Hi Jazhawk and welcome to the forum. (:WAV)
As you can see I am not an old hand here. I had been searching for a Firewall that I could become confident and comfortable with. Very recently I discovered Comodo Firewall and quickly realised its capability, performance and potential. Due to the commitment of the Comodo Team it is probable that it will maintain or even increase its lead over rivals. For “Team” you could read “Family”, how many CEO’s are willing to communicate directly with their end users? For me all this pointed to where I should head.
I had a glitch yes, nothing as drastic as yours, but my issues were very quickly and easily resolved, at Forum level, as there is plenty of willing help here. Another [to be paid for after trial] Firewall had a very similar glitch to CPF, their Forum failed to respond with anything meaningful, and their Technical Support system are over a month into the investigation with nil result to date. If you have not done so already look at the support system on offer here, compare this with other providers. Also consider the fact that Comodo give you the software and support absolutely free.
If you are concerned about the abilities of the product take a look at the Leak Test results produced by independent sites. The vast majority of users operate CPF successfully. Little wonder that there are a lot of satisfied users here.
I tried one free Firewall and it proved absolutely trouble free, it is not really surprising because it does not do very much either. Is its popularity due to zero installation issues/ease of use/cost [well lack of]? Should users be bothered about what will happen if serious malware attacks? IMHO most definitely they should. My reasons for having, amongst other layers of protection, an effective Firewall is to achieve the best possible defence for my system.
If you are interested in seeking help to overcome any issues with CPF or CAVS it will help those willing to assist if you indicate what OS and Software you are running. May I suggest posting in the Desktop Security Products-Comodo Firewall-Help Forum, and/or the appropriate Anti Virus Forum.
Whatever actions you take will be solely your responsibility and you should make yourself aware of all possible implications. Consider disconnection from the internet whilst the system is unprotected by a Firewall and/or Anti Virus. Other Firewalls and Anti Virus should be completely removed from the system. This may involve obtaining and running special ‘Clean Up Programs’ offered by some vendors to ensure that every trace of their product is properly removed. Visiting Manufacturers web site Download areas may give clues, even if they are not promoting this type of information, as to what may be needed. Probably there are appropriate Forums which can provide advice and links. It may be worth noting that Microsoft provide “Windows Installer Clean Up” to completely remove e.g. Microsoft Office. So you may well ask - what happened to “Add & Remove Programs” then? (:SHY)-[oops, says Bill] Clearly a grey area even for well established companies and their software. Also consider another “Best Practice”, after every installation or program removal re-boot the machine. Starting from square one is always a sound idea, hopping over the squares you will never know what you have missed.
Provided you are comfortable with using a Registry Cleaner or Editing the Registry, ensure that there are no traces of the old software remaining there. This could be done in addition to, or may take the place of, the “clean up” mentioned above. Make a backup of the Registry before you begin any editing process. If you find that a particular Software Package conflicts with CPF it might be worth searching the appropriate Company/Forum for any mention of Comodo issues and possible resolution. Please remember the decisions and consequences must remain yours alone.
IMHO Comodo is a top ranking Firewall capable of performing its functions within the confines of the stated OS and Hardware specifications. It is assumed that your set up meets this criteria. If there is a conflict with any other software you will find Comodo willing to resolve the issue if it is practicable.
I wish you good luck in your endeavour and happy, safe computing whatever route you choose to take. HTH.