Zone Alarm Setup - Video Tutorial

Through search engine results I have noticed that there are many of you looking for more assistance with setting up ZoneAlarm Free Firewall and whether it is safe to use.

I have been using ZoneAlarm for many years, it is simple to download and install and is used by millions worldwide, it is extremely safe.

It will set up the basic permissions for internet access and a balloon will open above the taskbar for other programs asking for permission to access the internet. The balloon also has a 'Remember this decision' tickbox, so once you have granted or denied a program permission it won't ask again.

If you are setting up a wireless network, simply open the main ZoneAlarm program from the taskbar, first go to the Firewall Tab on the left, under the main tab change the setting for Internet Zone to High and Trusted Zone to Medium.

Then click on the Program Control Tab on the left, under the Main tab, set Program Control to Medium. If this is your first or new installation, set it to Low (Learning Mode) for about 4 weeks.

Remember to add folders etc that you wish to share on your machine to the Shared Folders in My Computer.

The easiest way to set all of this up, especially if you are a novice, is to use Network Magic. This will set up ZoneAlarm permissions for sharing, add printers etc to your wireless network.

If you are going to use Network Magic, download and install it on each machine that you are going to connect to a wireless network. You will have the full version for 7 days to set everything up, before it reverts to a limited version.

Zone Alarm Install Guide - Updated & In-Depth

The following instructions only apply if you are installing
Zone Alarm for the very first time. These instructions are
NOT for the people who already have Zone Alarm installed on
their computers, and are upgrading to the latest version.

1. Create a New Folder on your desktop and Rename it to
Downloads. By doing this you will have one central
location for all programs that you download. When you
download any program DO NOT select ‘Run’, select ‘Save’ and
when you have saved it scan it with an anti-virus program.
I recommend the use of AVG AntiVirus which I have covered
in another post.

2. Go to the following thread
http://www.zonelabs.com/zadownload and select ‘I only want
basic ZoneAlarm protection’ and then proceed to download
ZoneAlarm. Download it into the folder named Downloads, BUT
DO NOT install it until you have followed the instructions
below.

3. Once you have downloaded your version of ZoneAlarm to
your Desktop Folder, disconnect from the Internet. If you
use Cable or DSL Modem, disconnect it and close any other
running programs apart from your basic programs to run
Windows. This includes the Windows Firewall. To find out
what Applications are running go to Task Manager
(Control+Alt+Delete). Look for Applications, make sure there
are NO Applications running. If they are, use the End Task
Button. To disable the Windows Firewall go to your Control
Panel, switch it to Classic View then double click on
Windows Firewall and then click the ‘Off’ button.

4. Go into your Control Panel, on top of the screen you
will see Tools, click on it, then another tab will show up
and click on Folder Options, in the new panel that opens
click on View. Scroll down to where it says Hidden Files
and Folders, put a dot or check-mark in the box that says,
“Show hidden files and folders”, then REMOVE the check mark
from the next two boxes that say the following,” Hide
Extensions for known file types” and “Hide protected
operating system files (Recommended)”. Drop down to bottom
of panel and click Apply. Now go to the top of the panel
and click on “Apply to All Folders”, click Yes in new
window then click OK in Folder Options panel. This way all
your folders will show the change. Close the control Panel.

5. Make sure you have completely removed any other
vendor’s firewall product you were currently using ie:
Norton, McAfee etc. Now for those of you who are installing
the Zone Alarm Security Suite or Zone Alarm Anti-Virus, the
very same applies, make sure you have completely removed
any other anti-virus product you were currently using. If
you are using AVG Anti-Virus and/or Spybot Search & Destroy
you can safely ignore them. If the program has an Uninstall
feature please use that, if not go to your Control Panel
and select Add/Remove Programs and select each item
individually and select Remove. Do NOT reboot if prompted
to.

You then need to ensure that there are no Registry keys
or Files left behind. Click on Start, then Search or Find,
and select Files. Make sure that the location box is set to
search your local hard drive (usually C or All Local
Drives. XP users: set Advanced search options to search ALL
files and folders! Type in Norton or Symantec etc. then
wait for search to complete. If any items show up simply
right click and Delete. Then double click MY COMPUTER,
double click on C (if that is your main drive) and you will
have a window of Folders open. Locate the Program Files
folder and double click to open it and you will then have a
list of all of your Program Files. Look for any folder that
has your old Firewall or Anti-Virus name on it, right click
on the folder and select Delete. Once you have done this,
click the Back button at the top locate and and double
click on the Windows folder. This will open a panel of all
of you Windows Files, scroll down to find the one named
Prefetch. Double click it to open then go to the Edit Tab
at the top and click on it, scroll down to Select All, left
click on it and all of the files will be highlighted. Then
go to File (beside Edit) click on it scroll down and select
Delete. You will get a pop-up message ‘Are you sure you
want to send these XXXX items to the Recycle Bin’. Click
Yes, this will remove the items out of the Prefetch Folder.
Now close the window to return to your desktop. Go to your
Recycle Bin, right click and select Empty Recycle Bin.

Now, I will try to explain to you how to find any stray
Registry Keys in your Registry. First of all backup your
Registry. Go to Start, Run and type in regedit click on OK
and the Registry Editor will then open. Go to the top Tabs
and click on File, scroll down until you see Export, left
click it and this will open Export Registry File window.
Save this file to your desktop and in the File Name box
enter Registry Backup File. Click on Save and it should now
be on your desktop. Verify the file is a good copy, in the
Registry Editor window click on File, select Import, in new
panel where it says ‘Look in’ select desktop and then click
on your saved file then click ‘Open’. Once it says it has
been read in successfully, you have a good backup.

Now to edit the Registry go to the Edit Tab at the top
left click it, scroll down until you see Find, left click
it, another panel will pop up, it will ask you Find What,
type in Norton, Symantec, Mcafee or whatever Firewall or
Anti-Virus vendor you were using before installing
ZoneAlarm. After you have typed the name, make sure that
there are checkmarks in all of the boxes - Should be 4
blocks, Keys, Values, Data, and Match Whole String Only -
then go back to where you typed in Norton, Symantec, etc
then click on ‘Find Next’. The search will locate Folders
in the left panel and strings in the right pane. Ignore the
right pane strings and keys values, look for the
highlighted Folder in the left pane, right click on it and
select ‘Delete’, click ‘Yes’ on pop-up window then hit your
F3 keyboard button and it will continue to search the
Registry, delete any Folders it finds in the left pane and
continue until a pop-up says Finished searching through the
registry. Exit the Registry Editor.

6. Now go back to your desktop to where you have
downloaded and saved your copy of ZoneAlarm and install it.

7. Let ZoneAlarm configure your Program Settings. The
reason for this is that there is a very good possibility
that when you manually install the Program Settings,
something may not get properly installed, which may cause
major problems with your installation of ZoneAlarm. Later
if you decide you do not want a specific program in your
Programs Control Panel, then remove it. If it is required,
you will get a balloon alert about it allowing or
disallowing it. That’s your decision. I have always done
this, never had a problem by letting Zone Alarm configure
my settings.

8. When the installation is complete, reboot your system
and connect back on to the Internet, making sure all your
other programs are activated this includes ZoneAlarm and
the ones that you had disabled, especially your Cable or
DSL Modems. These should all automatically restart after
rebooting.

9. Final step..go back to Start > Control Panel and if
necessary switch it to Classic View. Locate the folder
named ‘Folder Options’ and double click it. In the ‘View’
tab go to Hidden files and folders and click the radio
button ‘Do not show hidden files and folders’ and place
ticks in the following two boxes, ‘Hide extensions for
known file types’ and ‘Hide protected operating
systemfiles(Recommended)’.

For additional in-depth information click on the following
link:
http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/media/pdf/zaclient70_user__
manual.pdf

I will upload a ZoneAlarm tutorial on the full
installation in a few days.
ZoneAlarm will walk you through the setup when you install
it.

If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will
get back to you asap.

Securing Windows XP

With its default configurations, Windows XP is not very secure. However, by making some simple changes,you can secure your system and data from attackers and viruses.

Automatic Updates
Keeping your system up-to-date is crucial to maintaining security. Microsoft releases security updates and makes them available for download on the Windows Update web site.
Using the Automatic Updates feature, Windows XP can be configured to download and install updates for you automatically at a time that suits you.

Scheduling this task is very simple. In Windows XP, use the following steps to enable this feature:
1. Right click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Click the Automatic Updates tab from the System Properties box.
3. Select the option to Automatically download the updates, and install them on the schedule that I specify.
4. Select the day and the time when you want the updates installed.
5. Click Ok.

Windows Firewall
Windows XP includes the Internet Connection Firewall service. In Windows XP Service Pack 2, the ICF is renamed to Windows Firewall and it is enabled by default. It is designed to protect your computer from intruders while it is connected to the Internet.

Note: if you are setting up a home network, do not enable Windows Firewall on your LAN (Local Area Network)connection. Only enable it on the Internet connection. If you enable it on your LAN connection, it will block File and Printer Sharing.

Important NoteIf you are using Zone Alarm Free Firewall DO NOT enable the Windows Firewall.

User Accounts
Windows XP includes various built-in user accounts. There are certain steps that you should take to ensure they are not compromised.

Disable the Guest Account. The guest account has always been a huge hacker hole and should remain disabled if it is not required.

Require passwords for all user accounts. Obviously, blank passwords are a bad idea if you care about security.Make sure you assign passwords to all accounts, especiallythe Administrator account and any accounts with Administrator privileges. All passwords should be a minimum of eight characters in length.

In Windows XP Home Edition all user accounts have administrative privileges and no password by default.Make sure you close this hole as soon as possible.

Rename the Administrator account. By renaming the administrator account hackers will have to guess the password and the name assigned to the account.

Don’t make it easy for hackers, renaming the Administrator account will stop some hackers in their tracks, and will deter the more determined ones. They won’t know what the group permissions are for an account, so they’ll try to hack any account they find and then try to hack other accounts toimprove their access. If you rename the Administrator account, try not to use the word Admin in its name. Pick something that won’t make it easy for others to guess.

Remote Desktop
Windows XP Professional’s Remote Desktop allows users to connect remotely to your computer.Although it can be useful for obtaining remote assist with troubleshooting problems, it is also an open door for intruders. Remote Desktop should always be disabled and only enabled when it is needed.
To disable Remote Desktop right click on My Computer, select properties then click on the Remote tab and untick the check box beside Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer.

Anti-virus Software
Anti-virus software is a program designed specifically to detect and remove viruses, making it an essential application to install. Once you install anti-virus software,it will scan your computer and clean any viruses it finds.

Some of the more popular antivirus software programs are listed below, though I refuse to pay for these as mentioned below you can get the same protection for free.
1. Trend Micro
2. McAfee
3. F-secure
4. Symantec
5. Computer Associates
6. Panda Software
Most anti-virus software must be purchased or it may be included with the purchase of a new computer for a limited time.

I highly recommend the use of AVG-AntiVirus available fromhttp://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-virus-free/lng/us/tpl/v5

I have covered this with a tutorial athttp://cotojo.wordpress.com/2007/04/27/avg-anti-virus-installation-guide/

Important note: DO NOT use more than ONE anti-virus program on your pc as this will cause conflicts.

I prefer to use AVG which scans daily and also runs in the background continuously. On a monthly basis I use Trend Micro housecall online.

Screensavers
Ok, so you are sitting at your desk, or left it for a while and suddenly, a nice image appears on your screen. Ok it’s your screensaver. However, screensavers can serve a much more important purpose other than providing us some cool images, and preventing screen burn.

Enabling a screensaver can increase the security on your computer.
Use a password protected screensaver, this stops others from accessing your computer.
You can configure a screensaver to start when your computer has been idle for a specific amount of time (eg: 5minutes). By password protecting the screensaver, the computer is locked when the screensaver starts. This is a simple idea for additional security. You will need to enter the correct password to resume using your pc.
So once a password protected screensaver has been enabled,you can walk away from your computer knowing thateverything is secure. In Windows XP, you can use the steps outlined below to enable a password protected screensaver.
1. Right click a blank area on your your desktop and click Properties.
2. From the Display Properties dialog box, select the Screensaver tab.
3. Use the drop down arrow to select your screensaver of choice.
4. Change the Wait value to specify how long the computer can remain idle before the screensaver is started.
5. Select the On resume, password protect option. If you do not select this option any activity will cause the desktop to appear.

Give your pc a quick tune-up at http://pcpitstop.com
Run the Full Tests from the menu on the left of the page after creating a user account and password.

Go to http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes,anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks,and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server. I would recommend that you print off the results page as it contains details of your Drivers and Software License Keys, useful if you have to perform a format.

Scan for any viruses at http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Check to see if your ports are Open, Closed or in Stealth mode athttps://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Check your internet connection speed at
http://www.abeltronica.com/velocimetro/pt/?idioma=uk&newlang=uk
Click the green arrow beside the flag on the top right of the header and select your language. Scroll down to Speedometer and click on Test Now.

Remember to always back-up your system or create a restore point before making any changes.

Safe surfing everyone
cotojo

Zone Alarm Free Firewall

Get Into the Zone

Malware. An odd sounding word created to lump all
malicious software programs, including viruses, worms,
trojans, spyware, adware, and other malevolent codes into
one cause-your-computer-serious-hurt category.

In 2005, Computer Economics released a report on malware.
The good news was that for the first time since 2002, the
total worldwide financial losses from malware actually
declined to a mere $14.2 billion. The bad news was that the
nature of malware was changing from overt threats to more
focused, covert attacks. This definitely is not great news
for the average computer user just trying to keep up with
the hundreds of malware programs that bombard us daily.

It’s not an easy task keeping malware out of your computer
system. In order to accomplish this, you need a strong
antivirus program. I have covered that with AVG Anti-Virus.

Now you need a good firewall to complement it.
One such program that can deliver the
goods is ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7 from Zone
Labs. Zone Labs is one of the most trusted brands in
Internet Security for good reason. Their product, simply
put, kicks serious malware gluteus maximus.

ZoneAlarm has received more review recommendations that
any other Internet-security software suite because of its
superb firewallprotection. It blocks pop-up
ads, protects against identify theft and provides adequate
spam filters that are flexible. It even beats the market
leader, Norton Internet Security, which is often criticized
for excessive system drag.

The bonus for the average user who cringes at the idea of
setting-up one of these systems is that the interface is
easier to understand and use in comparison to most if its
competitors. If you choose to venture beyond the out-of-the-
box default settings, and install a more elaborate
filtering, know that this will require some additional time
to set up on your part.

Overall, ZoneAlarm is a user-friendly, solution that will
have your computer safe from Internet hazards and cyber
criminals within minutes of installation and it also has
an auto-update feature, very useful.

ZoneAlarm makes it easy. Unlike other personal firewalls,
ZoneAlarm protects automatically from the moment it’s
installed - no programming required. ZoneAlarm barricades
your PC with immediate and complete port blocking. And
then runs in Stealth Mode to make your PC invisible on the
Internet - if you can’t be seen, you can’t be attacked.
ZoneAlarm is a simple to use Firewall without compromising
your security. A getting started tutorial explains controls
and alerts to get you up and running quickly. And, to keep
you confident that you’re always protected, intuitive color-
coded alerts rate security risks - in real time. For basic,
“no frills” firewall protection, ZoneAlarm® is the popular
first step for many home PC users. And it’s still FREE for
individual & non-profit use.

Install it and forget it. ZoneAlarm comes configured to
deliver “out-of the-box” safety and security. As you use
your computer and applications that access the Internet, a
bubble will open on the lower left of your screen and
ZoneAlarm asks you whether you want applications to access
the Internet. It quietly protects you while logging
unauthorized repelled attempts to access your computer.
Security Levels make ZoneAlarm easy to use. In just a few
seconds you can decide how secure you want your system to
be. In contrast to other security solutions, ZoneAlarm does
not require you to learn about ports, protocols and
firewall programming. Security Levels automatically
configure the Firewall and eliminate the risk of improper
use that comes with other products. With ZoneAlarm’s
Security Levels, you get peace of mind, not confusion.
ZoneAlarm makes Internet safety and security hassle-free.

Remember……either back-up your system or create a
Restore Point BEFORE making any changes.

So what are you waiting for? Click the link below, click on
‘I only want basic ZoneAlarm Protection’ and
download and install it.


http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp