Which one is the best firewall??

I mainly use ZoneAarm Pro on my own network (which also is behind a hardware firewall), along with NAV 2005 - its really a pretty good combo if you make the effort to learn how to configure it, then take the time to do so. As with lotsa things, "right outta the box" settings - the "Defaults" - leave a lot to be desired, primarily in the interest of makin' things "easy to use" for the crowd who aren't gonna bother to learn how, what, why, where, and when to tweak.

For the typical user, the bundled security/privacy suites - anti-virus/firewall combos (some with additional features) can be the best choice since they're already pretty much configured to work well with one another.

I'd suggest you dig around some and read as many reviews as you can find. Out there somewhere likely is the setup that'll best integrate with you and your system. Whatever you choose, for ease-of-use and prevention of headaches, its generally best to have only one software firewall and only one software anti-virus active on any one machine. A backup anti-virus or two isn't a bad idea, as long as only one is set for automatic always-on real-time protection and any other is used only for "scan on demand". Sometimes a scan by one will pick up somethin' missed by another. You also should make sure your primary antivirus and firewall are configured to start with Windows (or whatever operatin' system you use) FOR ALL USERS.

If you have a network of machines, a lot less tweakin' and fiddlin' will be required if all machines use the same software. Thats not necessarily the strongest setup, but its generally the easiest to deploy and administer.

Thanks again....
Thanks again timberlandko for helping me.

I really need suggestions like this so I don´t get in trouble, and soon I know that I can trust your knowledge, Thanks a lot....

If I must use a software firewall I prefer the built in firewall XP has.

It runs with a lot smaller of a memory footprint than other software firewalls (like Zone Alarm, which is beyond bloatware now).

XP's firewall's main knock used to be their lacking protection against outbound traffic (i.e. stuff already on your computer that is dialing out or atacking remote boxes) but I never cared much about that as I never have malware on my computers and only need inbound protection.

Thing is, since sp2 I think the firewall improved in this area (haven't checked, because as I said I don't care about outbound and avoid software firewalls).

SP2's Windows Firewall is a definite improvement over the original Internet Connection Firewall, which is what shipped with pre-SP2 versions of Win XP. Essentially, its more a different product than an upgrade. By design, it does not block any outbound traffic; Microsoft's philosophy there bein' that's the job of the broadband router or other hardware firewall. It does have a small footprint, though, and is easy for most users to configure, though its tweaks are minimal.

Somethin' I should add, re Norton AV and ZoneAlarm Pro is that they DON'T have a small footprint ... they're best suited to machines with fast - 2GHz or better - processors and 512 MB or more of memory, IMO.

As an aside, the main reason a software firewall is not as good as a hardware firewall is that the software firewall, even if doing it's job, can take down a machine.

For example, say you are being attacked in large volumes. Even if your software firewall blocks all the traffic it can still grind your computer to a halt by being overwhelmed by requests that use system resources.

For that reason I really don't like heavy footprint software firewalls, I think they are aimed at users who just need a basic firewall but are attracted to the useless (to me) bells and whistles.

Alternately, a hardware firewall in a router in the same scenario might be made useless (making the internet connection dead) but the box might still be operating soundly (except for network connectivity) behind it.

And here's the kicker, a hardware firewall can be gotten for a cheaper price than some software firewalls and can be much cheaper than software firewalls that need yearly upgrading.

Is this firewall good??
I tried to use zone alarm again and as I said before, it took to much in performance, but then I installed sygates personal firewall pro and I wonder if it stops hackers almost as good as zone alarm, so if you know, please write an reply here........

Sygate's product is excellent, IMO - and forcouple others with small footprints, there's Kerio's Personal Firewall and TINY Software's Personal Firewall 2 . both free for persomal use, both reasonably effective and relatively simple and straightforward to configure. TINY Software's offering is soon to be replaced by a newer version, the as-of-now still in beta Personal Firewall 2005. I haven't tried it, but from what I've read, the current candidate functions well and offers few if any serious glitches. The other two, Kerio and Tiny Personal, I've found to be effective and reliable ...no hesitation recommendin' either one. The caveat of course is that the user take the time and effort to become familiar with the available documentation and instructions, and properly configures and deploys the product.