how to delete the zone alarm database files.
in zone alarm (both free and pro) sometimes the database files that keep all your program settings, permissions, options, etc. become corrupted (even some trojans can do this!). if you start to have weird problems with zone alarm, like programs appearing or losing permissions, etc., often the first step is to delete the database files. can't just simply find 'em and nuke 'em; you need to take just a few extra steps to assure all goes well. note that deleting the databases means you will set up your preferences and programs again. just follow these suggestions, and you should be fine!
* disconnect from the internet. you may want to write down your specific ZA settings so you can recreate them easily; also see our guide to za settings for more guidance.
* uncheck "Load ZA at Startup". re-boot your machine (important.)
* make sure ZA is not running; more importantly, true vector (the actual firewall application) is not running. to do this, use a process viewer to see if there is vsmon.exe, minilog.exe, or zapro.exe running. if you have WinNT or Win2K, you can also open a command prompt window and type, "net stop vsmon". you should get an error message that the service was not running, or else a message that the service is now stopped.
* assuming nothing's running, now open the Internet Logs directory (in 95/98/ME this will be "c:\windows\internet logs", in NT and 2000 it will be "c:\winnt\internet logs"), where you will find a file called "iamdb.rdb" and a file named after your computer with the ".ldb" extension. delete both of these files. if you are unable to rename or delete iamdb.rdb because the file is locked ("in use"), that means TrueVector is still running. reboot into Safe mode and now try.
* once you've deleted the files, re-boot your machine. the database files will be re-created by zone alarm. now set all your permissions and settings again.
you can find more help at the following site:
Doc B's Zonealarm pages
Tank863
