ZoneAlarm users warned off latest upgrade

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 15 Sep 2008 at 09:34

ZoneAlarm users have been warned off upgrading to the latest version of the software.

ZoneAlarm version 8 was pushed out to customers of the company's Internet Security suite as an automatic update over a week ago, since when there's been hundreds of complaints about the software on the ZoneAlarm users' forum.

Reported problems include laboriously slow shutdown sequences, tardy resume from standby and botched installations.

The furore has prompted ZoneAlarm's publisher, Check Point, to advise customers to revert to a previous version of the software. "ZoneAlarm is still investigating and collecting data on the slow shutdown, slow coming out of standby and slow logging off user issue," reads a statement published on the user forums by a ZoneAlarm representative.

"The automatic update for 8.0 was turned off on Monday. We recommend that users uninstall 8.0 and reinstall 7.

"When an improved version is ready the automatic update notification will let you know in the client."

In a statement sent to PC Pro Check Point says: "We are working on this issue, and will automatically notify all of our users when the free fix is available. We will keep this inconvenience for users as short-lived as possible.

"Some users in a very specific scenario are experiencing performance issues with shutdown. Anyone who experiences this problem can use an earlier version of ZoneAlarm until it is resolved.

"These issues don't affect PC security: users' PCs remain secured. Also upgrades to the latest versions are always free to current ZoneAlarm users - no one has to pay for an upgrade."

No return

The advice to revert back to version 7 has left ZoneAlarm customers dismayed. "I didn't have quite such a bad experience, but did suffer a sudden reboot mid-install of the update," reports PC Pro blog reader Ian Wood.

"Unfortunately I was in the middle of paying for the upgrade. I got to see my new license key for about a millisecond and then it was gone.

"When I did finally retrieve the key I noticed the 'non-shutdown' problem and then the long pauses in reaction to mouse clicks.

"The forums say roll back to v7 and everything will be OK. I'm sure it will, but I paid good money for v8."

Others are complaining that, even after removing version 8, problems remain. "I managed to remove a half-installed version 8 and go back to version 7 but all my programs in the Add/Remove panel of Windows are corrupted," reports one member of the ZoneAlarm user forum.
"I can't remove anything."