Ta-da!!! I fixed it. For the 31st time (!) I opened ZA and looked through the various screens. I found "Appplication Control" and for Spywareblaster there were red "X's" under "inbound" and "outbound". In this same table SAS (which is updating) had green checks. There was no indication that I could/should click on the "X's" but I thought to do so; a menu appeared which allowed me to change the red "X's" to green checks. After this, when I tried to update Spywareblaster, it worked. Thank you all for considering my problem. Mike_kaiser, you're probably correct, and I'm heavy on the security programs. This computer is about 7 years old and over the years, I've slowly added these programs (and very recently, the router) as they've been recommended here. When one has been recommended I don't recall a corresponding recommendation to get rid of "x". So the list has grown. My computer seems to be running fine and isn't particularly slow so I haven't inquired about what I could remove.

I would try one of 3 options there perhaps. Someone else may come up with a simpler fix if you care to wait a while, you are in no danger. Reboot and try again. Or open Windows Explorer, find and delete the log file mentioned and try the install again. Failing that I would download the whole Zonealarm program (being sure to stay on the free version). Then remove your internet connection, use the Add/Remove to get rid the current Zonealarm and install the downloaded program. Here is a link that might be useful: Free Zonealarm download site

I posted the link to the other thread for you so that you could go in there and get the link to the actual fixed version of zone alarm, from that thread here is the link that you would have found there. Download and install the latest versions which solve the loss of internet access problem here under that Recommended actions it has the links to every single version of the zone alarm updates if you use the free that would be the basic firewall. If you click on that link there it gives you the actual exe to download. What you were looking at on the site you posted was a trial for the zone alarm security suite NOT the free one, if you just look over to the right on that page there is a button for the basic firewall only UPDATE that is what you would want and when you hit that it gives the exe also.

unfortunately it is not the first time zonealarm has chosen some really bad marketing methods, they did one of these type some time back and of course the adding of the toolbars in the free version has had it put in the Hall of Shame for a while now. It is still a very good firewall and free is nice but I am sure many will leave them due to their methods. As to other free firewalls Online Armor and Outpost are good options. here is a list from Gizmo's Best Free Firewall I will add this, I and several others in the security community no longer recommend Comodo due to some of their business practices, so consider that before choosing it and you can of course do some research on that to find out more info. Corrine had several good write up's on her blog.