The effect of Zone Alarm on immunising Host file

[Greyfox]

In my case, Zone Alarm (free) prevents immunise entries from being added to the Host file in Windows XP SP2. One option that works is to boot up into safe mode, run the immunisation and then reboot normally.

By default the option in Zone ALarm's Firewall Advanced settings is for the Host file NOT to be locked. ie the box is not ticked. If I tick the box (lock), click on OK, then reopen the advanced settings again, remove the tick and click on OK, the immunisation of the Host file then works properly but only until I reboot, and then Zone Alarm will relock the file. This would appear to be a bug in Zone Alarm (free) or at least in the version I chose to use. Perhaps others would like to try this and report.

[md usa spybot fan]

There were problems with versions of ZoneAlarm in the past (mid 2006). As far as I know the problem was reported and resolved. See:

• Cannot update Spybot Hosts file
  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=5468

[Greyfox]

There were problems with versions of ZoneAlarm in the past (mid 2006). As far as I know the problem was reported and resolved. See:

• Cannot update Spybot Hosts file
  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=5468

Once again thanks. Because my PCs are behind an ethernet NAT router with SPI firewall enabled, and use AVG antivirus, my primary use of Zone Alarm on them is for outward trapping and I use version 6.5.722 (which was before they radically increased the size of the software by the inclusion of antivirus and other features I didn't need). Having followed back from your link I now understand that 6.5.737 (which was the last of the small footprint versions) included the fix for this problem. I do have a copy of that version so I will give it a try.

[Greyfox]

Having replaced Zone Alarm 6.5.722 with 6.5.737 I can confirm that the Lock Host file bug that was present in 6.5.722 was not present in 6.5.737 (was fixed in 6.5.731) and with 6.5.737 installed and the Host file lock not enabled (the default Zone Alarm setting) then the Host file immunisation in Spybot 1.5.2.20 works properly.