Finally got it working, but MAJOR hassles with HL 1109 update and Zone Alarm

[FlyingPenguin]

Hope this helps someone else.....

First I couldn't apply the update patch - kept telling me my installed copy was 1105 when it was actually 1108.

So I applied the full patch, but then I couldn't join any servers or download a server list from the built-in client. If I joined manually or using Gamespy it would retry 4 times and time out.

Grrrrrr......

Finally figured out that it was Zone Alarm and the fact that the new HL uses a different port for accessing some new feature.

I have ZA installed but disabled. I installed it a few weeks ago to track down a suspected Adware program. Once I was finished, I disabled it.

HOWEVER it appears that ZA (at least on a Win2K system) continues running as a service even if the icon is not on the taskbar.

ZA was blocking a port that the new HL was trying to access, but without the taskbar app running ZA didn't give me an alert.

On a hunch I ran ZA and then started a game and sure enough I got an Alert. Once I gave it permanent permission it worked fine after that.

New CS and DOD 1.3 both work fine.

[dadx2mj]

It is not only ZA I have read of people having the same problem with Norton's firewall has well.

[Busby]

I had a similar problem. Zone Alarm ran on my old server computer and just recently it was off and no email could be recieved. Turned on ZA and all of a sudden it worked. Weird stuff.

[UberNeuman]

I've been using Tiny Personal Firewall and
have had an easier time with on-line gaming with it.

[EvilHorace]

I too have been having game related problems with ZA Pro running while either trying to start Q3 on my spare PC (now upgraded) or trying to do multiplayer QW (Quake1) between my two PCs in this room (testing).

I have ZA Pro on all 4 PCs here, all run Win2K as well. On my older (spare) PC, it'd run Q3 off the original cd version of the game but once patched Q3 wouldn't play after seeing the startup screen. ZA did give me a pop-up window at some time and does allow the game (full permision) in its program list.
After reading this thread last night, I shut ZA off and Q3 then works perfectly. Tryed Q3 again with ZA running, nope. I then tryed multiplayer QW between the same two PCs and with ZA running on this (main) PC with this one as the server, QW locked up. Shut ZA off and no more problems connecting.
Now, both PCs are setup to access one another in Win2Ks computer management and both PCs are setup to allow each other to access one another in each's ZA settings as well (file sharing works perfectly) SO there's definately something not right with either the latest ZA or more likely, a setting that I havent yet discovered in ZAs menu. I'm hoping to find that.
I've never seen where ZAs still working (controlling any programs) with ZA shut off (right click ZA icon, select "shut down ZA Pro").