firewall ,comodo versus z/alarm???

[#1]

Hi everyone,i know its personal preference but ive been using z/alarm and i noticed someone mentioned comodo.Anybody got any thoughts on which is best and did i read correctly,i got the impression you hardly need an anti virus when using comodo,is that correct.Im giving it a try and im not sure which is best to be honest.
                                                  kind regards ray.

[#2]

Like you say, it's personal preference, but I too use Zonealarm out of preference.  I have tried others, but keep returning to Zonealarm, due mainly to its ease of use.  I did try Comodo quite recently, and probably would have stuck with it, as it also was quite intuitive to use, but...it just would not remember the settings regarding programs etc, and would keep flagging up warnings..arghhh!  Then to top it all, it lost all of the program settings on my laptop.  Enough was enough.
Having said all that, I would say for you to give it a try, but I don't think a firewall could be a substitute for an antivirus program.

[#3]

Thanks for the thoughts mate,i think i prefer the zone alarm for ease of use,i havent had the comodo on that long but i have got avg free +avg antispyware paid for on my machine.I think i may go back to what i know best and i think also that zonealarm is simpler to use.
                                                                thanks for the thoughts,ray.

[#4]

I mentioned Comodo in another thread only because most of the users in this forum seem to rate it very highly http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31 however personally I use Kaspersky Internet Security (currently version 2009) which I am very happy with - but it isn't free.
Just a note - the free version of ZoneAlarm is missing some of the advanced protection you get with the paid version.

[#5]

Thanks for that oldjim,i think i will just keep with the z/a for now.With the avg/antivirus free+avg paid for antispyware,i  think i have all that i need for now but am greatful for your comments.
                                                          take care,ray.

[#6]

I mis-read your 1st post and didn't realise you had already installed Comodo.  Have you had any issues with it?

Btw, sometimes it takes a bit of time getting used to new software, sometimes it's worth perservering with and sometimes not.

[#7]

I have been a Comodo user for a while now and rate it very highly, its a bit daunting at first when your used to click a box saying allow or block type firewalls, but after a while you realise that some of the features would only be found in a paid for app.
ZA is very limited unless but a bit lighter on resources ideal for gaming but if you upgrade to pro the app bulks out to about the same level as Comodo.

[#8]

Yes,i tried it and was indeed using it early on and when you mentioned about it being a little heavy on the clicks and boxes flying up left right and cenre as it were,i just went back to my z/alarm.I have the feeling it does a bit more protecting than zone alarm but im not savvy enough to understand what advantantages it has got over z/alarm.I have read all the bumf on the comodo website and download page but it was sort of,oh yes,it gives you great protection but i couldnt quite work out the advantages with my limited savvy,so im back with z/alarm as i speak.I did notice it took a lot of my shortcuts off my bar at the bottom of my screen,it just seemed to mess things about too much.
                                                                   regards ray

[#9]

Can anyone tell me,if i did swap back to comodo,would i need my (avg antispyware paid for version) or not.I have (avg free antivirus),which ive been told,is definetly a nono to get rid of but not sure what i need or dont.Dont like getting rid of paid versions but if theres no need for it and its messing the comodo up with no benifits at all,then i would get rid of whatever is neccessary,if there was definetly benifits over the (free z/alarm)im running now.
                                                            regards ray.

[#10]

Yes, you should keep a spyware program.  However, when you upgrade AVGfree antivirus to version 8 (if you haven't already) it comes with the anti-spyware built in, so you could ditch the paid version.
Regarding using either Comodo or Z/alarm, I wouldn't recommend one over the other, but both have a popular following.  Again, it's personal choice. 

[#11]

Thanks deiselglider.ray

[#12]

Thought id just mention,i read,read read about both avg 8 and comodo,didnt like the toolbar of either item,so i put it into the avg 8 setup and then found out how to disable the toolbar,which is very simple to do from the file that you download the avg from,just a few clicks and then untick a box,now everything i believe is tickety boo as they say.My biggest problem is panicking and then finding out what the prob is later.I have now got avg 8+ comodo working well,by the looks of things.Of course it would be easier if you simply unticked at the start of the download but all is ok now.
                                                             regards ray.

[#13]

Hi,
I've run Zone Alarm and Comodo and as a couple of posters have already said it's a personal thing - don't think there's a great deal between them.
I found ZA was bringing up blue screens on my XP PRO MCE - maybe it didn't like MCE - who knows... 
In any event I changed to Comodo and I have it on four computers and it runs perfectly.  I did update to the latest version which I couldn't get on with - and uninstalled it and managed to find a copy of the older version which I reinstalled - now all is fine...
The version of Comodo to get is:- 2.4.18.184
Oh and if you uninstall ZA - make sure it's turned OFF first - if you uninstall it while it's running you may have problems if you need to reinstall it later - it's all well documented on the 'net.
Good luck with which ever one you install and use,
John

[#14]

I think an important consideration when deciding on firewalls should be how effective they are, it's no good having an easy to use firewall if it's pretty useless., the free version of Zonealarm is pretty low down on the list of effective firewalls.
In that respect Comodo is the one to have, if you set it to safe mode then you should only get pop ups when you install new programs, when doing that Comodo will ask you if you want to change to installation mode, in which case you won't get any pops up while installing.

[#15]

I'm not sure that your statement about ZA is the complete picture. You need to look at what each is claimed to provide and do. For what ZA does, it is very effective and generally highly recommended.