Whats the best "free" firewall?

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Its in the title...

 

I like Zone Alarm from www.download.com but beware of wyvern works - cool name though.

 

I've been using this for some time now, but it seems to let certain unwanted "search engines" through. Did a sweep on my HD the other day found 40 or so threatening exe's with worms, trojans, spyware...the lot, so I want to see if i can get somthing thats a bit more reliable.

 

Freeware firewalls are what they are, but ZA *should* do the job. Although I have to admit that the most recent shareware build is too complex to use and persistently keeps open port #135, so it might not be that good choise anymore... Nevertheless, I use v4.5 and thus far not a single worm has got through -with a little trouble you can get it for yourself too.

Basically, all firewalls are good choises as long as they pass ShieldsUP test with all "stealth" marks. If there is even one port open, change your firewall.

 

Funny thing, its the Pro (which is what I have) version isn't it? I bet Windoze XP has somthing to do with it, even though I already shut off the default firewall... urgghh I have a headache...

 

Which version do you mean?

Version 5 and up = Unsecure.
Version 4 = Secure.

Just run that test and if you pass it, you only need to check that there is no malware (which shouldn't have rights to access Internet in any case).

 

I have 5.5.062.000...

How come the newer version is unsecure?

 

Note that I use VPN.

 

I use the "Kerio Personal Firewall". It works for me.

 

I stand behind ZoneAlarm. It's helped keep my PC free from 98% of all those nasty little buggers out there...the other 2% is picked up by my McAfee virus scanner, and by SpySweeper.
Cant go wrong with those 3 programs!

 

I had a copy of Spysweeper, but for some reason was causing problems...

Is McAfee better than Norton?

 

Who knows? At least it has to be better than a program that calls home without permission and demands "activation."

@ Kitrax

And yet you still have a problem: there should NO infections at all if you are equipped with such things as Firewall Xyz and Common Sense (tm).

 

I tell ya somthing, if I install another so called "full" & "free" piece of software, and I get a message that pops up saying "please click here to activate", I am going to find out how easy it really is to put my fist through my flat screen monitor!!

 

Just use Kerio; I can email the .exe if you want. It is very free btw. Using 3 and 4 programs for virus protection is ridiculous, I've never had a problem with viruses or anything else and I use only the firewall. As long as you don't click on obscure porn site or IRC links then you shouldn't need Norton and the rest of that ****.

 

That would be great, thnx. My address is in my profile...

 

Does anyone know of a free firewall that will run on a Server OS?

 

My motherboard has a built in firewall, it's an MSI k8n N-Force 3 Neo Platinum. That's been very good and it works even before your OS starts up. It's free considering you don't have to pay more than the price of the motherboard.

 

Never heard of that, what should I look for in the specs for a board that has a built in firewall?

 

I don't exactly understand what your question is, so let me try to answer as best I can. Just look for a motherboard that has a built in firewall and is compatible with the processor you have or that you intend to get. Make sure it's compatible for video cards (AGP or PCI-E) and memory (DDR and DDR-2).

The board you linked to is the exact one I have, and I can easily recommend it, it hasn't troubled me at all after the installation. I know of no other mobos that have this intriguing feature, but I'm probably wrong. The installation was tricky simple because of the massive amount of cables and LEDs that needed to be hooked up. Another thing to keep in mind is that this motherboard has no fan, and relies on a heat sink.