Problems with NPF 2002: What should I do?

[Prof.Wizard]

I've noticed recently that Norton Personal Firewall 2002 draws my attention not for the number of hacker attacks it saves me, but for the problems it creates me... here I will give you some examples which frankly in the beginning were working OK and now they hamper my computing experience:
-I can't connect to SF's News/Comments Account :-?
-I can't connect to www.microsoft.com :-?
-The notebook of my Home Network can't surf the Internet and sometimes even KaZaA there can't connect.
-I sometimes can't respond on site polls (for example, MSN Italia's ones)...

If I deactivate the firewall, I can easily do the above things. OK, I have a DSL connection and I'm connected almost 24/7 on the 'Net... will I be risking too much uninstalling the darn Symantec program which lately has a degrading and hampering performance?
Will I be safe enough just by Windows internal (laughable?) firewall?

OF COURSE I tried to add to the trusted sites the IP of my housemate's notebook and other sites of interest, but nothing happened... as days pass, NPF security becomes more and more disturbing...

[Tea]

Huh? It's a Norton product, isn't it? What did you expect, functionality?

[Tea]

PS: Even money that you can't uninstall it without hacking your registry, hand-editing your startup files, and/or manually deleting leftover bits.

One chance in three the uninstall process buggers up your network settings.

One chance in seven you need to reinstall Windows to get the damn thing back the way you had it before you installed that Norton gunge.

One chance in twelve you need to seek professional psychiatrc advice afterwards.

One chance in a million that your professional psychiatric advice makes as much sense as my advice does. Or Mercutio's. Or Clocker's. Or almost anyone's.

[time]

Tragic but true.

BTW, if you do get it uninstalled, try Tiny instead. Historically way more stable than ZA.

[Clocker]

Hmmm. I'm using NPF2002 without any problems. I just took the default settings. Have you been tweaking it?

C

[Pradeep]

Tiny Personal Firewall kicks ZA's arse :D And Norton is a pathetic way down the field of contenders

[CougTek]

-I can't connect to www.microsoft.com :-?
-... sometimes even KaZaA there can't connect.

Well, the above two tell me that Norton must be wise somehow. You should keep it, it's smarter than you.

[Prof.Wizard]

You should keep it, it's smarter than you.
Hmm, if your analogy is valid you must be using Windows ME with all the freeware progies you find in magazine CDs installed...

However, thanks for your null-valued input, CouchTest.

[Prof.Wizard]

Hmmm. I'm using NPF2002 without any problems. I just took the default settings. Have you been tweaking it?

C

Me too, the functionality problems developed sometime in the months. Once I couldn't connect to the Nokia.com site (Handruin remembers...). It fixed by itself. :-?
Now, Microsoft.com... don't know why...

I haven't tweaked anything. In the beginning it worked in an impeccable way. I had been using NPF '01 with no problems as well.

[Tea]

Bonzo Internet Buddy


...... Aghhggggaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Prof.Wizard]

Bonzo Internet Buddy

LOL... I hate'm too... :lol:

[Buck]

Huh? It's a Norton product, isn't it? What did you expect, functionality?

Ditto. I've always believed that any Norton product could be categorized as a virus.

[Prof.Wizard]

The thing that makes me angry is the NPF is not responding positively when I put an IP (ie. www.microsoft.com) on the trusted sites... it continues its own don't-know-how blocking policies.

I can only enter the problematic sites by deactivating completely the firewall... :(

[Pradeep]

Why fight a program that you have paid money for when there are better solutions out there for free?

[Prof.Wizard]

Is Windows XP internal firewall enough for home use?

I'm not running a server, neither I manage critical and/or hacker-prone data... Afterall, I never run unknown code downloaded from my mails and Norton AntiVirus 2002 scans and treats almost everything...

I think I'll go without 3rd-party firewalls on my next Windows installment. Thoughts?!

[Mercutio]

Prof, do you *see* the results of the poll up there?

[Prof.Wizard]

One chance in three the uninstall process buggers up your network settings.

One chance in seven you need to reinstall Windows to get the damn thing back the way you had it before you installed that Norton gunge.

One chance in twelve you need to seek professional psychiatrc advice afterwards.

One chance in a million that your professional psychiatric advice makes as much sense as my advice does. Or Mercutio's. Or Clocker's. Or almost anyone's.
Yeah, and do you see this? Man, I have had one of the most stable Windows installments for as long as I can remember... I want to uninstall the darn NPF... could you give me back €1000000 if it fails? :evil:

[Handruin]

One chance in three the uninstall process buggers up your network settings.

One chance in seven you need to reinstall Windows to get the damn thing back the way you had it before you installed that Norton gunge.

One chance in twelve you need to seek professional psychiatrc advice afterwards.

One chance in a million that your professional psychiatric advice makes as much sense as my advice does. Or Mercutio's. Or Clocker's. Or almost anyone's.
Yeah, and do you see this? Man, I have had one of the most stable Windows installments for as long as I can remember... I want to uninstall the darn NPF... could you give me back €1000000 if it fails? :evil:

Ghost your machince, uninstall it. If it breaks, ghost back to your working setup. 8)