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What is Sunbelt Personal Firewall?
One of the best firewalls around and it DOES NOT slow down your PC.
Sunbelt Personal Firewall used to be called the Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF). Kerio was going to discontinue it, but Sunbelt acquired it from Kerio to save the product from "going under". We needed a new name, and changed 'KPF' into the new 'SPF' (so much for software geeks being creative...)
Despite its boring name, Sunbelt Personal Firewall is a very good piece of code, and received many awards. Tucows gave it their 5-Cow Rating. Computer Shopper in the U.K. gave it their Budget Buy Award with: "A seriously good firewall for the money.". Firewall expert Scot Finnie said: " ZoneAlarm Free and Sunbelt Personal Firewall - the two firewalls I've pointed to in the past as having the best user interfaces in this field".
What's New In The Latest Version?
The biggest addition is support for Vista 32 bit (with 64 bit support on
the roadmap). However, there have been a lot of under-the-hood improvements in many
areas. These include:
- Significant improvement in network performance
- Significant improvement in packet filtering
- Enhanced Process Injection prevents code injection attempts into Windows
- Numerous stability issues corrected in the firewall service
- Significant improvement in overall product stability
- Updated Intrusion Detection rules
- Updated translation files for multiple languages
Rely on the free Windows firewall?
Unfortunately, this gives you a false sense of security. It only protects incoming traffic. But outgoing traffic, with your credit card info, social security number, bank accounts, passwords and other confidential information is not protected. The Windows firewall will let it all go out.
(both in XP and Vista) But... Sunbelt Personal Firewall will block that data if you buy the FULL version! You absolutely need a better, weapons-grade firewall.
30-day money-back guarantee
Compatible with: Windows 2000, Windows XP (All) and now Windows Vista. This offer includes one year of upgrades, updates, new definitions and tech support by phone, from real people based in the U.S. Below is the comparison of the "free" vs. the "full" mode. Believe us; with the crime rates on the Internet skyrocketing, you really want to get the full version of Sunbelt Personal Firewall.
Something Else Important You Need To Know.
This firewall has a companion product: VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware. VIPRE is a full fledged, West Coast Labs Certified antivirus product with award-winning antispyware features integrated. VIPRE is an all-new high-performance security product that does not slow down your computer. PC Magazine's security expert Neil Rubenking just gave VIPRE an excellent review with 4 STARS!
Find Out How Bad Old-style Antivirus Resource Usage Really Is!
Old-style antivirus products have stacked layer upon layer of engines, and created bloatware in the process. They slow down your PC, have slow scan times and cause problems. See VIPRE's low impact on system resources compared to the competition. Click the chart to the right to enlarge.
VIPRE Detects And Removes ALL Malware.
VIPRE kills all types of malware including viruses, spyware, adware, rootkits and more. You can save a lot of family budget by choosing VIPRE. Decided you want to speed up your PC, save money, and ditch your old, bloated antivirus? We thought so. When you buy SPF, stick VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware also in your cart for just $29.95.
SPF Free vs. Full Versions
| Product: |
SPF 4 - free |
SPF 4 - full |
| NETWORK SECURITY |
| Packet filter |
YES |
YES |
| File integrity control |
YES |
YES |
| Application communication control |
YES |
YES |
| Application launch control |
YES |
YES |
| Network Intrusion Prevention System |
YES |
YES |
| Host-based Intrusion Prevention System |
NO |
YES |
| CONTENT FILTERING |
| Identity Theft Protection |
NO |
YES |
| Script blocking (JavaScript, VB script) |
NO |
YES |
| Referrer and Cookies blocking |
NO |
YES |
| Ad blocking |
NO |
YES |
| Pop-up windows blocking |
NO |
YES |
| STATISTICS, LOGGING |
| Statistics of attacks and blocked ads |
YES |
YES |
| Automatic update checker |
YES |
YES |
| Extended logging |
YES |
YES |
| Syslog |
NO |
YES |
| Runs as Internet Gateway |
NO |
YES |
| ADMINISTRATION |
| Remote administration |
NO |
YES |
| Password protected configuration |
NO |
YES |
BUY IT TODAY !!
Buy the full version of Sunbelt Personal Firewall, and you get a world-class firewall, with all the important features turned ON. Better yet, you also get USA-based, free phone support as well. Click on the blue 'Add To Cart" button on the top right side of this page and we will fill your cart with Sunbelt Personal Firewall and while you are at it, put VIPRE in the cart too, this is an unbeatable combination for very little money.
PLEASE NOTE: 1) Before installing Sunbelt Personal Firewall please uninstall any other firewall you may have installed. It is impossible to run more than one firewall on a computer. 2) Sunbelt Personal Firewall will automatically disable the Windows Firewall that is included in Windows.
Sunbelt Personal Firewall Frequently Asked Questions
Current Changelog:
- 4.6.1845.0 - Updated layout/text for Sunbelt Crash Report Wizard (Page 2) Automatically
create predefined rules when Vipre is detected on the machine to prevent
code injection alert.
- 4.6.1844.0 - Fix compatibility problem in WebFilter with Kaspersky antivirus.
- 4.6.1842.0 - Updated German translations.
- 4.6.1840.0 - Fixed some UI controls to accommodate the new translations. Updated French
translations.
- 4.6.1839.0 - If a config file is imported and it contains License information, the firewall
will use that license information info. Previously the firewall had to be
rebooted to use the imported license information.
+ When did Sunbelt get the Kerio firewall, and why?
Sunbelt acquired the Kerio Firewall December 2005, because we thought it was an excellent product, and a great addition to our product line. It allows us to service you even better!
+ Does SPF now Support Windows Vista?
Yes, as of July 2008 we support Vista 32-bit with 64-bit on the roadmap.
+ Does the Sunbelt Personal Firewall run on my Windows 95, 98, 98SE or ME machine?
No. The Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4 requires 10 MB of disk space for installation and runs ONLY on desktop editions of Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4 DOES NOT run on Windows 9x, Me, NT, 2000 Server and 2003 Server.
+ What happens when my annual subscription for SPF expires?
SPF will revert back to the limited "free version" functionality when the license expires. That's why we strongly recommend to renew your yearly subscription. For that yearly subscription you get updates, upgrades and toll-free tech support from the U.S.
+ How do I see that Sunbelt Personal Firewall is doing something for me?
First, on many websites you visit, you will now see: "Ad blocked here by SPF". Second, you should check the logs:
- 1) Right-click on Sunbelt Personal Firewall blue shield icon in the
system tray, at the bottom right of your screen
- 2) On the left side of the Sunbelt Personal Firewall window, click on Logs & Alerts
- 3) On the top side, click on the Logs Tab
- 4) Now, at the bottom of the screen, you see five
tabs. To start with, click on the Web Tab. See
how much Sunbelt Personal Firewall already blocked or removed!
+ Do I need to uninstall my existing firewall before I can run the Sunbelt Personal Firewall?
YES. Before installing Sunbelt Personal Firewall please uninstall any other firewall you may have installed. It is impossible to run more than one firewall on a computer. Note: Sunbelt Personal Firewall will automatically disable the Windows Firewall that is included in Windows XP.
Please note, there is also an entry in the Sunbelt Knowledge base about uninstalling Sunbelt Personal Firewall if there are problems.
+ Can I use multiple personal firewalls on one computer? And will Sunbelt Personal Firewall work with the Windows Firewall in XP?
No. Running multiple firewalls on a single computer can cause conflicts that are hard to identify and troubleshoot. Only one of the firewalls can receive the packets over the network and process them. Sometimes you may even have a conflict that causes neither firewall to protect your connection. In summary, do not use other firewall products, even the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP, on the same machine as Sunbelt Personal Firewall.
Please note, there is also an entry in the Sunbelt Knowledge base about uninstalling Sunbelt Personal Firewall if there are problems.
+ What is the difference between the antispyware functionality of the Sunbelt Personal Firewall and CounterSpy?
Protecting against spyware is only a small function of the Sunbelt Personal Firewall. It stops confidential data from leaving your PC, like your credit card and social security numbers. Very useful, but you also need a real
antispyware product, to have complete protection against Internet 'Bad Guys'.
+ Where is the old Kerio v2.1.5? And is it supported by Sunbelt?
Sunbelt does not support this (very) old version 2.1.5 of Kerio. There are several sites on the Net that allow its download, but these tend to change frequently. Do a Google Search on "Kerio 2.1.5" and you'll find a few.
+ What is the technical background of this firewall?
The firewall runs as a background service, using a special low-level driver loaded into the system kernel. This driver is placed at the lowest possible level above the network hardware drivers. Therefore, it has absolute control over all passing packets and is able to ensure a complete protection of the system it is installed on. It:
- Blocks all externally originated IP traffic.
- Renders the desktop invisible to potential intruders.
- Has three security settings for easy configuration.
- Protect the computer from Trojan horses imitating trusted programs.
- Displays clearly via the Opened Connections Overview what each application is doing at any given moment.
+ How do I uninstall Sunbelt Personal Firewall?
Sunbelt Personal firewall can be uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs.
- Click on the Start button and go to Settings and then Control Panel.
- Double click on Add/Remove Programs.
- Find Sunbelt Personal Firewall in the list of installed applications. Click on the Remove button.
- If you did set a password then you will be asked to supply it before the firewall will uninstall itself. If you do not remember this password then read further below for the steps to boot into Safe Mode.
- Reboot Windows after Sunbelt Personal Firewall is uninstalled.
+ How do I remove a password if I have forgotten it?
You will need to boot to Safe Mode to remove a password configured in Sunbelt Personal Firewall. You may skip steps 1-6 if you already know how to boot into Safe Mode.
- Click on the Start button and go to the Run line.
- Type "msconfig" without the quotation marks and click the "OK" button.
- In Startup Selection on the General Tab, select the option for Diagnostic Mode Startup.
- Click the "Apply" and "OK" buttons.
- Restart Windows.
- Windows should now pause during the boot process. You should see a list of startup options. Choose option number three, Safe Mode.
- Open My Computer and then your hard drive. Go to Program Files \ Kerio \ Personal Firewall4.
- Open the folder named config.
- Delete the file named kpf.cfg.
- Before rebooting Windows you should rerun the "msconfig" command and set the "Start up Selection" to "Normal Startup" or "Selective Startup."
- Reboot Windows into Normal Mode.
Deleting the kpf.cfg file will remove the password configured in Sunbelt Personal Firewall and it will reset all of the settings within the firewall.
+ What is a generic host process for Windows and should I block it by default?
Definitions
Here are the definitions of some words that will be used in this question. These are not the only definitions of these words, but these are the definitions as they will be used here.
Host: This is another name for the computer itself.
Process: This is a program running on your computer.
Service: This is a program that runs invisibly in the background. The main difference between a service and an ordinary application is that a service will load and start running whether or not you log into Windows.
B: Answer to the question above
A generic host process is a name that Windows gives to many different services running on the computer that don't have any other name. An example of a generic host process is svchost.exe. Should you block a generic host process?
Typically svchost or any of the other generic host processes should be permited, at least temporarily.
Please be aware that some viruses and/or Trojans can infect or replace svchost.exe, so svchost.exe then becomes a virus. However, any modern antivirus software can detect when svchost.exe (or any other generic host process) becomes a virus, and stop it from doing any harm. We recommend scanning your computer for viruses at least once a week.
Is there a way to see a list of the services being associated with svchost?
If your operating system is Windows XP then you can view a list of the services using the following instructions.
Click on the Start button and go to the Run line.
Type "cmd" without the quotation marks and click the "OK" button. Type "tasklist /svc" (without the quotation marks). Hit the "Enter" button on your keyboard to run the above command
+ Does Sunbelt Personal Firewall turn off the Windows Firewall?
Yes, upon its startup, Sunbelt Personal Firewall disables the integrated Windows Firewall if it is running. Windows Firewall (or any Windows service) can only be altered (disabled or stopped) with admin rights. If you are logged on with user rights, then you should be safe. Because Sunbelt Personal Firewall registers itself as system (after reboot) and user(s) it is able to disable the Windows Firewall service.
+ I have a really old PC without a lot of RAM. What should I do?
We'd suggest using the old Kerio V 2.1.5 on that PC. It's free for personal use and doesn't use much memory. See the other FAQ's how to find that version.
+ Does the Sunbelt Personal Firewall block cookies?
It can, but the Sunbelt Personal Firewall by default does not block cookies, only if the user turns on that feature.
+ How much system memory (RAM) is the Sunbelt Personal Firewall using?
Between 20-30 MB, depending on usage.
+ I have a firewall in my router, do I still need a software firewall?
Yes, for instance if you want to know if any malware is trying to "phone home" from your PC and steal your personal information. A software firewall like Sunbelt Personal Firewall will inform you about that attempt, but a firewall in a router will not. There are many other reasons, but this one illustrates the point.
+ What were the dates of the different Kerio Releases?
- SPF 4.6.1839 July 7, 2008 (with Vista Support)
- SKPF 4.3.246 - May 22, 2006 (translations for several languages are not complete but this is being resolved)
- SKPF 4.2.3.912 December 15, 2005
- KPF 4.2 – July 21, 2005
- KPF 4.1 – September 14, 2004
- KPF 4.0 – August 18, 2003
+ How do I find what version I am currently running of the Sunbelt Personal Firewall?
Right click on the Sunbelt Personal Firewall Shield in the bottom right System Tray, then go to About, the version number is the System Service number.
+ I want to use VIPRE together with the Sunbelt Personal Firewall, can I do that?
Yes. We made SPF aware of VIPRE from SPF build Version: 4.6.1845 and later.
Upgrade to that version of SPF and the two will play nice together.
Sunbelt Personal Firewall Requirements
Sunbelt Personal Firewall has the following requirements
Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4 requires 10 MB of disk space for installation and runs on:
- Windows 2000 Professional (desktop version)
- Windows XP Home
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows XP Media Center Edition
- Windows Vista 32-bit
Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4 DOES NOT run on:
- Any 64 bit Versions of Windows
- Windows 2003 Server
- Windows 2000 Server
- Windows NT4
- Windows Me
- Windows 98
- Windows 95
Sunbelt Personal Firewall Documentation
Sunbelt Personal Firewall Technical Support
There are many ways to obtain support for Sunbelt Personal Firewall.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first step is to review the content found on the FAQs tab.
GetSatisfaction
Our new online support system where you can post questions, search for solutions and interact with the staff in our support department.
User Guide
The next step is looking for answers in the help file (inside Sunbelt Personal Firewall) or the Sunbelt Personal Firewall User's Guide tab.
KnowledgeBase
If your question is not answered by reviewing the Sunbelt Personal Firewall User's Guide, please visit our
KnowledgeBase for answers to common problems.
Need to contact our technical support department?
Sunbelt's business hours are from Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm (EST)
Sunbelt Personal Firewall Success Stories
Dec. 29, 2008 -
I must admit Sunbelt PF is the best. I tried some others firewalls but there is no comparison. Lionel
Dec. 11, 2008 -
I am very satisfied with this product
Dec. 8, 2008 -
Great piece of software, hardly wait for it to be x64 compatible!
Nov. 28, 2008 -
The greatest firewall I have used and I've used them all. It blockes all outgoing traffic I like that very much. It should be the standard. JJCarter
Nov. 5, 2008 -
This is the best Firewall I've come across, better than zone alarm. Its the best. Works perfect on Vista 32bit
Oct. 22, 2008 -
A couple of months back, I wrote to you telling you I was upset with my McAfee products. I was considering changing to VIPRE, but I was unsure what to do about a Firewall. You wrote back, telling me that Sunbelt had a good Firewall, and that you, yourself, actually used it. I had been a CounterSpy customer for a long time, and you convinced me to go all the way. Glad I did. The VIPRE and Firewall systems are functioning great, and my computer now has speed that it hasn't had in some years. Thanks, Larry
Oct. 20, 2008 -
I've been using Google translator to translate from Danish to English. So there can be little expression error. I've tried many different firewalls of antispyware. And must admit that your products are the best. Continue the good work ...
Sep. 30, 2008 -
Just tried this product. Wow, this is THE best firewall I have tried to date! This seems to be the ONLY firewall to not allow incoming network activity tied to a voip program. Way to go!!!!-- M.T.
Sep. 17, 2008 -
I love you guys! Small footprint and safe surfing! Worked on my old NT clunker. Works great on Vista. Thank you very thank you! MRB
Sep. 16, 2008 -
I have been using the trial version of your Sunbelt Personal Firewall. I am so happy with the product that I decide not to wait for the 30 day trial period to buy it, I will buy it now. Fantastic program.
Sep. 9, 2008 -
I heard this a great Firewall, so I am excited to start using your product. Thanks again! JM
Aug. 27, 2008 -
Fantastic product,it works, simple to use and configure. Best level of configuration, simple for the missus, more configuarble for me and strict lockdown for the kids.
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