My experience with Comodo has been somewhat limited. I’m running Vista Ultimate and started using Comodo when v. 3 was in beta. I’ve kept it up to date and like it very much, for the most part.

The only issue I’ve had with it was that there were some Windows Updates that wouldn’t take while Defense+ was installed. And it wasn’t something that I could just disable and run, I actually had to uninstall Comodo completely, updates Windows, then reinstall Comodo. This took several tries to figure out, and countless failed installs/reboots before I even figured out it was Comodo. The Comodo forums have at least a couple threads on this issue, but the response tends to boil down to the uninstall/update/reinstall work-around.

When this happened a second time on a different Windows Update (the first was an update to Windows Update itself to prepare for SP1, I forget what the second update was), I figured I’d just go down to the basic firewall. When I downloaded the most up-to-date version of Comodo (at that time was 3.0.18.309), I new I didn’t want the Defense+ there, at least not until after SP1 roles out later this month. I Chose the basic installation but was given the option to have additional protection. This must be the middle-ground third installation option talked about above. I was still wary of having even that middle ground be enough to stop updates, so I went with just the basic firewall. After reading through your posts, it looks like it may be worth my while to give the middle ground a try.

In your comparison, when you are referring to OA, are you talking about the free version or the pay version? I read in one of your posts that you’ve tried both. Is there a difference in the security of the free and pay versions? If the free version of OA is what is being compared with Comodo, and if the freeware version upgrades to being Vista-compatible, I will certainly try it out! Else I’ll stick with Comodo.

There is absolutely NO way I will ever run a Symantec product ever again! I do not want it on any system I own. Their continued accolades in magazine reviews only make me weep for those who might even try it.

Perhaps next renewal time I will revisit Comodo.

Thanks for the review!

RW

But be careful not to make general assumptions about a product based on a sample size of one. I also downloaded and installed this current version of Comodo 3 yesterday and had no issues whatsoever.

Did you fully uninstall any previous versions of Comodo? You may have a failed installation or uninstallation. A failed install might have occurred if you attempted to install Comodo with another firewall already installed, such as ZoneAlarm or literally any other firewall (except Windows Firewall). For more information about manual uninstallation of Comodo, see this thread on the Comodo forums.

Hope this is helpful.

– Scot

I have to admit – I like it. It is now my firewall of choice and I recommend it to all my friends and business associates. Tallemu has produced a brilliant product.

I’ve only just gotten around to upgrading to v3.0 and my initial reaction is that it’s good - now. However it did conflict with Firefox or one / several Firefox extensions (Firefox crawling and continually generating ‘Unresponsive Script’ message), which reverting to v2.7 didn’t solve. I ended up removing and reinstalling Firefox, and everything seems to be running smoothly now…

Ever since NOD32 v.3.0 came out I’ve been hearing about problems with it, and there are various threads around the Internet about what’s right or wrong with it. It’s somewhat controversial. I’m not saying that it doesn’t protect as well or better than it used to. And I haven’t done my own research on the new version — other than to set it up and play with it. I do a lot more than that before I recommend a security product.

Evan, since you asked for links — here is one thread about the sins/virtues of NOD32 3.0 over at Wilders Security Forums you might want to check out.

I don’t even know if Eset has commented formally about this thread or the concerns it raises.

I continue to use and like NOD32 2.7. At some point, though, that product won’t be supported any longer and it’ll be time to make a decision.

Anyone else with information about NOD32 3.0, please feel free to post here.

– Scot

Aw crap! Do you have any links handy to these “things”? I’ve just been touting the merits of Nod32 to a customer… Looks like some web searching for me tonight when I get home - sigh.

Thanks, Paul

The only Eset product I have ever recommended is NOD32 version 2.7. While I have had no trouble with NOD32 3.0, I have not formally reviewed it. And the things that have been written about it in Wilders and elsewhere do concern me a bit.

– Scot

No pop-ups, no real protection. Comodo errs on the side of being more protective — the better safe than sorry strategy. But I think with average users, they quickly get to the point where they just say “OK” to every prompt. I believe that the art and science of creating a software firewall is reducing the prompts to preserve the user’s attention. It’s hard to do safely though.