NIS or Zonealarm

[Bio Hazord]

Which one sould I use. I got a free copy NIS with my giga-byte motherboard or I could use the free Zonealarm.

EDIT

I have windows xp sp2 with the new firewall on.

 

[mosin]

While you are looking around, take a strong look at the freeware Kerio firewall. I personally prefer their older one which is version 2.1.5. It's a no-bloat simple to use, yet effective firewall. Best of all, it will do everything you need. You can find that version with a bit of searching.

 

[M11]

Are you using broadband or dialup? Broadband with NAT is sufficient provided you exercise caution and avoid malware hazards.

 

[XanTHraX]

While you are looking around, take a strong look at the freeware Kerio firewall. I personally prefer their older one which is version 2.1.5. It's a no-bloat simple to use, yet effective firewall. Best of all, it will do everything you need. You can find that version with a bit of searching.

Agreed, why pay for it when you can get one that does everything for free. I would recommend this Kerio Personal Firewall vrs 2.1.5. I recently replaced my Norton suite (Norton Firewall and Anti Virus) with freeware.

Download Links:

Firewall:Kerio Personal Firewall (Direct Download)
Anti Virus: Avast! AntiVirus (Homepage)

 

[mosin]

Agreed, why pay for it when you can get one that does everything for free. I would recommend this Kerio Personal Firewall vrs 2.1.5. I recently replaced my Norton suite (Norton Firewall and Anti Virus) with freeware.

Download Links:

Firewall:Kerio Personal Firewall (Direct Download)
Anti Virus: Avast! AntiVirus (Homepage)

The only downside is that it closes, but does not stealth port 139....if you care.

 

[vinnie]

Another vote for kerio 2.1.5 . I'm not sure why they Fisher-Priced the latest version, maybe trying to capture some of the Zonealarm market. Either way, 2.1.5 does a great job.

Even with a router, I still keep the software firewall on. I know immediately if anything ever tries to call out which is a good thing.

 

[KoDt]

dont use sotfware firewall, get a router with hardware firewall

 

[burningrave101]

dont use sotfware firewall, get a router with hardware firewall

If he has some form of high speed internet access such as cable or DSL i would go this route. Otherwise if your on 56k like me all you need is a good software firewall. I prefer Kerio Personal Firewall myself. Its the best i've used.

 

[vinnie]

dont use sotfware firewall, get a router with hardware firewall

How about no? As I said before- "Even with a router, I still keep the software firewall on. I know immediately if anything ever tries to call out which is a good thing.". Certainly, if you've got nothing at the moment, a software firewall is a lot better than nothing It's also cheaper than a router.

Not everyone has anything to route either. Some people are perfectly happy with just one computer. A software firewall is a great and wonderful thing.

 

[XanTHraX]

The only downside is that it closes, but does not stealth port 139....if you care.

Could you elaborate, what effect does this have on my system.

 

[Bio Hazord]

dont use sotfware firewall, get a router with hardware firewall

Ya I have a router with a fire wall (router ) but I dont know how good its firewall is so I was going to install a software on to make sure.

If he has some form of high speed internet access such as cable or DSL i would go this route. Otherwise if your on 56k like me all you need is a good software firewall. I prefer Kerio Personal Firewall myself. Its the best i've used.

Yes I have cable not a 56k.