Is there any way of stopping the nag screen for Zone Alarm free v8.0.298.0 on Vista?

Every time Vista opens, a "ZoneAlarm Security Options" window comes up offering to tell me more about ZoneAlarm Security Suite. I have clicked both options: "Tell me more" & "No Thank you", but I still receive the message next time ZA starts.

I've tried various solutions offered including a clean instal of the latest ZA after deleting all Zone Labs files in Program Files and Internet Logs in Win system32 in safe mode. Then rebooting, using a registry cleaner and reloading.

I've also un-ticked auto updates, but all to no avail.

Any suggestions such as a registry edit would be muchas gratias senor/senorina!

You and your "nag screens" Poppa Bear You are just totally irritated by these things aren't you?

What happened on a Google search on this one? Did you find any info?
Cause that's all I'd probably do, as I'm not sure either (Mind you my preference is Comodo not horrible ZA

Hi Kimsland,

Wow you've got an incredible memory! Nice to be back and be remembered! Thanks for taking the time to respond to my query. Sorry my problems are repetitive. You're right, nag screens do seem to irritate me. Maybe I need to de-sensitise and just learn to live with them, eh? On reflection, it may be more the challenge to get rid of them. I like to be able to control what happens on my PC.

Yes, I tried all the options I could find on Google and they're the ones listed in my post, like clean uninstall and reinstall; choose manual updates not auto... but none of them worked.

Right now I've un-installed ZA and I'm using the Vista Firewall which got a 100% pass when I tested it using the GRC Firewall test web page at http://www.grc.com/intro.htm . In stealth mode It was totally invisible on the net and did not respond to any probe pings, not even with counter-probes.

After reading your reply though, I think I'll switch to Comodo. I never knew this existed until you mentioned it, so thank you. I've found all the other programs you have recommended to be excellent, including CCleaner, Malwarebytes and Avira anti-virus.

Kind regards, Bernie

Ahhhhh Poppa Bear I can totally relate, popup screens annoy the hell out of me too. And why shouldn't you have total control, after all it IS YOUR PC!!

I see that I am not the only one that has been terribly annoyed by the "Tell Me More" popup of the free version of ZoneAlarm running on Vista.

For personal use I wrote a small application which suppresses that popup automatically each time it comes up after starting Vista.

Today I made it available for downloading from my site www dot jvandael.nl (which you may find by Googling on 'jvandael')

Have a look and give it a try.

Hope it will knock down a lot of frustrations.

Good luck!

I got 386,000 hits for 'jeroen van dael' and many (most) asking for translations
You may need to narrow those keywords down a bit (hopefully in a reply)

Right! And you're the ones mooching free software!

Checked out his site on the net and the home page has a new address: www.jvandael.nl After opening the home page, the article telling how to get rid of the ZA Nag to is now translated.

I tried it and it does work. However, if this is too complicated, another solution is to "nuke" it.

To do this: Open Internet Explorer ==> Tools ==> Internet Options ==> Privacy Tab ==> Tick "Turn on pop up blocker" ==> Click "Settings" ==> In the "Blocking Level" drop down menu choose: "Block all pop-ups (Ctrl + Alt to over-ride)"

It's a bit drastic, but does work. Trouble is it also blocks desired pop-ups. Another solution is to run the paid program "Banner Killer"... but then you have to pay, which kind of defeats the purpose of freeware.

As an experiment I reloaded my last Acronis Back-up Image of Vista, which had an older version of Zone Alarm. I got all the latest updates for Vista etc, then uninstalled the old version of ZA and re-loaded the latest ZA. Since doing this, without altering the default IE pop-up blocking level, the Nag Screen has not shown up. So maybe it originally came about as the result of a Windows up-date; and in the normal course of events would be blocked by the default middle level pop-up block of Internet Explorer.

Yeah right, and every gamer downloads the cracked version of a game so they can "test" it before they buy the game itself. Um, >>>SPARE ME<<<!! See footnote)

Well, I'm going to take a wild guess and say, "slim to none" regardless of whether you get the "adware" or not. The issue here is, the freeware versions of these apps are quite good. In the case of a security company trying to sell you a whole internet security package, they know you can, (and probably will), go someplace else to get the rest of the components as freeware.

Don't get me wrong, I use freeware copiously, I just don't think I'm entitled to it. At the end of the day, freeware is just "welfare for computer geeks".

So, if you'll just substitue "computer" for "kids" in the following statement, "I'm entitled to welfare benefits, cause I got me these kids", nobody ever need ask the question, "well whose fault is that". Of one thing I'm absolutely certain, it's not the caseworkers.

Another pet peeve of mine is that freeware isn't like foodstamps, in that you can't sell it to buy drugs. <<<(You don't have to guess, that's sarcasm, so there's absolutely no ambiguity, or question of intent)!


Footnote; Sorry about the caps, just my reflexive response to posts with all kinds of color changes. That always strikes me as a technique engineered to assure us that the OP knows he's right.

The day we start arguing about freeware (ie today ) is the beginning of the no freeware available
I do not believe everything will be "free" forever, it's just not tradition for the rest of the planet
ie get money first, save the planet later. Freeware is not forever, especially when it becomes a debate on my freeware doesn't do what I want it to do.

Removed all comments relating to the ethics of freeware.

I dunno about anyone else but I LOVE freeware!!

Which is exactly my point, try not to look a gift horse in the mouth. We're not entitled to freeware, and we should accept that it's a gracious gift, from people more talented than many of us. As I said, I am grateful for whatever helps me. If it's a question of a nag screen once in a while, so be it. Avira puts them up, ZA sends Email, and I don't click on the "spam" button or start a whine thread when they do.

----------------

me too...!

BTW, did you know you can get a whole gosh durn operatin' system fer nuttin?

Um

Avira was discussed here: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic115005.html

Removed all comments related to the ethics of freeware.

Verily, ad infinitum as it would seem.

Almost forgot kimsland, thanks for the > < link!

removed all comments related to the ethics of freeware

Caveat emptor, or is that an oxymoron when you apply the axiom to something free?

I always feel like a such a parasite when I install freeware in my machine. When you're dealing with AV software, it's such a generous gift. It protects you from other people trying to install malware on your machine. You know, the kind of stuff you can "acquire" from downloading free software. Then they have the hubris to put those obnoxious "donate" buttons on the download page. None of those software guys really need the money, I figure they're just trying to make you feel guilty.

Free software is such a vicious circle I tell you. Ya look for free stuff, ya puts in in, it breaks yer 'puter, 'n then ya needs more free stuff to get it out.

Point being, while I mind the advertising splash screens, tolerating them at least gives me a sense of perspective about how valuable the program I'm mooching really is. So, at least I can say that I gave the software company a bit of a shot, in steering me toward the paid versions. I really don't get indignant, if it's too bad, it's time to uninstall it.

If you really want something to gripe about, I suggest downloading the trial version of Adobe's "Photoshop Album". Wow wee, now there's something to b**** about. It doesn't do anymore than any one of a number of free photo organization/editing software. But, it does give off constant threats about how all your "fun" is going to end, and counts down the days. A little nag screen once in a while pales in comparison to that garbage. How wants to listen to that? I have 4 legitimate (paid) copies of Photoshop Elements, so I didn't have to. And in case you're wondering, PSE is a way better editor than GIMP.

Sadly, I have a slightly different take on this.
I always really enjoy time travel stories, So, sometimes I muse about how history would be written if Julius Caesar had have ramped his attitude down a bunch. Brutus would probably have not even been a blip on the radar. (How was that last sentence as an example of the subjunctive past imperfect)? Er, "via con queso", or maybe "ciao".

removed all comments related to the ethics of freeware.

Someone once said, "that's like sticking your head in a 55 gallon drum, and having someone hit it with a hammer, because it feels good when you stop. Dunno what that meant, it just struck me funny.

I actually don't know if buying the full version of ZA would stop the nags. Who knows, maybe they always have one version still better to hold back for such occasions. Just when you think the coast is clear and all that.....!

Anyway, I have a Samsung pivoting monitor. It came with software called, "Magic Rotating". It rotates the display with only a right click on the desktop. The trouble is every time you boot the computer, it blasts up a splash screen saying, "Magic Rotation". So I'm thinking, "hey wait a minute, I paid for this ca-ca, why do I have to put up with this"?

Sarcasm alert! The following sentence may be disturbing to some, please feel free to avert your glance away from the screen if you feel it necessary.

Oh well, I should probably start a thread about that, I love being patronized!