet of Norton. There are several methods all listed on the internet including Symantec's site on how to do this. If you are looking for an all in one security suite, Zonealarm Internet Security Suite is the one.

User Rating: 1/10

No Free Phone Supportby ralph_234z6e7x085 - December 3, 2005

Pros: Wouldn't Install

Cons: Wouldn't Install

Review: Tried to install over older ZA version. Received same error message each time after several attempts. Attempted to use online automated "help" system but that was more frustrating than the numerous failed installation attempts. Phone support is pay as you go.

Have used ZA firewalls for years with good results. Very disappointed, especially after reading the glowing CNET review.

Returned software.

User Rating: 3/10

Updating screwed my whole system upby hameboy - December 1, 2005

Pros: Quiet, unobtrusive, appears easy to use

Cons: Updating online froze my internet, poor tech support

Review: While trying to update my Zone alarm online to ZoneAlarm 6 it suffered some sort of problem with the installation and caused what was left of Zone alarm on my machine to think a hacker was trying to connect. Consequently, it wouldn't let me connect to the internet at all, and ended up causing errors in windows and in the end, some very costly repairs to my computer. Stupid bloody thing!

User Rating: 4/10

Stick with Nortons!by John67 - November 30, 2005

Pros: So far, it seems to do pretty good security wise. The only positive thing I've really noticed is the fast antivirus scanning, but....

Cons: ....it's not worth the problems. For one, my internet browsing has come to a halt, and I'm using fast broadband! Next, many of my programs have been freezing up. I tried shutting down ZA, and then ope

Review:

User Rating: 9/10

Excellent productby ragged - November 30, 2005

Pros: $30 rebate, top of the line firewall

Cons: Pop-up warnings can be confusing

Review: Switched from Norton after it suddenly started blocking my favourite website. Downloaded ZA suite, installed it, ran the antivirus update and did a pc scan. Came up with a couple tracking cookies and deleted them.

Setup was easy, yes the pop-ups warnings are a little confusing, but use common sense. If a pop-up appears right after you start a program, say photoshop, then most likely you should click allow on the pop-up.

It blocks ALL, AND I MEAN ALL, 3rd party pop-ups from websites, advertising banners etc.

Haven't experienced the loss of user settings yet, maybe I need to reboot more often, but it's great so far.

User Rating: 9/10

Simply the Best!by MIDIManNI - November 30, 2005

Pros: Easy to setup, use and update!

Cons: Sometimes messes with MS Outlook

Review: I have been running ZA both at work and home now for a long time. I find it one of the most useful utilities to have on a PC.

Does muck about with MS Outlook on occasions but then again it is a MS product...!!!

In general - a great and inexpensive product which I would not be without.

User Rating: 3/10

Too Many Problems with Newest Versionby tVd - November 23, 2005

Pros: Past Products are good.

Cons: Version 6 is rot with problems, Wait or install Ver 5.

Review: I've been a loyal user of ZoneAlarm products (paid) for years. Up to version version 5.5, they were the BEST. But Version 6 is chock full of problems, to the point that it may very well render your PC useless, as it has so many of us. Most paid users have had to roll back to Version 5.5 and are waiting till the problems are fixed. CNET needs to revise their recommend of this version!

User Rating: 8/10

Easy to use and better than the big brandsby leerobottom - November 18, 2005

Pros: Very quick scan

Cons: There are none

Review: buy it buy it buy it

User Rating: 5/10

License Starts on Date of PURCHASEby MikeFL - November 17, 2005

Pros: Strong Rating

Cons: License practice

Review: I purchased the product 2 months before my current Norton subscription runs out. I found that if I wait to load the product for 2 months, the license will only be good for an additional 10 months.
IF you buy buy it, do not make the purchase before you are ready to load it.

User Rating: 8/10

Hello Zone - Goodbye Nortonby dbucholtz - November 15, 2005

Pros: An all-in-one package that beats the pants off Norton

Cons: A bit complex; requires training of the software and the user, but not a deal breaker

Review: I downloaded the latest version off the Zone home page, and the install went flawlessly. No serious bugs and no blue screens as described in previous reviews. The program did require some training regarding unknown programs attempting to access the interenet, but a click on the a link in the alert gives you enough information to make an educated decision to allow the program to access the net . Zone did have a hard time remembering settings at first, but that problem went away after a couple of "reminders." Zone found 7 pieces of low-risk spyware that other spyware programs missed. Most importantly, once I removed Norton Internet Security/AV 2005, my machine's performance increased noticably. Zone appears to use fewer resources than Norton and has a nicer, more responsive interface. Next, I need to write a positive review for Fix-it Utilities 6, which helped me remove all the garbage from Norton IS and Norton Utilities 2004, which took over an hour because the Norton uninstall refused to work. Goodbye Norton!

User Rating: 9/10

So far, so goodby pete592 - November 9, 2005

Pros: Fast, friendly interface, more efficient than Norton

Cons: Registration was a bit tough to figure out

Review: I recently switched from Norton Internet Security to ZoneAlarm and I have no regrets whatsoever. After I was finally able to get Norton fully uninstalled (a technical feat, in my opinion), I installed ZoneAlarm and now my system is noticeably faster. ZoneAlarm was also much cheaper (especially if you download and check out the trial version).

My only quip is that I had a heck of a time finding the spot on the interface to enter the registration key for the product. Likely everyone except me was able to find it no problem. Regardless, it's a miniscule price to pay for a security suite that doesn't bog your system down.

User Rating: 1/10

Beta Not Ready for Public Saleby i_made_this - November 8, 2005

Pros: not a single one at all that i can name

Cons: crashes windows-based computers

Review: zone labs had a fine firewall. when they wished to offer a security suite, they made another fine decision to partner with computer associates for anti-virus/malware. now, they have made a dumb decision to release a beta-as-alpha version of their own in-house anti-virus/malware product which is a glitch-ridden testing ground for the big leagues at their parent company checkpoint software. the new o/s firewall in combination with their standard firewall throws out mostly false positives in the bargain; if misconfigured by the user, it has crashed windows systems. support is 100% non-existant.

User Rating: 3/10

Don't Upgrade To the Suiteby Wilman4g - November 7, 2005

Pros: Has not worked no my Computer yet

Cons: Slowed my computer to a crawl

Review: I have used ZoneAlarm on my computer for about 2 years i have never had any problems with the software. ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6.0 right after install slowed my computer to a crawl. it worked so slow that it appear my computer was frozen. I had to deleted from my computer.

User Rating: 10/10

The Best Available, Without A Doubt!by Tom101 - October 27, 2005

Pros: Pros... Were Should I Start? Everything is Good.

Cons: Well.... To Be Honest.. NONE

Review: Very polished and appealing interface, unlike many other security software packages. It has a award winning firewall, thorough anti-virus which you can set to scan every byte of your computer's memory, awesome new antivirus which scans faster then you can read this review, IM security which helps all you chatty people out there to be protected, Very good email protection which scans all incoming/outgoing mail, A ID Lock which can block anything from your address or credit card number or even social security number (you can custom block anything, VIRTUALLY anything from being shared to unknown sources), Parental Controls for those who worry about what they and/or their kids are seeing, and a very good spam filter. And the great thing is, its very user friendly.
As for those saying its " Bugged" or "Slow", well im afraid your computer is what is making it slow. My computer works faster then ever, and my other computer which is older runs great on it as well.
Botton Line:

If your looking for total protection, with all the bells and whistles, it's all here in ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.0!

User Rating: 9/10

Only keeps getting betterby danielvargas2 - October 17, 2005

Pros: Easy to use, poweful, does not consume much system resources, good A/V - AntiSpyware. Updates daily.

Cons: Not P2P friendly

Review: I've been using ZAP for some years now. I used to use it along with NAV and Spybot S&D. But I now got rid of the NAV for good. Not so much the Spybot since I discovered a few bugs ZAP does not detect and Spybot does.
I'm happier with every newer version, however. It's easy to use even for non-savy users. The only real complaint I have however, when it comes to setting up advanced rules, it's a real pain in the behind. There's no way of knowing the parameters' synthax. I have not been able to setup the ZAP to work peacefully with Azureus Bittorrent.
I hope they can certainly fix this in a near future version.

User Rating: 9/10

Excellent Productby MustangGT2005 - October 13, 2005

Pros: All in one package for internet security

Cons: Icon on email toolbar to flush all mail in Junk folder would have been nice

Review: I really don't understand why anyone would rate this below an 8. I found installation to be very straight forward --- put in the CD and SWOOSH ----I was up and running in less then 5 minutes. I have a Sony PCV-R250CG with a Pentium 4 3.20 GHz with 1 GB RAM, 200 GB hard drive and I executed the antivirus/spyware scan while using the computer and found no performance problems what-so-ever --- no bugs detected either. I did not find the lack of a manual to be a problem -- it has very user friendly menus which even a novice could navigate. I had been a user of Norton Internet Security and this is definitely a far superior software package. I was further impressed when I found that its antivirus/spyware scan had found & deleted 2 spywares and 1 virus --- Norton didn't find the virus --- oh my!! I also run Ad-ware SE Plus and Counterspy which did not detect the spyware.

What more can I say other then "a very satisfied customer"

User Rating: 9/10

Probably the best product I have usedby metallix - October 13, 2005

Pros: easy to install, auto updates, good protection

Cons: Ther are no cons

Review: I have used most anti virus and internet security suites in my time and none have compared with this, save for trend products. The ease with which this is installed and the friendly interface is a major plus. I have never had to contact support and have not noticed any slowdown in the speed of my PC at all.

User Rating: 1/10

Will Not Start......So We Must Partby ZANOWAY - October 9, 2005

Pros: Quicker than Norton

Cons: Start-up...failure Virus update..failure Parental Controls..minimul

Review: I trusted Cnet's reviews and ended a multi-year engagement with Norton because of the internet speed issues--never again!

I must admit that ZA runs a bit quicker, but I am convinced that this is a result of a less thorough system.

The Parental Controls that Cnet bragged on, fail to halt anything that is sent Via email. I'm not talking about an attachment. I am refurring to ads with links. All of the links in my junk-account used for net ordering loaded without a problem. I checked the settings and tried it again with the same results.

I can not get ZA to load at start-up, and I have searched every available avenue EXEPT the $$$ phone system. All of them tell me that I have spyware running on my Notebook. NO!! the only spyware on my system is ZA. PLEASE, go to the user forum and search "Start-Up" to see the customers searching for help.

It seems that a lot of people on the forum are having Virus Update issues. I have not, but you spend so much time looking for help and reading their issues, you might as well!

User Rating: 9/10

Brilliant anti virusby moj5556 - October 5, 2005

Pros: almost everything

Cons: sometime the smart defense tool can get annoying

Review: zonealarm, is far by the best antivirus that costs money [AVG antivirus is free and its good] but Zonealarm will make companies like mcafee and norton now realise they are not the only ones in the market for antivrius's

User Rating: 8/10

Beats others hands downby iceman360 - October 4, 2005

Pros: Everything in once place, no need for ad-ons

Cons: Must learn what you want to allow

Review: Great way to get everything you want in one place, the interface is very simple and keeps your computer safe and sound. The logs tell you exactly who's been trying to get on your computer.

User Rating: 3/10

Another editorial review SNAFUby phinhead - September 30, 2005

Pros: Still thinking

Cons: Will not even launch at start up see--> http://forum.zonelabs.org/zon elabs/search?q=start+up

Review: The firewall has complicated popup warnings that make you mistrust everything on your computer, and the push button support just tells you that the warning could or could not be a problem. That is great advice, huh? It fails to launch at start, and if your use to Norton, you forget to turn it on. An unused firewall is a worthless firewall. The multi-dollar tech support claims you have some anti-spyware running that is causing the problems. I assure you that I do not, and lots of other subscribers must have some as well. http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/search?q=start+up I purchased this without trail because of the CNET REVIEW. Shame on me!

User Rating: 8/10

Slow System After Installing? Here's Your Answer...by tmurray - September 29, 2005

Pros: kernal monitor, app control, virus scanner

Cons: spyware defs limited, slow virus scanning

Review: I have to laugh when I read these negative reviews because ZAIS 6 "slowed my computer to a crawl!" Guess what self proclaimed computer wizards, it is the antivirus running in the background. After you install or if you do not change the scheduled scanning option, ZAIS will automatically start scanning and your machine will slow waaay down. This even happens if you had a scan scheduled for the middle of the night but your machine was off, it will start scanning the very next time you boot it up (which they need to change). But, if you schedule it when you are not using your machine for other things or simply turn it off, guess what, computer will run just as fast as it always did.

I was a long time Norton's user, then tried all the others, finally settling on this version of ZA. ZA benchmarks much better than Norton and holds it's own against most of the others. The kicker for me is the operating system kernal protection ZA offers. I can't tell you have nice it has been to monitor operating system attempted changes and deny those I choose. I do wish the spyware was a bit more comprehensive, but get AdAware free from download.com and your fine.

User Rating: 2/10

Extremely disappoint on my favourite firewall so far.by Digital Vision - September 22, 2005

Pros: Sorry there is none.

Cons: I can't finish here.........there is many problem.

Review: Let me introduce myself first..so everything will be fine and clear.

I'm a multimedia CG Artist and have expertises on Internet application, website developement, 3d animation and all related softwares with several platforms with 6 years of expiriences..I think this is enough for my introduction.

Now come to the points........
I always use zone alarm pro because I have trust on Kaspersky Pro AV ...so no need any other version of zonelabs.
I was really happy with the firewall zonelabs made so far till 5.0.594.
When I install the new version of zone alarm 6.0.631 it was seems to me buggy..and I remain with the previous version and made hope my favourite will come with update without buggs. After downloading 6.0.677.00 now I loose my patience and want to show all what's the actual problem happening with the new version.I don't wanna tell zonelabs because they are giving one of the worst support in this world!!!

1. This version can't remember the user customized settings. This happens in generally two ways...

(a)General restart of your pc or restart by any software after installation or what ever.

(b)If you press power button from your keyboard to shutdown your pc.

2. I use AMD 4800+ X2 with 3 GB RAM...but slow down my pc!!! lets see how?

(a)New version make delay to load

(b)I don't know what it scan each file when open those..for example it will take time to open note pad program approximately 5 sec for the first time you want to access in your each windows session..and will not take any time when you re open that. (note: scan is hidden not show on GUI..I'm 100% sure it scans something inside..I know whats going on with my pc)This problem happens for any kind of file types and they will not take extra 5 secs for lunch untill you reboot your pc!!!

(c)generally we use firewall for internet restriction isn't that? or network restriction or what ever? What the hell new version interfare with my photoshop, 3ds max, maya...now I'm making clear myself what is the interfare?....For example when we open photoshop program it will always make a temp file on the temp directory..zone alarm mark it as a dangerous behaviour and make my photoshop crash...well..what happen if I gave manually permission..photoshop create new temp file each time we open it and the zone alarm each time catch it and got my photoshop crash lol..if I shutdown zone alarm no problem with photoshop!!!

(d)New version take at least 15 secs more to enter in my network area..while they are trusted!!!!

(e)I astonished when it scan realtime my downloaded temp data and slower the internet speed too!!!

3. Antivirus monitoring is bogus!!! can't detect my kaspersky Antivirus...I hope kaspersky is not a bad product!

4. LOL spyware!!!? when you have spybot and adware..do you need this feature?..extra function in realtime system got always slower.

5. Email attachment protection? same comments like spyware..when we use antivirus do we need this feature?

6. Zonelabs forgot onething always and that is..people wants to use the best things in each section..and they should make firewall seperately..not user to forcely taken the spyware, AV, mail attachment or what ever..when a free things is bad then it us really worst than anything.

(a)on the other version AV is not trusted!(note in my version av not included..i use the pro version not the security)
(b)spyware is not the best!
(c)out bond mail system or what ever is that not the best
(d)Parental control gives false result at 40% time.
(e)In the medium mode cookie control I can't login to maximum site and on those site listed is C-Net too!!!LOL....

7. Sugeestion: Stay away from the new version and stay with the previous version...I'm sure if you want to protect your pc from network or internet attack..previous version has not any problem with that.

User Rating: 3/10

Not for the Faint of Heart or Right Brainedby Motherbored - September 21, 2005

Pros: At Least the Trial Was Free

Cons: Computer Freaked Out

Review: OK, I am not computer savvy, so this is not a high-tech review. I know enough to get online, install most programs, and rely on advice to keep my computer running well and free of bugs. That's why I jumped at the chance to try the Zone Alarm Security Suite on a free trial. My Norton updates subscription was expiring, and Zone Alarm seemed so state of the art. I download ZA, deleted Norton (should have just shut it down) to install, and then the fun began. Computer slowed. Downloads were scarey looking. When I'd click on ZA for help, I'd get a "page cannot be found" message. In fact, got that message a lot trying to surf internet. Checked my computer. No other problems. Things would not run. Computer went into a hibernation that I had to reboot to get out of. I call Dell Tech support and while on hold decide to do System Restore to exorcise the devil. It worked, things were back to normal, but sadly, Norton was gone. Wound up reinstalling Norton 2005 and I am back to where I started. Never had a problem with Norton, but after reading all the reviews of both suites, wanted what I thought was state of the art. Not for me. I can follow commands, but I cannot "tweak" or troubleshoot well enough to find out why ZA messed up my system and then fix it. Dell Tech support advised against ZA. So here I am, got Norton Security Suite, Xoftspy spyware zapper and Window Washer and all seems well. I would take all the blame for ZA 6.0, but after reading some reviews here and on ZA forums, I think ZA needs to finesse this product. Or put a warning label for those of us who can just about program a VCR -- with help.

User Rating: 3/10

I was unable to use this softwareby gary_gd - September 20, 2005

Pros: I suppose the antivirus worked well.

Cons: Caused computer to lockup and run slow

Review: I bought version 5.5. It seemed to work well at first. I upgraded to ver. 6 and had so many problems I finally had to uninstall. I then re-installed ver. 5.5. The problem I had with ver. 6 was with the popups that asked me for permission for internet explorer or my mail program to access the internet. The computer would then lock up or become very slow.

User Rating: 8/10

Upgrade from ZoneAlarm firewall to the Security Suite is worthedby EagleMtl - September 8, 2005

Pros: easy to use, works with chat and other messengers (like MSN) like a charm

Cons: none so far...

Review: I have been a user of ZoneAlarm for 3 years. First the free firewall, then the ZoneAlarm Pro. I must say I was never able to set the ZoneAlarm Pro properly so it wouldn'd loose my home network setup or block anything anytime and bugging me with questions.

When I decided to get the e-mail antivirus from ZoneAlarm I got the ZoneAlarm Security Suite. It installed itself automatically and after a few questions everything was set. No more loosing my home network setup or bugging me with lots of questions. It is much more easy to use than the other ZoneAlarm Pro and it really works.
And on top of that: no spyware and the antivirus really works well. Not a spam since I installed it about 4 months ago.

User Rating: 1/10

It really Sucks and Zone Labs know itby ozxanadu - September 7, 2005

Pros: NONE that icould find!

Cons: released to soon product full of bugs

Review: If you follow the zone Alarm forums you will have noted a large amount of public negative feedback about this buggy software. Immediately after installing my system slowed down and was not as steady as it was before the upgrade, after uninstalling ZA system was back to normal. The best protection is a hardware firewall and a good virus scanner.

User Rating: 1/10

Bad choiceby gregodude - September 7, 2005

Pros: Can't think of any

Cons: slows down internet browsing BIG TIME

Review: slows down browsing. Often its easier to just turn off Zone Alarm while browsing. That was the case with Cnet, this page just crawled to a stop, then loaded quickly when I turned of zone alarm. Most of the time I browse with zone alarm off and just run antivirus scans.
I purchased Zone Alarm with a promo rebate, on sending in my McAfee UPC label to ZA they said is wasn't any good (came from last years box) now I'm stuck for the full price of ZA and it really is a stinker. Compared to Nortons and McAfee this is the worst. Plus you get alot of junk Email from them. Stay away from Zone Alarm.

User Rating: 1/10

Inexcusably Poor!! Save your Time and Money!!by MusicLaw - September 3, 2005

Pros: Not a thing

Cons: Just about everything

Review: As Co-Founder and Former Chairman (for over 10 years) of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Lawyers Using Computers Committee, I've been a PC power user since 1982. In all that time, I'd never encountered anywhere near as poor an implementation nor deployment of a supposedly evolved (i.e. 6th version) product as was encounter with the Trial Download version of Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.0.

The installation was into a Brand New Hewlett-Packard Pentium D 830 (Dual Core) 3Gig system: XP Pro Build 2600 (including SP2), 1 GB Memory, etc. Essentially a near the top-of-the-food-chain system just purchased from Costco. The bundled Norton Security Suite was removed from the PC. SpySubtract Pro 2.6, Aluria Spyware Eliminator 4.0, and EarthLink's Total Access protection products were installed but only the EarthLink programs were enabled at the time ZASS 6 was installed.

The system had been running fine, until ZASS 6.0 was installed!

The installation invoked an innumerable series of system reboots consuming nearly an hour. The result was a horribly lethargic and unusable system. To get from the Start button to the Start Menu took an astounding eight seconds (00:00:08), as did getting from the Start Menu to a blank All Programs panel!!! The Zone Alarm Suite itself was never seen. Only the repetitive sequence of installation messages advising a wait while configuration proceeded.

The only way to purge this trash from the system was via Safe Mode -> Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs. A task not well suited for many non-power users.

Zone Labs has absolutely no excuse for releasing such a horribly problematic and premature version of their product to the market.

Moreover, notwithstanding the assertion which appears atop the Zone Labs User Forum that Zone Labs is aware of a 6.0 problem occurring with upgrades, this problem presented with a new installation -- not an upgrade. Zone Labs may ask for user understanding, but they deserve none!

There has been much discussion about the problems associated with version 6.0, and, for reference the version causing this problem is: 6.0 Build 631_003.

For those willing to venture into these realms, it's part of our learning curve. However, regardless if you are a power user, be forewarned!

Save your time, save your money. Avoid the headaches!

Wait until Zone Labs corrects the matter, and even then, wait until the correction is affirmed and embraced by the marketplace and the user community.

I dissent from the Editors' Choice. At this time, this product cannot be recommended.

User Rating: 10/10

Just the best!by Signus - September 2, 2005

Pros: Excelent Antivirus, Powerfull AntiSpy, Reliable AntiSpam, and of course the Best Firewall

Cons: Maybe just a little confuse to understand the power of the firewall

Review: After using McAffe (the worst of all) and Norton (slooooowww) Security Suites, now I can really feel the secure and reliable use of a real Firewall, plus a powerful antispy (also the best I tried) and antispam.

The antivirus is fast and works like no other.

What else can I said?.. I´m happy with this product!

User Rating: 2/10

Far to difficult for average user to setupby spenceday - August 20, 2005

Pros: Probably effective at protection

Cons: Counterintuitive, full of bugs, slows computer, difficult to setup and program, expensive

Review: Anyone who describes themselves as a novice or average computer user, stay away! If you are an expert computer user, this may be the system for you. I'm sure that Zone Alarm is powerful and effective. But as an average user, I had a terrible time getting this anti virus package to work with my browser and with my other programs. It continues to be a constant struggle to repair conflicts with this system and my computer. I had McAfee for several months of trial, and it worked wonderfully. I should certainly have stuck with that.

User Rating: 2/10

Major Problems Installingby mikeofnyc - August 16, 2005

Pros: I liked this last year

Cons: Doesn't work and no support

Review: I began using this product last year and was a huge fan. When I renewed this year, however, the program wouldn't start on my computer. I tried to install it repeatedly and it wouldn't accept the renewal.

As this was for my home computer, I called for tech support when I got home from work, but apparently tech support works only during business hours and only on weekdays, which means that if you need support for home and you work a regular day, you are out of luck.

I also object to being charged for tech support after I followed the installation instructions precisely and it failed to work. If the program just doesn't start, the tech support should be part of the purchase price -- at least for a short period after the purchase.

User Rating: 5/10

Comprehensive, Friendly, But Slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwby greg_h - August 16, 2005

Pros: Comprehensive, friendly interface, keeps you abreast of what's happening with your PC

Cons: Slowed my system, you have to unistall existing protection while evaluating, doesn't remember your network.

Review: Installation - smooth, after uninstalling existing protection (bad!!). Set-up was easy. Running scans is easy, you just click and go.

I concur with the review immediately after this. I currently have to turn off the anti-spam functionality any time I'm online. Otherwise, cable speed goes down to slower than dial-up and/or hangs. Program does have to "rediscover" your network every time (it appears).

Going with the defaults, will leave you protected out of the box. Relatively easy to fine-tune. Virtually all capabilities have an advanced/customize option.

Look carefully at what spyware it does identify. Otherwise, you may end up deleting some things you want on your system from legitimate vendors (google, for example).

If you use web email (such as hotmail), you're going to have to send your email through Outlook or Outlook Express. They do mention this in the email protection window. It isn't automatic, you have to go into Help to learn how to configure this.

As I'm writng this I went onto the program to relook at some of the menu screens. It took 20 seconds to go from the "firewall" main menu to the "overview" main menu. The system I'm on is a few years old, but that's unacceptable.

Updated
I'm dropping my 5 to a 4. I use cable connected to wireless to get to my system. This was no problem for Symantec's suite. With this suite, my PC's performance has become abysmal when on the network, I've gotten the blue screen of death twice today. I've had to turn off the antispam portion just to get poor throughput when on the network. When off the network, I've turned it on antispam scan my system. In less than 24 hours, the clock on my system has lost about 25 minutes in real time.

Updated
I'm dropping my 5 to a 4. I use cable connected to wireless to get to my system. This was no problem for Symantec's suite. With this suite, my PC's performance has become abysmal when on the internet, I've gotten the blue screen of death twice today. I've had to turn off the antispam portion just to get poor throughput when on the network. When off the internet, I've turned on antispam scan my system. In less than 24 hours, the clock on my system has lost about 25 minutes in real time.

Updated
System is still locking a couple of times a day. Online support (intelligent querying) has been useless. Not marginally useful. Useless. Zero, zip, nada. It's no fun to have to reboot twice delay, and betwen rebooting, have the clock fall behind.

As previously mentioned, I HAD to turn off the antispam component when online in order to keep my PC up. I can turn this on when not online, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

I had none of these problems with Symantec, which is probably going to get reinstalled. One employee at a larger store recommended Panda (which they appear to no longer sell). Panda is available on the company site or OEMed through Staples, however.

Updated
Performance wasn't there. Support wasn't there. Symantec is now back on the system.

User Rating: 9/10

A great program,even for a beginner!by tjman - August 14, 2005

Pros: Very easy to setup.

Cons: Works great,not hard on older machines.

Review: This is a great product.Highly recommended.

User Rating: 9/10

Almost a full security array in one intuitive interfaceby xyxx1 - August 4, 2005

Pros: Intuitive adaptive firewall, effective spamfilter, , IM security, an effective antivirus and antispyware, parental control, good online supporta

Cons: expensive telephone support

Review: This program is excellent; I would have given it a ten, except I don't believe that any program deserves a ten. On a scale of one to ten, nine is the perfect score for a human creation. It almost installs itself, configures itself, but the user may increase the security level. The help file is clear and detailed; although, for me, was unnecessary because the interface is the most intuitive that I've seen. It is easy for the beginner, yet provides for the knowledgeable an expert rules tab.

User Rating: 9/10

Best Internet Security Suite out there !!by jawadshafiq - August 4, 2005

Pros: Best Firewall, antivirus, antispyware and more , all in one product !!

Cons: Help Documentation could be better.

Review: Well I had been long looking for a product which had a good firewall, antivirus, antispyware all in one product. ZAss 6 has these and more like IM security, antispam etc. Moreover ZAss 6 is light on system resources (unlike Norton or Mcafee) and all the components are well integrated !! Congratulations ZoneLabs !! Keep it up !!!

The help documentation could be batter though. The ICS configuration for me was a bit tricky. Had to see the zonelabs forums to helo me set up ICS correctly. But now that everythning is working correctly, I love Zass 6.

User Rating: 9/10

perfectionby opolog - August 1, 2005

Pros: all in one

Cons: $$$ a little pricy, but worth it!

Review: provides EXCELLENT security, and doesn't eat my RAM. imagine how slow my computer would be if a had one program for antivirus, one for antispam, one for antispyware, and one for a firewall. zone alarm does this all in one program, securing my computer, and keeping it quick

User Rating: 10/10

A real pleasure to useby tbdropbox - July 28, 2005

Pros: Comprehensive, effective, good value for money

Cons: Little that I can think of at the moment

Review: As part of my purchase of the 5.5 product, I was upgraded free of charge recently to the new 6.0 product. That alone is a nice departure these days when many software companies seem to release a new "point" version of their programs (read: facelifted with added bloat) every few months with "only" a small upgrade fee attached.

But I digress. The new firewall is just as fast as the previous versions, seems to be relatively light on my system resources, and the antivirus works and plays better with the operating system than the one in the 5.5 edition (i.e. it makes recognizing that it is running and stopping it a lot easier if you happen to come along during a scan).

The main competitor to this product no longer resides on any of the computers I own, since the upgrades to the Norton suite have grown larger, greedier, slower and buggier every year. It is really nice see a company actually offering a better product, one which is well supported in the few instances I have had to deal with their tech support over the years, and one which does not assume that the purpose of my computer system is to support an anti-virus/firewall package to the exclusion of just about anything else.

ZoneAlarm would bugger up the odd install a few years ago, but I haven't had a problem with it for several years. I am very happy with the program and my purchase. The new anti-spyware functions are simply a bonus.

User Rating: 7/10

Blow Norton Internet Securuty 2005 away!!!by rconde - July 28, 2005

Pros: Fast, Very configurable,

Cons: Might seem tricky for newbies

Review: I have a new VAIO laptop computer which came preinstalles with Norton Internet Security 2005, after some weeks of use the system was unable to shutdown and had to do a hard shutdown all the time (pressed the power button for some seconds to finally shut down the computer). Norton IS 2005 is VERY Slow and slows down the system, finally I gave up, uninstalled it and installed ZA IS 6.0, the first impression is that it runs A LOT faster than the Norton product. This is my first day of use but I'll keep updating this report as the days go by.

User Rating: 9/10

Excellent features, Excellent performance, Excellent Softwareby stukindaguy - July 27, 2005

Pros: Best firewall yet, excellent in-depth antivirus scanning, Ad-blocking, IM encryption, email protection and antispyware capability.

Cons: Expensive phone support, sometimes interferes with some programs

Review: Overall the best "Security Suite" out there. Norton Internet Security is incredibly slow and hinders computer performance, Zonealarm Security Suite, however, runs smoothly and effectively, consuming a reasonable amount of system resources.

User Rating: 4/10

Actually, this is about V5.5by yobtvoya - July 27, 2005

Pros: Protects the system

Cons: Can be intrusive and affect other programs

Review: I use Cygwin/X. Version 5.5 of ZoneAlarm interfered with the TCP/IP stack to such an extent that Cygwin/X had problems due to the way it works with TCP/IP. I don't know if V6 has fixed these issues, but I uninstalled ZA 5.5 and the Cygwin/X problems went away. This cost me many wasted hours, and I could not even find an acknowledgement on the ZA website that this was an issue. I found the information on the Cygwin web site. So now I am using Windows Firewall, and it seems adequate for my purposes. Too bad, ZA. But you got your money from me anyway.

User Rating: 9/10

The best ZoneAlarm Yet!by islandstumbler - July 26, 2005

Pros: 6.0 is faster and works great with my p2p programs,

Cons: The interface has not been revamped and is over due, but is very workable.

Review: I thought 5.5 a good product and it did a good job. Now that I have installed 6.0 all I can say is THANK YOU to Zone Labs. This version is amazing. I love the new SmartDefense feature and the anti-spyware is great! It found spyware on my system that Adaware and Spybot did not. I love all of this in one package thats not to big in size and decent on my systems resources.

User Rating: 4/10

Not Ready For Prime Timeby LPE - July 26, 2005

Pros: Improved Junk mail, Spam, and Spyware detection.

Cons: Multi-level firewall strategy gets cumbersome and annoying very quickly; Not enough new features to warrant a new version number; Still has some considerable issues to work out.

Review: To it's credit, Zone Alarm Internet Security 6.0 does offer improved detection methods for Spam, Spyware, and Junk mail over version 5.5. However, that's where the accolades end.

At first glance, you'd think with a redesign of the retail packaging that the UI would get a freshening up as well. Not in this case, but then again the old UI wasn't all that bad anyway.

Besides the updated Spyware methods, there isn't really anything new about version 6.0 that I think merits an upgrade. Even with the new Spyware features, users may want to stick with using Spybot or Ad-Aware. The multi-layer firewall can protect down the the OS-level, but this can get to be more bothersome than beneficial after a while - and it can make distinguishing real security threats from false alarms trickier.

The worst part is how buggy 6.0 seemed. The New Network detection wizard pops up on every restart, and some program folders were deleted. Was it because of 6.0? Let me put it this way: there wasn't a problem with disappearing folders when 5.5 was installed.

Overall, I was disappointed with version 6.0. The new Spyware detection seems to be the only thing it has going for it, but that's not enough to make up for the shortcomings and other problems that crop up.

User Rating: 9/10

I think it is the best of there products to date!by nela30 - July 26, 2005

Pros: Easy to use

Cons: Nothing as of yet

Review: Please give this pruduct a try jr....I love it nela

User Rating: 9/10

Excllent as always.I can't say enough for this program it's great.by bigmobigspliff - July 26, 2005

Pros: Works the same as always; Exceptionally. the anti-spywaresoftware software that comes with it found stuuf that my other anti-spyware didn't find. Zonealarm is the only protection you need.

Cons: There aren't any cons that i'vseen so far,works fine

Review: For your complete protection from spyware,adware,virus,hackers etc.zonealarm is all you need.Been using zonealarm for years.Never fails.

User Rating: 1/10

Buggy and slowby JohnUSA - July 25, 2005

Pros: Ok in protection

Cons: Slows down PC and buggy

Review: I have used ZoneAlarm thru many versions, but I don't like and don't recommend this version (6.0.631.002). It slowed down my fast PC a lot, and it is buggy. Every time I booted ZA, it kept forgetting previous settings, and it always found a new network (192.168.0.0) which is my network. Checking remember this setting did not help. I uninstalled it and went back to the previous version (5.5.094.000). Zone labs should NOT have released this buggy software. It should have stayed in beta until all the bugs have been removed. Shame on you Zone Labs.

Updated
Yesterday, I rated tha ZA Security Edition as very poor because it was buggy and turned my super fast PC into a slow PC.
I was right, because just today (July 27) Zone Labs released an updated version (6.0.631.003) to replace the buggy 6.0.631.002 that was just released few days ago. The bugs are fixed, BUT it still slows down my PC a lot. My system runs super fast with the previous version 5.5.094.000. My PC is clean, has no spyware or viruses, but once I install the new version 6, everything runs slower.
Let me tell you who I am. I am a PC consultant by profession. I am a Windows and PC expert. I know what I am talking about. Be aware that I am only giving an opinion on ZA Security Edition, and not the other new version. I don't recommend the Security Edition because it does slow down a PC needlessly. Zone Labs should and must remove this buggy version, and fix it properly and then relase it only when they make sure that their software does not slow down PCs. My PC is an Intel 3.6 GHz, 2 GB ram, and 2 WD 74 GB Raptors 10,000 rpm in RAID 0 configuration. This PC screams. It is the fastest I have seen. But it slows down poorly with ZA Security Edition version 6.0.631.003. Once I uninstalled version 6 and went back to version 5.5.094.000 my PC was back to super fast again. You try it yourself and see.
Zone Labs, please fix it.

Updated
Today is August 21, 2005, and ZoneLabs has still not fixed their very buggy ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.0. I highly recommend that you not install this poorly written software until ZoneLabs fixes it. As of today, the current version is the buggy 6.0.631.003. Let me say it again that my comments is only for the Security Suite, and not the other versions that ZoneLabs has released, like the Free and the Pro versions of ZoneAlarm. For further proof of the many bugs in this software, please go to the following URL and read the many unhappy and frustrated users at the Fred Langa site:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=169400298
I rest my case.
Thank you.

User Rating: 8/10

Makes chunky Norton AV obsoleteby Avallon - July 25, 2005

Pros: All-in-one on line security

Cons: Perplexing pop-ups with unclear advise for novices

Review: After I'd downloaded the Zonealarm Suite 6.0, I was prompted to uninstall my Norton anti virus companion since 1995. This piece of software ate at my CPU resources for years now. I did the uninstall and my PC gained remarkable speed in starting up the system... Goodbye NAV!
With ZoneAlarm installed I had a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware program - all in one. I freed a lot of CPU getting rid of intrusive Norton and gained security.
Not all the pop-ups with "advise" ZoneAlarm showed above the taskbar were to the point; MS Internet Explorer was treated like a piece of dangerous software e.g. But, perhaps it is... You can alway manually give permissions that ZoneAlarm denies in automatic mode.
The best news: the virus scan detected 2 viruses Norton AV never did find and 22 malware items Spybot and Ad-Aware didn't detect!

Updated
I've used ZoneAlarm Suite 6 for months now (and have updated it several times) and I have to report some bugs.

The most important bug is that the database doesn't remember permissions I've given to trusted software. Very annoying. ZoneAlarm keeps on asking me for permissions with those pop-ups or flatly denies permission to use software, even when I've marked that software as "trusted".

Also the schedule for scans is not working properly: it plans extra scans I've never configured.

I like software I can control: this version has a life of its own.

My rating is down to 5.

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