which firewall for XP home

If the computer's OS is fully updated and patched, and if you practice safe hex, then either will serve you well. But if you download "free" stuff, install "free" software, wonder around the Internet into unsafe sites, you might be happier with ZA since it will track and log outbound traffic. MS does not block outbound or log traffic.

If this is a DSL or Broadband connection, then I wouldn't bother with either one and would go for a NAT router that does traffic logging. You could supplement the NAT router with IPsec that's on the XP O/S that's a packet filter that can stop inbound or outbound traffic to/from the machine by port, protocol or IP. You can get a NAT router cheap about as cheap as you paying for that ZA renewal fee.

Duane :)

NIS firewall is just a re-jigged, and less powerful version of AtGuard. Symantec bought the program and reworked it, making it quite inferior to the original. I have used the original from the days of Win95 to the present, with XP Home, and it still works as well as it ever did. It has been described by others, far more expert and knowledgeable than I as one of the top three firewalls available. It has consistantly rated at least equal to Zone Alarm. I have tried both Zone Alarm and Kerio firewalls and find AtGuard both easier to use and actually much better than Kerio.

hec

Seems like you're a Troll.

VB.