ZoneAlarm是一家以其免费防火墙应用程序(firewall application)而闻名的公司。但是，他们还开发了一种免费提供的防病毒产品(antivirus product)。ZoneAlarm将其针对家庭用户的免费安全套件称为(security suite)ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall，这是一个直截了当的名称(straightforward name)。在彻底测试之后，我们想与您分享我们的发现。如果您想了解ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall在保护您的 Windows 计算机和设备方面的有效性，请阅读此评论，您会发现：
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall good什么？
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 是一款出色的安全软件(security software)，适用于以下用户：
- 不想为杀毒软件买单(antivirus software)
- 想要在他们的计算机上安装一个好的防病毒引擎(antivirus engine)
- 想要一个像样的防火墙模块(firewall module)来保护他们在公共网络上
优点和缺点
以下是ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall的积极方面：
- 它没有变化
- 它有一个简单易用的界面
- 它的防病毒引擎(antivirus engine)是一流的，可以阻止任何恶意软件
- 当您将其设置为公共模式时，它的防火墙会做得很好
还有一些负面因素需要提及：
- 它没有提供网络防护来阻止您访问危险网站
- 它会减慢计算机的启动时间
- 大多数高级设置和选项仅在您购买Pro版本时可用
- 没有可供初学者查看的可视日志和统计信息
判决
我们喜欢ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall提供的防病毒模块(antivirus module)，我们相信它可以有效地保护其用户免受任何离线恶意软件威胁。我们还欣赏直观且易于使用的用户界面(user interface)，即使它看起来有点老派。不过，我们觉得防火墙模块(firewall module integration)与Windows的集成可以改进，让普通用户不必对其进行手动调整。此外，即使这是免费产品，我们也不认为这是不为其用户提供网络防护以保护他们免受在线威胁的借口。总的来说，我们认为ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不错(security software)为不想为成熟的安全套件付费的高级用户提供(security suite)安全软件。
下载安装体验(download and installation experience)
下载和安装ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall非常简单直接。首先(First)，您下载一个 4.86MB 大小的小型可执行文件，您必须运行该文件才能下载免费的安全套件。(security suite)在这一步，您有两个选择：您可以进行快速安装或自定义安装(custom install)。唯一的区别是，如果您选择Custom，您可以选择安装文件夹(installation folder)以及Application Control Mode是否设置为Auto-Learn或Max Security模式。如果选择后者，则可以在第一次使用它们时选择要应用于计算机上每个应用程序的安全设置。除非您是高级用户，否则我们建议您坚持使用自动学习(Auto-Learn)模式。
接下来，ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall开始下载其设置文件，然后自行安装。您总共下载了 320 MB 的数据，因此，根据您的互联网连接(internet connection)速度，这可能需要一段时间。
完成后，ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall会通知您它已完成安装。您还需要注册产品，以接收软件的更新和升级。但是，ZoneAlarm不会强制您进行注册，因此您可以跳过此步骤。
现在一切都完成了，ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall会自动加载它的用户界面，它看起来很简单，但也有点过时，并开始保护您的系统。您无需重新启动计算机即可正常运行。
第一次更新会在软件安装几分钟后触发，然后安全套件(security suite)会安排自己每 24 小时检查一次更新。不幸的是，如果您希望更频繁地安排更新检查，则必须购买该产品的商业版本。
Out first impressions of ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall are mostly positive. The download and install process is easy and straightforward; the suite updates itself shortly after it is installed and you do not have to reboot your computer to be protected. Also, giving personal information to ZoneAlarm is not mandatory.
与Windows(Windows)、网络浏览器和通用Windows 应用程序(Windows apps)集成
关于其与Windows 10、通用Windows 平台应用程序和网络功能(Windows platform apps and networking features)的集成，ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall运行良好。为避免可能的冲突和性能问题，安全软件(security software)禁用Windows 防火墙(Windows Firewall)并与Windows Defender集成。不幸的是，ZoneAlarm的防火墙模块不会监控您在Windows中设置的(Windows)网络配置文件(network profile)，也不会相应地进行自我配置。无论(Regardless)我们将网络配置文件(network profile)设置为Private还是Public，防火墙总是将网络连接(network connection)视为受信任(Trusted)的。即便如此，ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不会导致Windows 10的任何网络功能出现问题。
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不包括浏览器扩展或网络过滤引擎(filtering engine)来保护其用户上网时。只有该产品的商业版本提供网络过滤器(web filter)。免费版不提供任何形式的网络保护，因此很遗憾，您必须依赖从您最喜欢的网络浏览器(web browser)获得的保护。
我们使用任务管理器来监控(Task Manager)ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall需要多少RAM来运行其进程。在我们的测试计算机上(test computer)，它消耗了大约 128MB 的RAM，这对于今天的Windows计算机来说并不是一个重要的值。
我们还通过使用名为BootRacer. ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall的工具进行测量，检查了它对启动时间的影响程度。(boot time)ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall为我们的系统启动增加了大约 2 秒。也就是说，原始启动时间(boot time)增加了 10% 。您还应该知道我们使用的是快速NVMe 三星 SSD(NVMe Samsung SSD)，因此在配备传统硬盘驱动器的机器上，这种增长可能会更高。
要查看 Internet 和本地网络传输(network transfer)速度是否受到ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall的影响，我们还使用Speedtest.net和LAN Speed Test进行了一些测试。安装安全套件(security suite)前后的上传和下载速率(upload and download rates)相同。
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不会影响 Windows 10 中的网络功能，并且对数据传输没有负面影响。但是，它的防火墙不会根据您在 Windows 10 中设置的网络配置文件自动调整其保护模式。此外，这个免费的防病毒软件对您的计算机的启动时间有一些影响。( does not affect the networking features found in Windows 10, and it has no negative effect on data transfers. However, its firewall does not automatically adjust its protection mode according to the network profile that you set in Windows 10. Also, this free antivirus has some impact on the boot time of your computer.)
易于使用和配置
虽然它不提供最现代的用户界面，但ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall易于理解和使用，即使对于新手也是如此。
所有主要保护模块都可以从主屏幕(home screen)访问。单击或点击模块会打开其特定页面，您可以在其中访问一组基本的配置选项和设置。大多数功能包括可用于启用或禁用它们的开关。此外，可以通过每个模块主页上提供的链接访问许多常用设置。用户界面使用大多数用户都可以访问的语言，并且还包括用于访问每个模块的高级设置的按钮。(Advanced Settings)这种方法对临时用户和专家都有好处。
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不提供运行自定义扫描的直接方式，但它允许您配置默认防病毒(default antivirus)扫描中包含的内容。
默认情况下，安全套件(security suite)每周运行默认的防病毒(default antivirus)快速扫描，每三个月运行一次完整的系统扫描。如果您不喜欢套件配置为运行它们的日期和时间，您可以快速更改每次扫描的频率。但是，由于这是免费产品，您会遇到一个限制：您不能选择Initial Task Start Times。
我们发现的一个重要问题是，当您插入可移动驱动器时，您无法设置防病毒模块(antivirus module)以扫描可移动驱动器。该套件不会自行触发此类扫描，也不会询问您关于扫描可移动驱动器。但是，它们会在文件访问时被扫描（当您打开、保存或运行文件时）。
帮助和文档(Help and documentation)可直接从主界面获得。您可以访问在线和离线帮助文件(online and offline help files)、一组常见问题解答和在线社区论坛。不幸的是，社区论坛是唯一可以帮助您的。在线帮助(online help)链接将您带到空白网站，您看到的唯一内容是一条消息，告诉您“您的请求无法完成，因为您尝试访问的帐户已过期。” ("Your request could not be completed because the account you are trying to reach has expired.")同样，脱机帮助文件(offline help file)仅显示有关如何排除 Internet 连接故障的一些信息。太棒(Awesome)了，不是吗？
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall不提供任何家庭用户可以轻松理解的可视日志。但是，如果您是技术含量更高的用户，您应该知道详细的文本日志中包含大量信息。
该套件显示的警报数量并不算多，但每次启动它时都会为您提供购买Pro版本的优惠。(Pro )
Overall, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall offers a good user interface, which provides easy access both to its common settings and more advanced configuration options. Unfortunately, it looks like you do not get any help and support from ZoneAlarm, with the 社区(one )论坛除外。有详细的日志可以为高级用户服务，但从新手用户的角度来看，缺少任何可视化报告并不是很好。此外，由于这是免费产品，该公司不允许用户配置所有可用设置。(exception of the community forums. There are detailed logs that can be of service for advanced users, but the lack of any visual reports is not great from a novice user's perspective. Also, because this is a free product, the company does not let users configure all the available settings.)
阅读这篇评论的下一页，了解ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 在保护您的计算机免受网络攻击和恶意软件攻击方面的效率，以及您从中获得的额外工具。
Security for everyone - Review ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall
ZoneΑlarm iѕ a company that is best known for their free firewall apрlication. However, they аlso develop an antivіruѕ prodυct that is alsо offered for free. ZoneΑlarm calls its free security suite for home users ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, a straightforward name. After testing it thoroughly, we would like to share our findings with you. If you want to know how effective ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall is in securing your Windows computers and devices, read this review, and you will find out:
What is ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall good at?
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall is good security software for users who:
- Do not want to pay for antivirus software
- Want a good antivirus engine on their computer
- Want a decent firewall module to protect them on public networks
Pros and cons
Here are the positive aspects of ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall:
- It is free of change
- It has a simple and easy to use interface
- Its antivirus engine is top-notch and can stop any malware
- Its firewall does a great job when you set it to public mode
There are also some negatives to mention:
- It offers no web shield to block you from visiting dangerous websites
- It slows down the boot time of your computer
- Most of the advanced settings and options are available only if you buy the Pro version
- There are no visual logs and statistics for beginners to see
Verdict
We like the antivirus module offered by ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, and we believe that it can protect its users efficiently against any offline malware threats. We also appreciate the user interface that is intuitive and easy to use for anyone, even if it looks a bit old-school. However, we feel that the firewall module integration with Windows can be improved, so that regular users do not have to make manual adjustments to it. Also, even if this is a free product, we do not believe that it is an excuse for not offering its users a web shield to protect them from online threats. Overall, we think that ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall is good security software for advanced users who do not want to pay money for a full-fledged security suite.
The download and installation experience
Downloading and installing ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall is easy and straightforward. First, you download a small executable file of 4.86MB in size, which you have to run for the free security suite to be downloaded. At this step, you are offered two options: you can either do a quick install or a custom install. The only differences are that, if you choose Custom, you can choose the installation folder and whether the Application Control Mode is set to Auto-Learn or Max Security mode. If you select the latter, you can select the security settings you want to be applied for each application on your computer, when you use them for the first time. Unless you are an advanced user, we recommend sticking with the Auto-Learn mode.
Next, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall begins to download its setup files and then installs itself. In total, you download 320 MB of data so, depending on the speed of your internet connection, this could take a while.
When done, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall informs you that it has finished installing. You are also asked to register the product, to receive updates and upgrades for your software. However, ZoneAlarm does not force you into registering, so you can skip this step.
Now that everything is done, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall automatically loads up its user interface, which looks simple but also a bit dated, and starts protecting your system. You do not have to reboot your computer for it to function correctly.
The first update is triggered a few minutes after the software is installed, and then the security suite schedules itself to check for updates every 24 hours. Unfortunately, if you want the update checks to be scheduled more often, you have to buy the commercial version of the product.
Out first impressions of ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall are mostly positive. The download and install process is easy and straightforward; the suite updates itself shortly after it is installed and you do not have to reboot your computer to be protected. Also, giving personal information to ZoneAlarm is not mandatory.
Integration with Windows, web browsers and universal Windows apps
Regarding its integration with Windows 10, universal Windows platform apps and networking features, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall works well. To avoid possible conflicts and performance problems, the security software disables Windows Firewall and integrates with Windows Defender. Unfortunately, ZoneAlarm's firewall module does not monitor the network profile you set in Windows and does not configure itself accordingly. Regardless of whether we set the network profile to Private or Public, the firewall was always seeing the network connection as Trusted. Even so, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall does not cause issues with any of the networking features from Windows 10.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall does not include a browser extension or a web filtering engine to protect its users when surfing the internet. Only the commercial version of this product offers a web filter. The free version does not provide web protection of any kind, so, unfortunately, you have to rely on the protection you get from your favorite web browser.
We used Task Manager to monitor how much RAM is needed by ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall to run its processes. On our test computer, it consumed about 128MB of RAM, which is not a significant value for today's Windows computers.
We also checked how much it affects the boot time, by measuring with a tool called BootRacer. ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall added about 2 seconds to our system's boot. That is 10% more time added to the original boot time. You should also know that we are using a fast NVMe Samsung SSD, so this increase is probably going to be even higher on a machine with a traditional hard-disk drive.
To see whether the internet and local network transfer speeds are affected by ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, we also ran some tests with Speedtest.net and LAN Speed Test. The upload and download rates were the same before and after installing the security suite.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall does not affect the networking features found in Windows 10, and it has no negative effect on data transfers. However, its firewall does not automatically adjust its protection mode according to the network profile that you set in Windows 10. Also, this free antivirus has some impact on the boot time of your computer.
Ease of use & configuration
While it does not offer the most modern of user interfaces, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall is easy to understand and use, even for novices.
All the main protection modules are accessible from the home screen. A click or a tap on a module opens its specific page, where you get access to a basic set of configuration options and settings. Most features include switches which you can use to enable or disable them. Also, many usual settings can be accessed through the links provided on the main page of each module. The user interface uses a language that is accessible to most users, and it also includes buttons for accessing the Advanced Settings of each module. This approach is good both for casual users and experts.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall does not offer a straightforward way of running custom scans, but it lets you configure what is included in the default antivirus scans.
By default, the security suite runs a default antivirus quick scan each week, and a full system scan every three months. If you do not like the dates and times when the suite is configured to run them, you can quickly change the frequency of each scan. However, because this is a free product, you get a limitation: you cannot select the Initial Task Start Times.
A significant problem that we found is the fact that there are no options for you to set the antivirus module to scan a removable drive when you plug it in. The suite does not trigger this type of scan on its own and also does not ask you about scanning removable drives. They are scanned, however, on file access (when you open, save or run a file).
Help and documentation are available directly from the primary interface. You get access to both online and offline help files, a set of frequently asked questions, and online community forums. Unfortunately, the community forums are the only ones that can help you. The online help links take you to blank websites where the only thing you see is a message telling you that "Your request could not be completed because the account you are trying to reach has expired." Similarly, the offline help file only shows some information on how to troubleshoot your internet connection. Awesome, isn't it?
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall does not offer any visual logs that can be easily understood by home users. However, if you are a more technical user, you should know that there is a good amount of information included in detailed text logs.
The number of alerts shown by this suite is not too high, but it does bother you with offers to buy the Pro version, each time you start it.
Overall, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall offers a good user interface, which provides easy access both to its common settings and more advanced configuration options. Unfortunately, it looks like you do not get any help and support from ZoneAlarm, with the one exception of the community forums. There are detailed logs that can be of service for advanced users, but the lack of any visual reports is not great from a novice user's perspective. Also, because this is a free product, the company does not let users configure all the available settings.
Read the next page of this review to see how efficient is ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall at protecting your computer from network attacks and malware, and what extra tools you get from it.
