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ZoneAlarm - lag on 1st HTML access

Both of my browsers (IE and Opera) have a long lag time on the 1st HTML access after startup. This does NOT happen for POP3 or SMTP mail server access. The lags are usually in the range of 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes, but after one browser has made a successful connection, subsequent tries with either browser go normally. The OS is Windows XP Pro, and this has been going on since I installed ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2007. If I disable ZoneAlarm right after startup, the 1st HTML access with either browser goes normally. ZoneAlarm is doing something which causes the long delay on the

1st HTML access, but I don't know how to prevent it. Does anyone here know of a way?

*TimDaniels*

Reply to
Timothy Daniels
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Just to confirm that it's not just you :P I see the same thing happening with Firefox and Seamonkey - using ZoneAlarm Pro on XP Pro.

The cause is vsmon - ZoneAlarm's main process. On making first connection, vsmon ramps up to 90%+ CPU usage, and stays there for a minute or two.

Have a look at these threads on the ZoneLabs forum:

"vsmon hogging resources at startup..."

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"vsmon.exe (zlclient) hogging resources at startup... problem solved"

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At present, the advised course of action seems to be: "put up with it", other than switching to an alternative.

Reply to
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I suggest to deinstall ZoneAlarm, activate the WinXP SP2 included firewall and thats it.

Or why have you installed ZoneAlarm? What function do you think ZoneAlarm has, that the WinXP firewall doesn't have?

Reply to
Ulf Leichsenring

belay my previous answer - this link seems to be significant :)

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Reply to
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the standard answer is the one about: "filtering outgoing traffic", which the XP firewall doesn't do...

the OP has installed ZoneAlarm Internet Security - which contains the Kaspersky anti-virus scanner

last time I looked, the WinXP firewall didn't have that function

Reply to
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Like I told you in another NG, get rid of ZA. If the program is causing problems, then get rid of it and find something else.

Reply to
Maximum Dog

But you know that no personal firewall can really filter outgoing traffic. They can only control these programs that are so smart to let them being controlled. A realy malicious program can send traffic without being stopped by the firewall. Please see

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and also the statement from Micrsoft about host based firewalls at
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chapter "Myth: Host-Based Firewalls Must Filter Outbound Traffic to be Safe." at the bottom of the page). And if you want to see an example, try out
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(Source available at
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So I suggest again to use the WinXP included firewall. All other personal firewalls are just eye-candy.

Reply to
Ulf Leichsenring

But the delay is on HTML access, not POP3 or SMTP - those go through fine. And I prefer to use POP3 and SMTP clients for email.

*TimDaniels*
Reply to
Timothy Daniels

Is there any indication that ZoneLabs is aware of the problem?

*TimDaniels*
Reply to
Timothy Daniels

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