Zone Alarm ?'s

I just started using it and the first time I dialed to my internet it said that it had stopped 3 intrusions already. Is this common, what is it that is trying to get into my computer?

 

Those are the most annoying..

There is also alot of noise out there - hackers and drones scanning ports on any computer connected to the internet. I ususally shut off the alarm. Its just to annoying.

 

Agreed with All of the Above.

If you shut OFF the notifications of INTRUSION contact (Alert Events Shown -- OFF), and let it just LOG those (and think about deleting the logs every once in a while, cuz they mount up at one-a-day), it'll STILL warn you every time something inside wants to get OUT, and that's the big thing ZA is GREAT for stopping.

In time, when you look at the Programs list in the Programs Control panel, you'll have all of the programs with two green checks and two X's, and some (many on mine) with four X's. The ?'s mean "I dunno yet; I'll decide later," and it'll bug you again about those until you DO decide.

Anything that you check-for-updates for has to have the check for Internet Access, and it'll automatically get a check for Trusted if you give it one for Internet. But lotsa things will surprise you, so, for instance, my MS Clipbook Viewer tried to get out one day, and I couldn't see why on Earth my Clipboard contents needed to be sent to ANYbody for any reason any time, so that one has four big red X's. Lotsa others, too.