Windows 7 - need help with firewall

hi guys i have been looking for a firewall i have recently been reading that comodo has been failing firewall tests so i am looking for something that passes tests

any thoughts? i have read other threads and still confused.

This is a repost from doktornotor:

"A huge oversimplification: firewall = packet filtering. HIPS = a fuzzy term used for various junk that floods users with mostly unclear pop-up warnings about applications trying to do this or that or whatever else and asks them for permission and users always answer allow to get rid of the popup. If you answer deny to every message, you get Matousec rating of 100% in their tests. "

I am still using comodo at this point, but one thing to remember is that no firewall, AV, Malware, spyware, ... product can compensate for common sense Some products do a better job than others, and like you I am looking for recommendations and always interested in new developments!

Both the Comodo products and company have serious flaws. I will always recommend against them.

I haven't used many firewalls so I can't really recommend anything. From other users, I know that Online Armor is worth trying if you want a firewall with HIPS or Look 'n' Stop is good if you just want a firewall.

How much do you know about computers? Will you be able to determine whether or not to allow something or is it better that a program decides for you?

Edit: Oh, yeah! Are you behind a router with a hardware firewall?

I tried the Comodo products for less than a day. I swore to myself that if I got another pop up about something, I was going to go on a shooting spree. Comodo = uninstall.

So now on the desktop, I just went back to the Windows Firewall and MSE, which seems to work just fine.

On my laptop, I downloaded Online Armour Firewall and A Squared Antivirus, both of which are free. Hopefully this goes better.

i know a fair bit about computers i settled on pc tools firewall plus after reading reiviews and hearing good feed back.

i used to like Zone Alarm but that is not good now.

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You're not the only one confused HIPS (host intrusion prevention system) has been tightly integrated into many software firewall products and it's hard to separate the two. So called "leak tests" are not accepted by everyone as the best way to rate firewalls. For what it's worth the latest free version of ZoneAlarm has received a very positive review at pcmag.com. If you're interested read here:

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 9.2 - At A Glance - Reviews by PC Magazine

I've always liked ZoneAlarm because it's pretty easy to set and forget. I've also used PC Tool Firewall Plus and Comodo Firewall. PC Tool FWP worked fine and wasn't too complex. Comodo has many advanced options, but you need advanced knowledge to make the best use of them.

I have use them all. Some years all the reports lead to one or the other. At this point I'm using Windows 7 built in F/W because my Intel dealer recommended it. All his customers (home,business, government) are pleased with it. So far I'm pleased with it. I'm not easy if it shows a problem I have Trend Micro and Webroot on C/D to switch to if need be.