Not finding my orig Zone Alarm post ... anyway ...

[Gina Stevenson]

What we've realized is that while Zone Alarm always had said it was from "Zone Labs," suddenly now it says "Zone Alarm free" is a part of Checkpoint Software Technologies, LTD ... and there are two icons (mentioned before) in a file folder that both look differently.

While someone was wondering if it was some trojan, I'm not sure, but wondering if there are now two places to get ZA, and then they tend to conflict with each other? [Know how sometimes there are so-called "mirror sites"?]

Here's the site that says "Checkpoint ...."

http://www.zonealarm.com/

... and then here's the one for Zone Labs, rather than Checkpoint ....
http://www.zonealarm.com/

Well ... the crazy thing's now redirecting zonelabs.com over to this same zonealarm.com [so, it has its own named website now, the zomealarm firewall, etc].

Going into the Control Panel [after once again reinstalling ZA, as it kept saying I was "at risk" upon each boot, and to correct it "update," which led to another reinstall rather than just "update" added ... unless that's how it does update(??), reinstalls(??)], here's what it looks like (two bottom entries):


3115





So, anyone know exactly what's up? Praying/hoping it's not the trojan similar to what someone else has had recently. [noticed that there's just one "size" there, rather than any size for both of them; wonder if it does have just one entry, but has programmed itself now to have a 2nd entry in Control Panel, so one knows it's the "free" one they have and not a bought one ?? :(

Thank you.

[Bud Pugh]

Hi Gina,

According to PC World (a reputable site) ZoneAlarm Free Firewall replaces ZoneAlarm. http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,7228-order,1-page,1/description.html

Bud

[Gina Stevenson]

Well, after I went out awhile, fell asleep during this scan, this is what shows up: It tells me that "PUM disabled security center" ... now, what on earth is PUM!? [will google now & BRB] Google says: "Possibly Unwanted Modification" ... does that mean that while this MalwareBytes was scanning it, it is the one that disabled it, "just in case," or that something else did? Anyway, here's the screen shot [which leaves me wondering if that "purchase/register" will then let me remove it, or if it will do it for free, since it DL'd/scanned for free, tho' some things will scan & then require purchase to finish]:


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Now, we'll go and see if the "Remove Selected" will work!

[Gina Stevenson]

OK, that MalwareBytes let me clean it up. Checking further, learned that in Control Panel you can mouse over, and it tells you some specs. Those were two different versions of Zone Alarm ~~ one 9.something and the other was 10.something. How that happened, I'm not sure, except that perhaps rather than an update just replacing the old one, it plopped itself down next to it instead [found some files, too, that appeared duplicated].

Guess they were countering each other, causing confusion. Hopefully now it's OK! Well, until it either refuses to boot, and wants "recovery" again or dies. Crazy thing ... what's really sad about the last recovery is that I'd nearly forgotten about the extra outer hard drive I'd bo't how long ago FOR having back-ups ... but it somehow has refused to be recognized for a long time now, or the computer's refusing to recognize it ... whichever it is, that's not a good thing, either. :(

Thanks much for listening again, but think this one's been solved. Phew! ;)

[Gina Stevenson]

OK, wider awake now. After last night's scanning, etc, we did a restart and wondered why the silly thing didn't start up again {Zone Alarm}. Well, I opened the folder again that was there ~ said "Install," and nothing looked like it had completed doing this ~ and I see files like: "CleanTool64," "VistaLib32, "VistaLib64," "VsDr(?)Inst," "VsDr64Instl," etc.

Looks to me like perhaps on their download place [had to redo after the crash/recovery just a wk/two ago], they should be asking which system one has ... looks like when I tho't I had it {ZA} OK, it was b/c of its being on the DVD w/some programs backed up on it.

But then, when it kept telling me I needed an "update," that "update" would be for Vista or any other 64-bit (XP = 32 bit, right?) it then wouldn't work b/c it was the wrong "update" for the XP. WHY the ZA didn't recognize in the first place which program I had on here, I don't know ... seems it had worked OK for a short while after that crash. So, back to square one, wondering what's happening/ed! :(

Thanks for whatever ... maybe I need to wipe out all of ZA, everywhere on here, and start over [Windows firewall is now "on," too, while this is not working right]?

[Bud Pugh]

Yes, I would remove the Zone Alarm from your computer (there may be an uninstall option under Zone Alarm in your program files or use the Remove Programs option in the Control Panel) and then download it again from the PC World link above. Install it all fresh.

[Gina Stevenson]

OK, we just learned that it's not just us/our computer. Phew! We learned ~ hadn't known this before, but browsed ZA site a bit more ~ there's a forum, and this problem of it's not wanting to install fully sounds common. Ugh! One says they have a couple of computers, one w/XP and one w/Win7, and they both had this problem. Apparently it's a ZA problem, and nothing to do with anyone's computer! Sounds like doing it repetitively finally worked for the one. So, maybe that will here, too. Will try.

Thank you!


http://forums.zonealarm.com/showthread.php?t=78074