It will be interesting to see if MS or Zonealarm create a fix, probably Zonealarm

I got updated too. Nothing urgent going on so I installed the updates. Sure enough, the update killed my cable access to the internet. Re-setting Zonealarm to off didn't make a difference, I resorted to system restore.

Same thing happened to me. I tried turning off zone alarm and turning windows firewall on and even briefly turned off other protections and still couldn't connect so I used system restore. And to top it off some way automatic updates got turned on and it was installed again so I had to restore again. If I could get a couple of programs to work I would go completely to linux. I dual boot now and generally use linux to connect to the internet but want to be able to connect from windows at times.

well it seems that MS and ZA are working on it and have been through the night so I am assuming someone will come up with a fix soon.

It seems some of the older versions of za are not affected. I have not tried doing the update yet, I do use one of the old versions of zapro.

Has anyone here had the update go through while using an old version and not had a problem?

I had hoped I could post this thread early enough to help some not get stuck in this mess. Well at least maybe some will be helped.

Hi, This problem has affected me as well. How can I unistall that update? Thanks.
Sapphires

I got hit by this update, too. Had no idea what caused it, but realized the last thing I had done before I lost Internet connection was the updates. So I did a system restore to the last date BEFORE the updates and was back in business.

I'll download the other two and get the offending one later.

Hi Everyone,
Advice requested, opinions wanted. Would it be best to uninstall the update or a system restore? Either, I don't know how to do and would need step by step for each. Right now I have ZA shutoff, not something I want to do for long. Thanks.
Sapphires

sapphires see the link, these are you options for now from Zone alarm w/instructions given.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zone Alarm

Zep,
Thank you.
Sapphires

Download and install the latest versions

they have released a new version of zone alarm to correct this problem, you can get it and put it right over the top of your current version. If you had set your slider to medium be sure you go back and set it to HIGH again for full protection. Then you can go get the microsoft update.

Apparently Kerio firewalls were also affected by this update, not sure which versions but reports of some versions being affected.

Hoping that microsoft will also issue a fix for the update itself too.

Hi all,
I had the same problem but did not know which update caused it (there were two in my case)....I called my ISP support (Verizon) and they said that it was probably the update as I connected OK, just could not open a browser!
They suggested I do a system restore which I did - well it happened again today (again 2 updates) so I did another system restore (what kind of an idiot am I?) and all is well now or I wouldn't be posting this. I also went to ZA and set the slider to MEDIUM...Now I am afraid of updates!!
Elly

you obviously have your updates set to auto update it will con tinue to put the update on your pc if you do not set the auto updates to notify only which will tell you there are updates but let you choose when to install and which to install. Start> control panel>automatic updates set to notify only

you can now go ahead to zone alarm and just get the new version for your zone alarm version and it will fix it, you can just download and install it right over your old version.
once you have done that be sure you set the slider back to HIGH.

once you have the zone alarm update done and installed then you can go to windows update and allow it to install the updates.

ravencajun,
Thank you. I clicked on your link for the updated version of ZA. Once there they list the different versions. For the FREE one, is it the ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall that is free?

Sapphires

I could not install the new version of Zone Alarm. I got a message saying, "Setup is unable to log into the True Vector service. [What the heck is that?] Please use the service manager to shut down the True Vector service and then restart the installer program."

Instead, I had to uninstall the Windows critical update KB951748, which is the trouble-maker. Now all is fine til my automatic update kicks in tonight as it is set to do every night. I can't believe they haven't found a good fix for this by now--or that it happened at all.

ginny12 true vector is an integral part of zone alarm, perhaps if you turned off the zone alarm before you try to get the new version and install it. However everyone has been saying that it will turn off the current version as it does the install but maybe some thing on yours is preventing that so you will manually have to turn off your zone alarm before hand. It sounds like it is telling you to do just that turn it off then restart the installer.

Sapphires yes the zone alarm basic firewall is the free version that is the one you will want.

you should turn your auto updates to notify only for now so this will not continue to be installed and cause you this problem it is super simple to do, I leave mine on notify only all the time so this kind of stuff does not happen.

Start> control panel>automatic updates set to notify only, apply

ginnny 12

If you right click My Computer > manage > Services & Applications > Services > scroll to True Vecter Internet > double click it > Find Startup type > scroll that to disable and click disabled and that should do it.

Set it back to automatic when you are thru.

Maybe it'd be simpler to just open the Task Mananger > Choose vsmon.exe > end task. Then it'd prolly restart itself on a restart cause its default is automatic.

Same thing happened to me. ZA dead in the water. Had the Vector message. Had to start Windows Firewall. Will try mxyplx's suggestions.

What a pain!

Jane

OR!

You can go to this site

http://www.greenwood.iwarp.com/sgcomputer.html

and read this:

If you are having trouble updating or installing the Zone Alarm firewall, with error messages such as "Validation failed for..." any number of dlls, or that it can't shut down the True Vector Monitor, etc., here is the solution. First, if you were already using Zone Alarm, uninstall it. Second, there's a mess of files and folders you must delete. ZoneLabs gives lengthy instructions on how to do that, but to make it easy, I wrote a simple command file. Download and unzip the CMD file zfix.zip, then run it. It'll clean all traces of any old installation from your system, and you can now run a fresh installation with no problem.
To clarify why this happens, the explanation is simple. Uninstalling Zone Alarm in the normal fashion does not remove all the files and folders. When a new version of ZA is applied, XP prevents old files from being replaced by new files because of certificate verification mismatches. Thus, ALL old files have to be manually removed. This doesn't affect the computer or registry in any way. When the new ZA is installed, registry entries for the old installation are still valid as they simply point to newer versions of the exact same files in the exact same pathways.
WARNING: Zfix is an easily edited command file. If you downloaded it anywhere but here, you may want to verify it by right-clicking it, selecting the "Edit" option, and comparing it to this text:

And then you can click on the sfix.zip link and download this:

zfix.zip

And use it and all your troubles will evaporate. :-)

After purposely running the Microsoft updates after being warned, losing my internet connection, resetting Zonealarm, using the System Restore, then then installing new version of Zonealarm, I think I found a little problem. After all of that, it appeared that my system slowed down - or it was my local Comcast doing one of its slow-downers. I ran SuperAntiSpyware and it caught a Microsoft program as a culprit - so I removed it. Unfortunately I did not note the Microsoft program but things appear okay now and the computer is running at its old speed.

My problem is I didn't install the update instead tried to install the ZA upgrade before installing and it killed ZA. Why would ZA offer this 'fix' when it doesn't work??? Mxyplx, your cure is more than I'm willing, or have time to tackle.

I've had it with Microsoft and this whole business is ridiculous! I was perfectly happy with ZA on all my machines and now it's dead.
Some people rely on their computers for their work. Except for large businesses who can hire IT people to deal with these things before work, most of us have to do it ourselves. Windows runs my machines and I need them to work or I can't work! I suppose I should stay up all night at the office trying to fix these 'problems.' I can't do it during work.

Who the heck has time for all this? It's nonsense and I'm furious. I haven't even thought about SP3 the next nightmare.

ZA's fix didn't fix. I don't have the MS update and have spent hours trying to get ZA back and running to no avail. Now I'm stuck with Windows miserable Firewall...

Any suggestions for a new firewall?

Jane

the 2 on here are honestly the only 2 I have seen that had this problem trying to get the zone alarm new version. All the people on dlsr have had success installing the new zonealarm right on top of the old one, of course being certain they got the correct zonealarm application like the free firewall or the full suite etc that would definitely create a problem.

Comodo has a decent firewall, online armor, kerio here is a site that lists all good programs that you can read up about.
Security / Privacy / Encryption

ravencajun,
I need to ask one last thing. Should I shut down ZA first and then download and install the newer version? I hav XP, thanks.
Sapphires

Just found out that zone alarm is now pushing the fix out in their updates. This is what was said:
Please use Update from the menu of your ZoneAlarm firewall.

this should go ahead and update your version and install the fix.

so give that a go and see it it works, it may in fact do auto update for those that have yours set to.

Reports are now coming in that versions of Trend Micro firewalls are also affected by this MS update. There had been reports also of Kerio firewalls too.

Some routers have been a bit scrambled also.

maybe since this is now looking more specifically like a MS update problem they will release a hotfix to that update.

I personally run an old version of zonealarm pro, reports are that most of the older versions were not affected by this update, I have not tried it yet on my xp machines simply because of the screwed up routers I am reading about, I do not want to have my router get scrambled.
I sure am glad I have these linux machines at times like this!

Verizon router went out-of-service here after the automatic install of the update the night before. It took the son-in-law about 45 minutes to an hour on the telephone with Verizon to reconfigure the modem. Also, his decision is to disable ZA until more is known about the new release.

I don't have enough information to blame MS. It might not be their fault. If their update was dedicated to their product and it achieved their goal that would be fine. If they knew ahead of time about these identifiable concerns and released anyhow shame on them.

DA

ravencajun,
Should I shut down ZA first and then do the download and install? Yes, I know this a repeat question but I'd like an opinion please. Don't know what to do, confused.
Sapphires

Da: This is #2 MS screw-up. I haven't even thought about SP3 (#1 screw-up) hoping they fix that, one of these days. This new update obviously works with their Firewall, that's all MS cares about.

I'm typing on my laptop because my desktop is screwed up and I don't trust Windows firewall. Didn't try the update on the laptop or my office machine. At least ZA still works on those.

Raven, I would only download for the free addition. No confusion there. This download seems to mess up the vector service.

Jane

I deleted the MS update after first disabling the ZA firewall. Then I enabled the firewall but of course the update installed again at the pre-set time, with the same result--no internet. Repeated the process this morning and have now set the MS updates to once a week instead of every day. I'm hoping a solution will be found in that time period. Otherwise...who knows?

Just try to imagine the loss of productivity and the financial cost to so many because of this totally avoidable snafu. And despite the extent of the problem, I have not seen a word about it in the Boston Globe, my local paper, or on CNN.com. What else are they missing?

I do not believe anything is anyone's "screw up" until it is proven that there is a "screw up. If any percentage of users are inconvenienced that is truly unfortunate but that does not make it the publisher's fault. There are so many variables: hardware, software, installation, download quality, to name a few. Without question every application , free or commercial, has its dark side. Could any thought be given that the #1 "screw up" may have been the initial releases of Firefox v3.0, AVG 8.0, Spybot v1.4, AdAware v2007, the current Symantec Security Suite, or any of the other recently released applications that inconvenienced users with pitfalls? If anyone doubts me I wish to refer them to the manufacturers' support links and their dedicated forums for enumerated problems.

I am not an avid MS supporter, a doom and gloom individual, or one who makes a knee jerk decision. What I am is a user who becomes informed, which can take some time, and then makes an intelligent decision. In time I will let the blame fall where it may. In the first 48 hours? I just can't do it.

Just a little extra item for thought, not for blame; if Zone Alarm had no advanced notice of the concern, how did it obtain the necessary core code from MS and release a compatible update so quickly?

DA

I uninstalled ZA and am using Windows FW until a solution is found. As soon as I uninstalled ZA, the problem with connections was resolved.

After ravencajun posted the fix link from ZA..I updated it and then held my breath and installed the MS update. Did it on both computers and not a problem..
Thanks raven...
Jackie

sapphires sorry this was my reply to you I just failed to add your name to it.

Just found out that zone alarm is now pushing the fix out in their updates. This is what was said:
Please use Update from the menu of your ZoneAlarm firewall.

this should go ahead and update your version and install the fix.

so give that a go and see it it works, it may in fact do auto update for those that have yours set to.

if you do that you do not have to go to the download site jut do it from your zone alarm updates button. If you are going to do the actual download then sure go ahead and turn off ZA while you do the install, you can download it to your pc while the za is on but before you actually start the install, disconnect from the internet to be safe, turn it off. It is supposed to work with out doing that but turning it off sure won't hurt. But the update button now seems the way to go.

DA in answer to that last question MS and Zonealarm both have issued advisories that they began working on the problem after the update was issued, till that time ZA did not have knowledge of any problems, had the update info been shared with all the vendors ahead of time even in a 24 hr period before the release of the update for testing purposes things could have gone very differently. I understand this had to be done very hush hush because of the severity of this vulnerability to the DNS system which the update was to help patch but sharing it in a 24 hour period surely would not have been that much of a dangerous move especially since they would have been sharing the info with security vendors that they knew could be affected by a DNS patch.

Personally I think things could have been done a lot differently and still could be if MS would put out a hotfix on their part also not just expect all the various firewall vendors and router vendors to do it, this is unfortunately not only a ZA problem at this point. There simply has got to be some sort of program set in place to keep these kinds of issues from happening. IT is just getting the average user extremely frustrated and I feel terribly bad for those that have no one to help them and let them know why they can no longer get online.
I sure don't know the perfect solution but this current situation ain't it!

what Verizon router please? and what Verizon service? DSL or FIOS? FIOS uses some D-link routers was it a D-Link? and was it wired or wireless?

They are trying to compile as much info as possible to see what all is being affected.
Thanks!

Where is the "zone alarm updates button", ravencajun? I can't find anything like that in ZA on my computer.

Ginny unfortunately I do not have one of the new versions of za so I can not look and tell you where the updates option is but hopefully someone that has one of the newer versions will come on and reply.
On my version of za pro when I open the za app and click on the configure tab the second item listed is check for updates and the option to check for updates automatically, right there is the update button to push to have it check for updates.
I hope that helps.

Thanks, ravencajun. Am on the phone w MS now. Will give your suggestion a try. Thanks again.

If you double click the ZA icon in the taskbar, it opens ZA with a bunch of options along the left side. Click on Overview. That has three tabs (Status, Product Info, Preferences). Choose Preferences. The top option is Check For Updates.

Ginny, let us know what the great MS has to say. I never had a problem getting on line. I couldn't get ZA to work when I hit update. I would not update saying I needed to log off Vector service. I did and it would say, I needed to log on to Vector. Back & forth - it just didn't update and that's where I am. I never installed the MS update. I'll try Raven's suggestion to update from ZA itself.

I would like to save my settings as I use my desktop at home, to connect to my office. It took quite a while to get that working well. If I lose my setting, I'm back to square one.

Ginny, please post back. I'm hoping MS offers a fix.

Jane

RC,

My original post was from New Jersey and now I am home in Michigan. I lost a whole day traveling.

What I can share with you is that it is DSL which is wireless. However, during the reconfiguration Verizon had him hardwire to the router. After the fix the wireless and the hardwire were in-service.

I thank you for the additional information on the occurence. I will add it to what I already now, which is little as one can never remember important bookmarks when away from one's system. As the days move forward and the dust is shaken out on this I will draw my conclusion

I would be surprised if MS offers a fix as the liability might not be theirs and it appears ZA has already taken the initative to remediate the issue with their update.

Has anyone read if the most current free full version has been updated too? If it is that might be the way to proceed. First, completely delete the prior version including searching for orphan files and then a clean install of the most current. I just don't like overwrites particularly in a case such as this.

DA

I found the answer to my full version question. The new release v7.0483.0 is a full free version of 44.66MB in size and reportedly includes the fix.

Here is a link that might be useful: File Hippo

yes DA the link I posted up in this thread for the download new versions has the links to all versions free and pay directly from the ZA site. They are saying this is an update and can simply be obtained by choosing the get updates button in your ZA version you currently have that way you will not loose your settings etc.
Download and install the latest versions

Much more than zone alarm is now known to be affected, various firewalls and routers plus there were many dlls that were changed by the update. Those of you that did the update may find many of your settings are changed, for example folder view was changed from classic to something else and some others were also changed. Why I have no idea.

I just spent hours fooling with this but finally had to completely uninstall ZA and start over. I lost all my previous settings.

I could not follow the update instructions as ZA would not open. It was dead. I tried everything I knew. Finally took the directions to uninstall and clean out the registry. I got nervous and stopped. Finally used CCleaner to clean the registry and installed the new version of ZA.

It's running but I can't connect to my other computer. I'll have to spend time on that tomorrow. I still have not installed the MS update.

This got too complicated and I have 3 other computers to deal with if I do the MS update. I don't have the time nor want to deal with it.

Can I forget this MS update. How critical is it really?

Jane

unfortunately it is extremely important so some way some how we will all have to do this. Here are articles to help you get an understanding on this DNS vulnerbility which the patch is for.
The DNS converts the words you type in the address bar into a numerical address thatÂs used to route all Internet traffic.
Exploiting an error like that would make phishing scams simple  people would think they were at their bank website and happily type in personal details, which the criminals could then harvest.
Internet flaw could let hackers take over the Web
Deficiencies in the DNS protocol
Major DNS flaw could disrupt the Internet

this is the site where you can find the DNS checker to have it run on your pc and see what it says about your system and how vulnerable it is.
DNS Checker

For those that are needing to completely remove ZA from their system many people are reporting using this program to get a clean full uninstall, it is a free uninstall program which works well to remove many programs that can tend to be hard to remove. I personally have not used it but several people on the tech sites are recommending it.
Revo Uninstaller

Zone Alarm also has detailed instructions on their site on how to do a clean uninstall should you need it.

Repeating what I did --- which sounds easier than some solutions. I purposely installed the MS updates after reading the warnings, and sure enough, lost my internet connection. Did a System Restore with a point before the events. I have not reinstalled the problem MS update and do not intend to do so. The obvious problem caused by the update went away but I sensed a slowdown in the computer operations. Ran SuperAntiSpyware that found a problem with a MS program and I made it go away. Installed new version of ZoneAlarm.

Jane and others--The short answer is that MS was no help when I called them. They just parroted the info from the ZA website re workarounds and said they are working on the issue. No prediciton as to when a fix will be available, if ever. The guy sounded bored and uninterested. Not a good ad for MS.

Figures! ZA is no help either. After uninstalling my version and reinstalling the new 'fix' version, I find out that the fix is to keep it set at Medium. Can't move the slider to high.

Great fix. I'm not messing with my office machine. I'll take my chances.

Thanks for posting back,
Jane

Jane you can move the slider to high everyone who has done the update and got the fixed version from the zone alarm site is able to move the slider to high, try rebooting your pc and going back into zone alarm and seeing if you can move the slider
here is the free new za version with slider set to high.

{{gwi:1482110}}

did you do the registration? that is the only reason it may not have let you. There was one person on dslr that had his show that it was not able to move to high but once he did the registration it went on to high, we do not know if that is what made the difference or if for some reason it just had not completed something he also did a reboot in between.

As I was trying to catch up on my readings regarding this concern I found out that this is almost soley a XP concern.

I absolutely do not make light of this concern as it is inconvenient for many users, but this is at least one week where it felt good to be a Vista and a old reliable Win98 user.

DA