Firewall problems - help?!
Discussion
I'm really fed up with Symantec. 
I updated my firewall software with them last night, and since then the only way I can get the PC online is to switch off the dratted firewall! 
Support? Nah. Their website does its best to stop you contacting them by phone, and if you do manage to find the well-hidden phone number you end up in a voicemail system that goes all round the houses (including telling you to phone a different number) before coming down to the fact that if you want tech support, they'll charge you EUR 29 per problem. Even if the problem has been caused by their sodding update!!
It's got to go. Any recommendations for a good firewall system for a home (ahem!) PC?
I updated my firewall software with them last night, and since then the only way I can get the PC online is to switch off the dratted firewall! Support? Nah. Their website does its best to stop you contacting them by phone, and if you do manage to find the well-hidden phone number you end up in a voicemail system that goes all round the houses (including telling you to phone a different number) before coming down to the fact that if you want tech support, they'll charge you EUR 29 per problem. Even if the problem has been caused by their sodding update!!
It's got to go. Any recommendations for a good firewall system for a home (ahem!) PC?
ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com). Free (in standard form) and works very well.
Cheers KITT - downloaded and enabled!! 
Finally got through to Symantec by ignoring their pleas to "press 1 for....". They told me that even though their update has caused the problem I still have to pay EUR 29 if I want advice. Or I could try looking on their website for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Best of all - if I pay now to upgrade, they'll top up my existing subscription by a year and upgrade my software to the very latest, shiniest version! Hurrah!! Except that might not work either, but then I can pay my EUR 29 and get some really up-to-the-minute support from them. Oh good.
Time to look at a hardware firewall I think. Might as well. I'm certainly not giving those muppets any more of my hard-earned!
Finally got through to Symantec by ignoring their pleas to "press 1 for....". They told me that even though their update has caused the problem I still have to pay EUR 29 if I want advice. Or I could try looking on their website for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Best of all - if I pay now to upgrade, they'll top up my existing subscription by a year and upgrade my software to the very latest, shiniest version! Hurrah!! Except that might not work either, but then I can pay my EUR 29 and get some really up-to-the-minute support from them. Oh good.
Time to look at a hardware firewall I think. Might as well. I'm certainly not giving those muppets any more of my hard-earned!
roop said:
Built in XP Firewall. Chuck everything else because you turn this on and it just works, perfectly. Been using it for donkeys now and it''s A1.
Roop
Roop
Don't forget that the XP firewall is inbound only so if you get a trojan it won't stop it communicating outbound. I gather this is due to be fixed in SP2. Personally I use McAfee which I am finding good.
Glen
also, remember that *any* firewall that runs on the pc it is protecting is open to being affected by system permissions, bugs, security holes, stuff you download, stuff you install, trojans etc.
if you possibly can go for a separate firewall, do so...... and by seperate, i don't mean dedicated hardware firewall. they're not always all they're cracked up to be either. I just mean a separate box, dedicated to security. it can be an old pc, running a secure linux installation for example..... it need not cost much, if anything if you have an old(er) pc hanging around!
if you possibly can go for a separate firewall, do so...... and by seperate, i don't mean dedicated hardware firewall. they're not always all they're cracked up to be either. I just mean a separate box, dedicated to security. it can be an old pc, running a secure linux installation for example..... it need not cost much, if anything if you have an old(er) pc hanging around!
SGirl said:
I'm really fed up with Symantec.
Support? Nah. Their website does its best to stop you contacting them by phone, and if you do manage to find the well-hidden phone number you end up in a voicemail system that goes all round the houses (including telling you to phone a different number) before coming down to the fact that if you want tech support, they'll charge you EUR 29 per problem. Even if the problem has been caused by their sodding update!!
It's got to go. Any recommendations for a good firewall system for a home (ahem!) PC?
S,
Whilst I am sorry to read of your problems, you have also made me very happy because I have exactly the same bl***y problem.
Since downloading an update from Symantec a couple of days ago, my PC is acting very strangely.
They did a patch I believe, but the problem is still with me from time to time. At first I could not view a web page as the Internet Security bar at the bottom right of the screen kept shooting across and telling me " Access Rules automatically created for C:...SYMPROXYSVC.EXE.
It then said "Page not available". As you say, by switching off the firewall, the situation improves though my case all is not entirely as it should be.
On start-up I now have a mouse cursor which freezes from time to time. It then acts normally but, not being a techie, I dunno how to fix it.
I tried e-mails to Symantec support but they were all returned as not deliverable. I now learn that they no longer support my version of Internet Security which is 2002.
I have today ordered the 2004 upgrade from the Symantec Store in the hope that will fix it and also let me get tech support again.
As you also say, it drives one nuts just trying to contact them under these circumstances.
You all better now?
Cheers
T.
>> Edited by Tafia on Sunday 16th May 10:57
Tafia said:
Whilst I am sorry to read of your problems, you have also made me very happy because I have exactly the same bl***y problem.
Aha! It was the firewall then. No doubt about it.
Tafia said:
They did a patch I believe, but the problem is still with me from time to time.
They did? You couldn't point me to it, could you please? I tried the LiveUpdate last night but it says there are no updates available.
They symptoms you describe are exactly what I've been finding. It amazes me, though, that they still want to charge for fixing a problem they created! Well, if that kind of money-grabbing attitude is what they want to put forward, they can go and whistle - they're not getting any more cash out of me!! Especially not since they cost me a morning's work when I had to chase them round the houses just to get a phone number so I could speak to a person and not their blasted voicemail system.
Tafia said:
On start-up I now have a mouse cursor which freezes from time to time. It then acts normally but, not being a techie, I dunno how to fix it.
Nor me - sorry.
Tafia said:
You all better now?
As good as I'm going to get.
Running ZoneAlarm now as an interim measure and see how we get on. If it's really good we'll keep it for a while and then look at getting a hardware firewall. Good luck Taff - hope your PC is fixed soon as well!
SGirl said:
Whilst I am sorry to read of your problems, you have also made me very happy because I have exactly the same bl***y problem.
Aha! It was the firewall then. No doubt about it.
Tafia said:
They did a patch I believe, but the problem is still with me from time to time.
They did? You couldn't point me to it, could you please? I tried the LiveUpdate last night but it says there are no updates available.
It was with the download the day after the problem and was entitled something like "Symantec Event" or "Symantec Common Driver". It was a 247.6 Mb download
I had not seen that before so assumed it was a fix for the problem. However, according to Ziff Davis, (ZDNet)it was a patch for a security problem.
Ho hum. PC working OK at present though the mouse is sticky for a time after start-up and the firewall turns itself off at shutdown.......sometimes!!
T.
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