# What's screwing with my home network? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687 "2009-07-11T17:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/1 "2009-07-11T17:37:59Z")
I have a small network of computers in my home. Four Windows XP boxes, two on ethernet (100), two on wifi (g), one Ubuntu box on ethernet (100), all linked by a Linksys router. My Ubuntu box runs Samba for WINS service, file sharing, and to be my print server. I use OpenDNS for DNS service. All Windows boxes but one run ZoneAlarm (the one that doesn’t is ancient and simply doesn’t have the power). Until very recently, all have been running very smoothly. When I needed something on one box while I was working on another, I could easily access it or transfer it. Printing worked seamlessly. Recently, and concurrent with no intentional changes I have made, it’s like my whole network hates me. One computer pops up a ZoneAlarm warning anytime any computer on the network (including itself) tries to browse the network. This makes me think the problem is with ZoneAlarm. I also had a blue screen crash the other day on one of the Windows boxes, and it reported that the file that caused it was vsdatant.sys, which Google tells me is a ZoneAlarm file. But I also can’t print sometimes, which makes me think the problem might be in my Samba setup. I’m open to rational suggestions for places to start looking because I’m starting to get a little irrational. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/2 "2009-07-11T18:39:17Z")
Well, it’s probably not this, but it was the problem I had. I have Macs, if that matters. But all was perfect, and then one day the whole wireless network shuts down. Then it’s fine, then it’s down. I can surf, then I can’t. I can print, then I cant. after three days of this (I work at home) and umpteen hours with tech support with both Apple and Earthlink, I wondered if it was because of a problem I had years before when I owned a 900mhz phone. I walked up to my new neighbors who just moved in and, sure enough, they had a 900mhz phone. I explained what the problem was and offered to buy them a new phone. They explained they were planning on new phones anyway, and bought one. Problem over. Good luck. I know how infuriating it can be. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/3 "2009-07-11T18:43:15Z")
Yeah, I could buy that if it was just my wifi computers having problems. I don’t see how that would affect my hardwired boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/4 "2009-07-11T23:08:44Z")
Has ZoneAlarm updated itself recently? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/5 "2009-07-12T00:34:09Z")
It could be ‘_who’s_ screwing with your home network’: [North Korea](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/new-wave-of-cyberattacks-pinned-on-n-korea/article1211873/). I’m suspicious of botnets these days… could one have gotten into your unprotected box? How much power does a botnet program need? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-screwing-with-my-home-network/502687/6 "2009-07-12T02:41:22Z")
Uninstall ZoneAlarm. Your DSL router should have a firewall built right in, use that instead - it’s faster and more reliable. I had a problem with ZA some years ago that still occurred if ZA was installed but disabled, I had to fully uninstall it to get connectivity back. So I’ve never trusted it since.