Which free firewall?

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  1. Posts : 179
    Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #1

    Which free firewall?


    Hi,

    I'm looking for a free firewall.
    Which one should I use? ZoneAlarm free vs Comodo Firewall vs Outpost?

    This would be used on a family computer so I need it to be as user-friendly as possible and possibly not many question popups. I tried Comodo already, it's great and advanced (I like the way I can have a in-depth look what's going on), but since we're now talking about a shared family PC, giving too much alerts might be an issue.

    I also used Outpost Firewall in the past (on XP and Vista). I also liked that. I see they now have a freeware version, too. But since it's a 2009 version I'm not sure if it's fully compatible with Windows 7.

    UPDATE:
    For anyone reading this topic I'm leaving this here for reference, I hope this information will be useful for anyone looking for Outpost Free Firewall.

    It seems that Outpost Free Firewall is now integrated into Outpost Security Suite Free. (AntiVirus is included too but if you have a different AntiVirus installed, Outpost will detect it and install as Firewall-only so they can work together!) I tested it with Kaspersky installed and it's OK. It's compatible with Windows 7.
    Last edited by ish4d0w; 10 May 2013 at 05:47.
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  2. Posts : 12,120
    Win 7 Pro x64 / Win 10 Pro
       #2

    What's wrong with the built in firewall?

    Jerry
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #3

    The built in Windows 7 Firewall works for me. Of course it free.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,465
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #4

    From the two, I prefer Comodo for the same reasons as you, it's greatly configurable and I like the alerts as they're informative of what's going on. ZoneAlarm is much more restricted in configuration, I tested but discarded in favor of the Win7 built in one. Have yet to change again for Comodo.

    The Windows Firewall may be good for your case, since you don't want alerts. The advanced configuration panel provides a great deal of control and it works well. Most important for you, it has NO notifications when it blocks something. The only popups it shows are for listening programs on unauthorized ports, which rarely happens (I only faced it with a few games). Be sure to configure it though, as the default setup is very insecure by default.
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  5. Posts : 2,362
    Win7 H.Prem. 32bit+SP1
       #5
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  6. Posts : 179
    Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    As for Windows Firewall:


    Alejandro85 said:
    [...]

    The Windows Firewall [...]
    Be sure to configure it though, as the default setup is very insecure by default.
    This is what I'm worried about. I'd feel safer with a third-party firewall from a trusted brand even if I can configure the Windows Firewall to be safer.


    That's great! I see this one includes antivirus too.

    How powerful is it's AV? I originally wanted to choose just a firewall to use together with Avast free antivirus, but I might go this way if Outpost AV is just as powerful too.

    UPDATE: I read some reviews, it's AV seems OK, but it's a good thing that I can use it with any AntiVirus software (like Avast, Kaspersky etc.), Outpost will then work as firewall-only.

    Thanks for the great idea about this software!
    Last edited by ish4d0w; 10 May 2013 at 05:51.
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  7. Posts : 2,362
    Win7 H.Prem. 32bit+SP1
       #7

    ish4d0w said:
    A
    That's great! I see this one includes antivirus too.
    How powerful is it's AV? I originally wanted to choose just a firewall to use together with Avast free antivirus, but I might go this way if Outpost AV is just as powerful too.
    I use the paid for version. Never gave any trouble.
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  8. Posts : 179
    Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #8

    I'm currently looking for free solutions so I'll use the free version of it.
    I just installed it. We'll see. I like it so far.

    Thanks everyone. :)
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  9. Posts : 2,362
    Win7 H.Prem. 32bit+SP1
       #9

    Here are a few tips tony77.

    To install NEW programs, right click the Outpost icon in the taskbar, select 'Rules Wizard'.
    Then right click it again and Enter Auto-Learn Mode for 1 Hour.

    When installed programs get an update on my pc, I always right click the taskbar icon for Outpost and select 'Exit' to shut down the FW, as it protects certain files. This way the update is installed correctly. When the update has been installed, I restart Outpost, put it into 'Rules Wizard' mode and reboot, then reset Outpost to my setting 'Block Most'
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  10. Posts : 1,219
    Windows 7 Pro 32/64 bit and Windows 10 Pro 32 Bit/64bit
       #10

    yes, what is wrong with windows 7 or windows 8 firewall, I do not like third party firewalls because they tend to break other things and most people do not know what to allow in or out. What hapens is something pops up and most people have no clue whether to allow it in or out and will click NO, then they find either a program stops working or worse they cannot connect to the internet.
    With the built in one you can set up rules and Microsoft knows which ones should go out and in most of the time.
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