Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Question about Zone Lab's free antivirus & antispyware prog

You have asked for comments, but not in what respect, so for my part I can only give you my own experiences.

However, there is more about Zonealarm's recent decision in Carol's post here;
http://forums.cnet.com/7726-6132_102-5305823.html?tag=posts;msg5305885

As for me, I have not used Avast so I am unable to comment on it, but I have been a long time user of Zonealarm and have not had any issues with it. I began with ZA's free firewall, and complemented that with AVG Free anti-virus many years ago and I was quite happy with that arrangement. I then changed to ZA's paid version including firewall and anti-virus/anti-spyware 4 or 5 years ago, but only because I had some difficulty with AVG. These things happen sometimes and it was no problem for me to change.

ZA's anti-virus may not be the greatest available, and in fact doesn't figure in either Virscan's Jotti or in Virus Total's online anti-virus comparison scan web sites, but it works for me. I do have other anti-malware scanners installed though, and this is what is often recommended. Those anti-malware scanners do not run continuously and I only use them for manual scans once a week or so.

It is difficult though, isn't it, and a nuisance, especially where you are happy with an existing arrangement. If you are thinking of going with the new free version of Zonealarm you may want to consider my thoughts below;

1] Only one anti-virus scanner should be used otherwise the scanners will fight for control.

2] You may be able to disable ZA's AV and anti-spyware options and continue using Avast. I know I can do that on this paid version of ZA. But be prepared for nag screens from ZA.

3] If you decide to change to the ZA firewall and AV combined, it is recommended to uninstall Avast first, then reboot the computer, (to update system settings), before installing the new ZA. You may need to use a dedicated uninstaller/remover from Avast to do this, but generally that is only needed if Avast doesn't uninstall correctly.

I note, with a little chuckle, that Zonealarm's FAQ suggests that you must uninstall the other AV first, with dire warnings if you don't, and even offer a link to Avast's own uninstaller from here; http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility

Talk about pressure!

4] Also be prepared for ZA to nag you about upgrading to their paid version. I don't know that they would do that for certain, but some other anti-virus utilities do that.

5] Or you can continue using Avast, ditch ZA and use some other free firewall.

I hope that helps.

Mark