Zone Alarm Free firewall - Major Update Is Ready - 70_470_000

Another Zone Alarm Free Firewall major update is available. To download and install, follow the same instructions as last time - link to previous update post.
It should be pretty much the same. The new file you are downloading to install should be 70_470_000
Make sure to UNcheck the option for installing Zone Alarm Spyblocker (and any other extra thing they may add on).

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Windows Vista SP1 - So Far So Good

I installed Windows Vista SP1 today. I ran Windows Update to get it (this is the recommended method of getting and installing Vista SP1). It is about 66 MB.

Before you download/install this, you should close any programs you have open and not use your computer for anything during the next hour (besides installing this update). You will need to be around during the whole process as you will have to click on a couple of things that come up.

First it downloads.
Then installs.
Then, during the reboot process it goes through 3 more stages of installation.
After rebooting, my wireless connection was not fully connecting. I had to reboot 3 more times to have my wireless connection working fully automatic again.

Also, after installing, something called Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (aka Windows SQM Consolidator, aka wsqmcons.exe) is now running in the System tray. To deal with this, open it from the system tray icon. If you want to join, choose Join, and okay. If you don't want to join, check Join, then check I Don't Want To ... (you have to do this to un-grey the Okay button), and then click on Okay. To then remove the process, press Shift+Ctrl+ESC to bring up the Task Manager, look at Processes and find it and kill it. When you reboot it should not re-appear.

Everything seems fine after those two issues. Now, to see if it fixes the glitch of the updates that came in a while ago that conflict with drivers and cause my computer to crash once a day.


UPDATE
A couple of days later, this is what I've noticed:
- hasn't crashed (which is better than crashing every day or two)
- smooth and less buggy
- programs seem to load quicker
- touchpad settings keep reverting to default after restarting. This is an annoying problem that I had when I originally set this up, but I solved it by re-installing the Setpoint software from Logitech for the mouse I use via USB port occasionally. I haven't figured out how to make the touchpad settings stay since SP1.
- otherwise, all good. I recommend installing SP1 (but make sure to update all drivers first).
-

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Toronto Island weather page and Firefox

If you have the Toronto Island weather set up as your home page, and you are using an extension called Remove It Permanently in Firefox, and you have removed some items in the past, as of Feb 20, 2008, the page has changed so that you might not be able to see the page properly. If you can't see it properly, open up R.I.P. and remove the last two items you added for this page and then reload the page. You should now be able to see the page properly.

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Facebook - Improve Interface

I've been using Facebook for about a year now. Besides the ever-growing annoyance of useless application invitations, there are a couple of basic things that became annoying: The fact that you have to manually refresh the page all the time to see new info (pokes, messages, etc). And, pokes - having to manually poke each one if you have a lot of pokes piled up.

Finding solutions to problems like this was much easier than I thought it would be. I googled and found something that automatically refreshes your Facebook page every 30 seconds, and something that gives you a "poke all" button below your pokes.

To use these features:
1) Install Greasemonkey (an add-on for your browser that lets you install and run special Javascripts)
Greasemonkey for Firefox
Greasemonkey for IE

2) Install Facebook Refresh
click on the Install This Script button in the upper right corner

3) Install Facebook Poke O Matic
and click on the Install This Script button in the upper right corner



Note: I use Firefox. Things might work differently in IE.

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Zone Alarm Free firewall - Major Update Is Ready Dec 2007

Time for another Zone Alarm free firewall major update.

Note: From what I can tell, this applies to Windows XP users. If you are using Windows Vista, the major update may have already installed itself automatically in the background (my Vista computer's Zone Alarm says it is up to date, and the version number is a higher number than this XP update for Zone Alarm).

Also, due to each system being somewhat different, the steps may vary slightly, but you should be able to follow these instructions on most systems.

INSTRUCTIONS

Click here to open the PDF version of these instructions to print out.

"ZoneAlarm Service Agent
An important Security Update is available. ZoneAlarm is also now available for Windows Vista. Do you want to get the update now (recommended)?
Update Now
Remind me Later"

Click on OK

If you checked off Remind me later, you can also get the update by opening Zone Alarm, go to Overview and Preferences and click on Check for Update.

You will now be taken to the Update web site page.

On the far right-hand side of this page, there is a button - ZoneAlarm Firewall Update. Click on this.

It will change to a new page and a window will pop up giving you options of what to do with the file. Choose the Save To Disk (or Save, or Save As option - your browser will give you one of these options). On this window that popped up to enable you to save the file, the file should be
zlsSetup_70_462_000_en.exe
If it is not, you have clicked on the wrong thing and need to start over.

Save this file to a location on your hard drive (like My Documents, or My Documents\Program Archives\Zone Alarm Updates) where you will remember where you put it.

Once you have saved the file, find it and double-left-click on it to run it.

If you get a Security warning about running the file, click on RUN

"ZoneAlarm Installation
Installation
This program will install ZoneAlarm on your computer ..."

UNcheck "Include ZoneAlarm SpyBlocker, a free easy-to-use toolbar that protects you from dangerous spyware sites"

Click on Next.

"ZoneAlarm Registration
Please type your name...."
Your name should already be entered, so you don't need to enter it.
Leave the email line blank.

UNcheck "I want to register..." and
UNcheck "Inform me about ..."

Click on Next

"Upgrade or clean install"
Make sure Upgrade is checked and click on Next

"License Agreement"
Check off "I accept the terms..."
Click on Install.

Zone Alarm will now turn itself off (so you may see a red security shield appear on your system tray at the bottom of the screen - ignore this) and then update itself ("Installing...")

Then it will configure itself ("Configuring")

You may get this message popping up:
"Unable to connect to TrueVector Service - cannot configure access rules" Click OK
Then "Error Processing config file!" Click OK

"Zone Alarm Registration Survey"
Answer the survey questions.
Click on Finish.

"ZoneAlarm Setup - Installation is now complete. Do you want to start ZoneAlarm now?"
Click Yes.

"A Special Offer from ZoneAlarm
Try ZoneAlarm Security Suite free for 15 Days"
Click on NO THANKS

"Configuration Wizard
Welcome To ZoneAlarm
Safeguard your web surfing."
Scan my computer - leave this checked
Automatically configure my network settings - leave this checked.
Click on Next.

Scanning ... Please Stand by.
(it may take a while)

Scan Is Complete
ZoneAlarm is ready to protect you ...
Click Finish.

Restart Your Computer to Finish
OK

Once your computer has restarted, you will see this pop up:

ZoneAlarm - Getting Started
How does ZoneAlarm protect me? ...

Click Finish (lower right)

Then Zone Alarm's program window will pop up. close this (X in the top right corner).

Done.

Afterword
I write these instructions for clients, friends and family members. Everyone else is also welcome to them.
If anyone is having difficulty, I would be more than happy to help you remotely. Contact me via the contact info on my web site Thor Tech Support.

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Zone Alarm Firewall Update Time Again

It's time for another major Zone Alarm program update.

Step-by-step instructions - very little thinking required.

To update:

Either say update now when the notice comes up or

Open Zone Alarm
Click on Overview, Preferences, Check for Updates and then okay when notice pops up.
Your browser will open to the update page.
On the right side of the page, click on Zone Alarm Firewall Update.
Save the file to a location of your choice on your hard drive, or to
My Documents\Program Archives\Zone Alarm (or something like that)
Close your browser

Run the program/file you downloaded.
Installation - Next
Type your name if there is nothing in the Name field, and un-check the 2 checked boxes and Next.
Check Upgrade if it is not already checked off. - Next.
Check off "I accept...", - Install.
.... wait ...
Zone Alarm Registration Survey - fill it out.
Installation is complete. Do you want to start Zone Alarm now? - Yes.
A Special Offer From Zone Alarm - No Thanks
Configuration Wizard - Scan My Computer - Next.
Scanning Is Complete. Zone Alarm is ready to protect you. - Finish.
Restart your computer to finish - ok.
... After restart:
Zone Alarm - Getting Started - click on Finish
X to close Zone Alarm.
Done.

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Firefox 2.0.0.7 and Vista and Firewalls

UPDATE
Zone Alarm has since fixed whatever bugs were it in that conflicted with Firefox and Thunderbird in Vista. No more crashes and freezes. Things work fine now.

UPDATE
If you are using Windows Vista, Zone Alarm and Firefox, and you can't connect to the Internet with Firefox (but you can with other programs), and Zone Alarm is not letting you configure Firefox, uninstall Zone Alarm and re-install it. This should fix the problem.


Original post:
There is a problem with the latest version of Firefox with some firewalls if you are using Windows Vista. The problem is that you can't connect with Firefox - the firewall blocks it and won't let you configure the controls to allow Firefox access. For a Norton firewall, you should be able to purge your firewall's program list, then do a scan for programs and it should work again. For Zone Alarm, it is a different matter.

Zone Alarm does not like Firefox 2.0.0.7 in Windows Vista. It won't even let you add Firefox to the program list (if you have removed it to try to fix this problem). As a temporary work around, turn the Program Control off in Zone Alarm.

I'm going to try to totally uninstall Zone Alarm and re-install it to see if this works.

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