ZoneAlarm ZoneAlarm version:6.0.667.000 reboots machines using Avast

[nnnnnpatel]

When my free home edition zonealarm was update to version ZoneAlarm version:6.0.667.000, I started to have problems with my internet.  Whenever I used the internet, the machine would randomly reboot.  I had to completely uninstall ZoneAlarm to prevent reboot. Avast seemed to work fine with another firewall.  Finally I uninstalled Avast, put Kaspersky antivirus and zonealarm together and everything worked fine.  I think ZoneAlarm version:6.0.667.000 and Avast are having issues.  Has anyone else figured out how to make the two coexist in peace?

thanks
Angie

[internetworld7]

That's strange. You shouldn't have had any problems. When you install zonealarms firewall or upgraded to the latest version, avast! should have given you a warning that incompatible software was detected as it did me and then give you the option to disable the webshield transparent proxy or manually configure your web browser. Simply disabling the webshield transparent proxy would have solved the incompatibility problem. avast! acknowledges this issue and says they are working with zonelabs to correct this problem.

Did you get this warning and ignore it?

[cvsa]

this problem as already been discussed .... and for the moment, there's no solution (except installing previous za version.... )

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=16551.0

and

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=16494.0

no answer from za (on their forum) and nothing from avast! team  ....

the only answer i get is "you must be wrong, it works perfectly on my computer......... )

[szc]

Well that's just because it really works perfectly on some systems... just like on my wife's computer. It was working perfectly on mine too, it's just I decided to try latest version of Kerio Firewall (even though it's being discontinued).

There must be some catch, something must be wrong deep inside the code I guess. Also, maybe it's computer configuration sensitive and it shouldn't be... you still need to wait for an answer from ZoneLabs since it looks like on many machines ZA works just fine along with avast!

Truth is, there are some issues with ZA latest version, and if it's not true, we wouldn't have so many people reporting this problem. So, someone realy needs to do something regarding this...

[Lisandro]

I decided to try latest version of Kerio Firewall (even though it's being discontinued).

Good choice

[lukor]

Can you please try the solution from my previous post here:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=15991.msg136787#msg136787

and report if it works any better?

Thanks a lot,
Lukas.

Edit: when you run avast! with ZoneAlarm, you must have been asked to switch transparent features of WebShield off. Have you done it (answered YES) or not? Thanks.

[nnnnnpatel]

I did disable the webshield transparent proxy.  That didn't work either.

[JYN]

I have the same problem.
The Windows retore function doesn't work unless you uninstall ZoneAlarm.
Si did I and replaced it with Kerio free edition. It worked well until the latest update (2 days ago).
I finally decide to go back to previous version of ZoneAlarm by restoring the system...
No problem for 2 days now.

System Widows Media Center Edition on HP m.1180.fr

[lukor]

I did disable the webshield transparent proxy.  That didn't work either.

Have you tried to install the patched version of aswrdr.sys? It is not clear from your previous post.

Thanks.
Lukas.

[Boris]

Hello. Try uninstalling Zonealarm. If your using the pro version on reinstall when the setup screens start, it will come to one that is for the privacy. Do not check the boxes. The privacy portion of zonealarm causes a conflict with webshield. Zonealarm does not have a fix for the problem at this time. If the free version has boxes that you check for privacy and cache cleaner do not check those boxes. I had the same problem using avast pro and discovered that when I left those boxes unchecked it worked fine, otherwise my system froze up and was hard to get started. Hope this helps.

[alanrf]

Lukas,

just an update - using ZoneAlarm version 6.0.667.000 (free).
 
I installed the patched aswrdr.sys on 9/19 and no blue screens encountered since then.

[lukor]

Lukas,

just an update - using ZoneAlarm version 6.0.667.000 (free).
 
I installed the patched aswrdr.sys on 9/19 and no blue screens encountered since then.

Thanks for the info. We have just had a crash with the new version of aswrdr.sys on our test PC, so I don't believe this avast's problem in involved, but of course the testing will continue until the cause will be found.

[Lisandro]

Lukas, why isn't this patch included in an avast minor update?
Why are you waiting for a new update if your update method could correct just this problem and make us have the 4.6.692 for instance?
Why aren't you releasing a new minor version with the last corrections, I've read a lot of them from you, Igor, etc.

[alanrf]

Tech,

frustrating though it may be I think we need to give the avast team some more time on this one. 

I rather suspect this is not a simple issue, if it were I think we would have seen a stronger indication of the problem here in this forum.  I doubt that the team would wish to provide a point release that claimed to "solve" the problem only to find that it did not.  (Lukas' update was not entirely clear on what is happening in the lab).

For example ... I bought my partner a new Dell laptop as a birthday gift two months ago.  This is running with latest avast and latest Zonealarm without any problems. 

Today I spoke with a friend running a system very similar to my ancient one with latest avast but about a year older and with a 733Mhz processor.  He has experienced one blue screen since updating to the latest point release of Zonealarm and just today experienced two failures of vsmon.exe, the central component of Zonealarm.  The Zonealarm forums suggest he also is not alone.  I have reported my experience here in the forum.  Three machines ... three different experiences. 

Not exactly a clear cut case for the avast team.

   

[lukor]

Lukas, why isn't this patch included in an avast minor update?
Why are you waiting for a new update if your update method could correct just this problem and make us have the 4.6.692 for instance?
Why aren't you releasing a new minor version with the last corrections, I've read a lot of them from you, Igor, etc.

Tech, I absolutely agree that update must be released as soon as possible but not sooner. I also must repeat that this aswrdr.sys patch probably does not has any connection with the Zone Alarm crash discussed in this thread.

Why are we waiting with the new version? Well, I don't know all reasons nor do I decide when the update will be released.
At all cases all the components must be thorougly tested. We must be sure that the new version is at least as good as the previous one. Every update is at least hundreds of kilobytes long, mutltiply that by number of users and you'll get a fair amount o terabytes that must be transfered. And that is not cheap either.

In any case beta version should be out pretty soon, I think.