Firewalls [which one to choose?]

dont know a thing about firewalls. does anybody have an opinion on sygate? i need something easy to use.i have windows(ugh) me,ie6.spybot,adaware,spyblaster,and spyware guard.also avast. is that enough or should i install a firewall? will any of the spyware stuff have conflict with the firewall? thanks. will wait to see if anyone replies befor i install sygate.
bev

 

Hi nana,

Fwiw, I run Sygate on XP and like it very much. You can use it as is - meaning outbound application request control. Has the option for advanced rule making, ie, block specific IP's or ports or limit applications to ports/IP's - quite sophisticated.

You should not have any conflicts with what your running, you will be asked to permit these apps access to the net, can be done on a one time basis or permenantly.

Am also atonished that you're still "alive" running w/o a firewall! So yes, please install a firewall.

EDIT: See Jim mentioned ZA - also very good and easy to use.

Including references on firewalls:
http://firewallguide.com/software.htm
http://firewall-net.com/

Regard - Charles

 

nana--Yes, you should use a firewall. It performs a different function than the other programs you mention. In simplest terms it blocks both incoming and outgoing access to your PC ports unless you give permission.
I use ZoneAlarmFree, which is only a firewall. (No antivirus, etc. that the Suite offers, and it is free.) I find it very easy to use. I also see that many people here use Sygate, so it should be a very good choice as well.
Every now and then people report that some sites may be unreachable because you use a firewall. Never has happened to me. You can always disable the firewall in such cases if that happens to you.
EDIT--charlesvar beat me again. I must learn to type faster.

 

firewalls

thanks a ton for your quick reply.( you to charles). will install the firewall right away.
bev

 

nana--You are welcome.
When you first start running a firewall, you will get quite a few messages saying that such and such a program wants to access the Internet and will you allow it. You certainly should say OK to Internet Explorer (iexplore.exe) and your email program. (In fact you should set those programs to allow automatic access, so you will not get any more messages about them). When you get messages about other programs, make a note of the name of the program making the request. If you recognize it, then allow access. If not, say NO and do a little research to find out what program it is. (The window asking the question may have some information about the program--at least Zone Alarm does.) You will then be ready to answer the next time you get a message about that program. If it is a program you do not want to have access, you can set the firewall to automatically bar access for that program, and again you will not get messages about it in the future.
And read the Help file.

 

firewall

thanks jim.i installed zone alarm. have been getting a lot of messages. got one when i tried to go to this site.nothing about email or ie.must of set it right.in the process of reading the help file now.
bev
ps, you guys are awesome.

 

nana--What program does ZA say is trying to access the internet when you go to this site? Perhaps we can help you answer the question more easily.
If you right click on the ZA icon in the bottom right of your screen, then "restore ZA control center" and then Program Control, you can see where the setting are to "Allow ", "Block" or "Prompt" for each program that has tried to access the Internet. (You left click on a program to change those settings.) Also down at the bottom of that window, you can get more info on what each program is.

 

firewalls.which one to choose?

sorry about the title.

welshjim
the message i got was the firewall one.it gave a bunch of numbers and my isp.should i add that to the trusted zone? i got 5 of them all together. still trying to figure out the right way to use zone alarm. thanks

 

nana--Nest time you get one of those messages, write down which program (usually suchandsuch.exe) it is that is requesting access to the Internet. (that is what ZA does, it monitors which programs want such access and allows you to permit or deny.)
Then we can help. Or you can run a search at www.google.com to learn about the program. Or a search on your PC, then right click on the file|Properties and see what the Version tab tells you about the program.

 

firewall, which one to choose

ok jim, i will pay more attention when it pops up and let you know. it dont seem to give any names just numbers.when i click more info,it says,za blocked access to port 137 on my comp. thanks for your help.
bev

 

nana--I think you are talking about "Alert" messages from ZA telling you that some site is trying to enter your PC (rather than notices asking if you will permit a program on your PC to access the internet).
Turn off the Alerts. ZA is protecting you from unwanted entries. You do not need to know all the details. (They are being recorded in the Alert log anyway if you ever want to see them.)
Right click the ZA icon in your System Tray (next to the clock). Click "Restore ZA Control Center "|Alerts and Logs(left panel)|put the dot in the Off box under "Alerts Events Shown ".
(You can see the log by clicking Advanced, and maybe do it once just to satisfy yourself that it really is there. Otherwise, a waste of time. )
It is the messages when ZA asks for permission to access the internet that are the important ones.

 

firewalls,which to choose?

hi,i turned it off like you said.was confusing me.i got one asking if i want to allow sucatreg.exe. got it when i was looking at system properties.something about windows catalog registration. i got system properties up 3 times and got the alert every time. am i right in thinking i can allow it? also,was reading how za can cause trouble with retore in win me. anything you can tell me about it?thanks again.
bev

 

Hi nana,

I ran ZA with WinMe and no problems in that regard, so I don't think it follows automatically that ZA would cause a problem with SR.

Could you give the reference also,was reading how za can cause trouble with retore in win me on that?

Regards - Charles

 

i think you are asking me where i found out about za causing probs with restore in win me? i read it on some other forums. za supposedly keeps restore from making check points on some comps. dont know if it will on mine.havn't had it long enough i guess.

 

nana--That notice about sucatreg.exe
1) Is a notice asking if you want that program to access the Internet--in other words a request for an outbound access. That is the type of notice you have answer. The answer is "Deny" (which is what you should generally do until you know it is safe) because
2) A search at www.google.com suggests that you have a Worm called magistr_a. Read here
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32mag.html (click on the Description tab for info specific to sucatreg)
Removal info here
http://www.pestpatrol.com/PestInfo/i/i-worm_magistr_a.asp
But this suggests that the virus definition files in your antivirus program are not updated. Do you update often? Do you have the antivirus program set at AutoProtect (set to run at startup)? Have you run a scan with your AV lately?

 

firewalls,which one to choose.

hi jim.
i did a search on google.found a link to ms.it says the sucatreg.exe should be there. dont know how to post a link to it but,the article number is,232893. yes,i have avast set to run at start up.it is updated every day. i update all the spyware a couple times a week. if it is a virus,could it come from yahoo mail? my server for oe scans for virus.suppose to notify me if they find one.i never open attatchments unless i scan with avast first.should i still do the removal in the pestcontrol link you sent? i have been denying access when it pops up. will wait to see if you rely.thanks for any help
bev

 

I use Zone Alarm. The basic free edition seems to be good enough. The pop ups seemed to be a little annoying at first because there were so many of them. But the whole point is to identify what is trying to "escape! "

If I'm not sure, I DENY. If I'm wrong, I can go back into Zone Alarm under Programs and change it. A lot of my legit programs want to contact the internet, usually to check for updates.

I think the important thing is being aware of what I did to get the popup.

 

nana--Yes, sucatreg.exe is a legitimate MS Windows file, but magistr_a tries to use it for bad purposes. In any event, I can see no reason why you should allow sucatreg to access the internet. If you open ZA's Control Center|Program Control you should find sucatreg in the list and by clicking on the blue ?, you can change the setting to Block. That should avoid further questions from ZA on that file.
Whether you have the magistr_a worm or not I cannot say. Did you look to see if you have any of the files that Pest Patrol suggests be deleted? If not, then you probably are OK.
Have you run a spyware detector, such as
AdAware
http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/ or
SpybotS&D
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
P.S. Do not blame all the above on ZoneAlarm. If you have not had a firewall in the past, you probably have gathered a lot of malware on your PC and now should start to clean things up.
RayH's advice is good. Deny access to any program you do not recognize, but make a note of its name. (You can usually see more information at the bottom of the questioning window.) Then go to www.google.com and do a search for this program. Do you see any indication it is spyware or associated with spyware? (Articles by liutilities and pestpatrol are especially reliable.) Then run a search again, this time following the name of the program with the word Spyware. Unfortunately, there are some companies that will tell you every program is spyware and for a price, will offer to delete it for you. So before you take any action to delete, see if just denying access causes any problems to running the PC. (And remember what I said about liutilities and pestpatrol.)

 

firewalls,which to choose

hi yes i blocked it from my comp. i did a search also.that is the only file that shows up in my system.dont have any of the others that pest patrol has listed. i ran all the spyware and anti virus this morning.nothing shows up. thanks for the help and advice from both you and rayh.was always a little afraid to put a firewall on.thought they would be to complicated for me to use.figured i would mess up my system. glad i wrote for advice.thanks again.