Customer Rating: 
Summary: Too many things get thru. I'm going back to a different firewall.
Comment: I had Mcafee security suite, FREE, through my comcast provider.
I used Black ice years ago and thought I would try it again, after seeing a review on it.
Problem 1:
Brand new retail box, bought online on an auction site.
Seals intact. Not even a hint of anyone ever opening the box.
During setup, installer says this product has EXPIRED.
Time to renew. ?????????
Emailed tech support and they sent me a new download link, to get a newer version (V3.6)AND they provided a new serial number/key to use during setup.
I got everything installed okay.
Problem 2:
Mcafee's firewall from Comcast, had showed several breakin attempts from the Far East.
But, it thwarted them.
Black ice is set up in the highest security mode, PARANOID.
However,it appears that stuff is actually getting through now and Mcafee's anti-virus has alerted me to several trojans and worms being detected and deleted.
Problem 3: Glad I got this for only 10 or 12 bucks (thru an auction site). I would be really upset if I had paid full price and then find out my pc is vulnerable, due to what appears to be a crapola firewall.
Over the years, I've used firewalls from:
mcafee
norton
zone alarm
webroot
tiny
Vcom
and a few others.
Never have I seen so many things slip through, to the point where I have to rely on my anti-virus program to stop/delete these unwelcome "pests".
This bites.
I'm going back to mcafee's firewall. At least with mcafee, the components worked as a team and the firewall blocked stuff and the anti-virus did it's own thing.
With blackice, it looks like the firewall took a siesta and left the door open; letting the anti-virus to "hopefully" catch/stop any intruders.
I'm not a "happy camper".
Just my 02 cents on this program.
Customer Rating: Summary: Easy to use, excellent software
Comment: I've owned and used BlackIce for over 7 years now. In all it's upgrades, it has been a non-intrusive, easy to use and effective software product.
The honest truth about this software is: It does a fantastic job of logging internet intrusions and STOPPING them. There is no combination of intrusion attempts that can get past this product and I've tried over the years. The interface is easy to understand and quite minimal for a product of such stature. It also boasts an effective internal application protection feature, which I don't really use (because my computer isn't full of trojan, virus, or otherwise and I never install what I don't know). Of all the other reviews below, the reviewer from Petaluma, Ca is the honest and accurate one. My experiences with the product are similar to his experiences. Be warned that some people who like the FREE ZoneAlarm, make reviews for Blackice which simply are not true. There are security reviews, you can find on the internet, which fully test Blackice and find it's a very solid and strong product which has no equal.
