Zonealarm problem
 

So I leave my PC idling while I run some errands. After I come back to use it, I can't access the internet at all. I get a "www.(website name).com could not be found. Please check the name and try again." I've narrowed it down to the fact the something in zonealarm is affecting connectivity. After I shut it down, firefox hops right on. Anybody else had this issue?

Yep.. I've had that problem.. i uninstalled and reinstalled a newer version of ZA and it seemed to fix it.

A friend of mine was running ZA on Server 2003... Completed dropped his internet connection dead within about 15 minutes every time. The only fix was to reboot. He reinstalled ZA, newer version, etc and still had the problem. He ended up using another software.

Not sure if this thread will help you, but http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=119292 this mentions that some combinations of firewall/ a/v have been giving people similar problems as well.

Note: I am using zonealarm (v4.5) with few problems, when I get that error usually a refresh fixes it.

You probably know this, but I have to ask. Did you activate the setting in Zone Alarm which disables the network connection after a period of time? I think it's called "Automatic Lock" or something?

Edit: I found the controls but automatic lock is disabled. And it still locks up my connection! I dont' get it. Anybody have any recommendations for a free firewall so I can dump ZA?

it's under program control, under the main tab, you'll see an automatic lock radio button.

i too just loaded ZA onto a spare parts computer.

it was telling me a number of times that a "generic service" was trying to connect to the internet. after denying it and having ZA "remember" it, Firefox won't connect, even though Firefox is listed as a default browser, and therefore allow it to connect...

i'm sure there's a file i need to edit to remove that remembered preference for the "generic service" to get firefox back online, but i'm actually just getting ready to dump ZA for sygate personal firewall, or something else.

If you're interested in a freeware firewall that works just as well as ZA, I recently switched over to Kerio Personal Firewall 4. Easy to setup but may be a bit heavy on resources for some machines (12MB w/ 1GB total for me)

I'm using kerio 4 too. I think it is pretty good. Only thing I found that annoys me is the "block foreign cookies" option. This pretty much kills any web site that authenticates off others (eg fileplanet.com, smh.com.au). Turning this option off, and everything is sweet.