The freezes are back

but this time I actually have something to suspect. I'm almost sure that they are caused by Comodo Firewall 2.4. I still want to do more tests to be absolutely sure but I guess I need to look for a different firewall application.

I've just looked at http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php and out of the free ones Malware Defender is said to support Win2k so I'll try it and see what happens.

Edited December 8, 201114 yr by tomasz86

You may want to look at using an older version of ZoneAlarm. I use a really old version when I'm running my Win 2K either natively or in a VM. I think it is ver. 5.55 or something like that. You can find the older versions here

I know it is oooold, but I like the old stuff.

Good luck, tracking it down.

Well, I'd prefer to use the newest software as possible when it comes to FW & AV

I've been testing this Malware Defender for a week and it seems to be fine, and indeed Windows 2000 is officially supported! It is probably the only one among the currently available free firewall software to support Win2k.

Oh, and NO freezes have occurred since removing the Comodo Firewall

Edited December 16, 201114 yr by tomasz86

Comodo 2.4.18.184 runs here on W2k, perfectly stable. The best firewall I've had up to now.

But... Tomasz86, are you still using the post-rollup USB patches that Microsoft didn't release broadly and calls "incompletely tested"?

Most are flawed, bugged, broken and do produce freezes. One shouldn't use them.

Does you W2k installation base on the unofficial SP5? You shall expect bugs then. It includes all these flawed patches.

No, I don't use USP5 or HBRs at the moment and I'm absolutely sure that it was Comodo 2.4 to cause this problem because everything has been fine since I uninstalled it on Dec 8.

As for the hotfixes themselves, I wouldn't be so sure that most of them are bugged (even if some really are like the USB related ones), ex. there are hundreds of them included in Update Rollup 1.

Edited December 25, 201114 yr by tomasz86

As for the hotfixes themselves, I wouldn't be so sure that most of them are bugged (even if some really are like the USB related ones), ex. there are hundreds of them included in Update Rollup 1.

That's my position, too. I know for sure some HBR Hotfixes are buggy. But, except for those I do know are buggy, my standard is to consider them OK, and usable. That's my 2¢, of course.

BTW, shouldn't we mark this [solved] by now?

Looks like the PC is loosing power for a split second and then coming back on. Just like when there's a power co. issue.

I've read again my notes about Comodo 2.4.18.184:

it did run badly as my mobo was damaged. At that time, it was one of the very few applications that ran crazy.

The Avast antivirus as well made false detections, unfrequently.

Since the mobo is replaced with a sound one, no single worry.

Well, a I said before, the only two parts which I didn't change is memory and CPU. I've already tested the memory and no errors occurred and unfortunately I haven't been able to check the CPU as I don't have any replacement. In the beginning I also thought that it might be a hardware related problem...

Anyway, the problem is gone so I'll mark the topic solved

Edited December 27, 201114 yr by tomasz86

Use iBurnTest to test a Cpu (also for Amd) there:

http://www.xgamingstudio.com/forum/showthread.php?9-RELEASE-IntelBurnTest-v2-53

it checks for computation and cooling mistakes - beware it loads for real.

It won't check if some local power supply has become too weak for an Agp port, for instance.