>>So this is what I have further found - running Windows 8, 64bit.
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>>I have now tried 3 different personal firewall systems; (1) Eset Smart Security, (2) Comodo personal firewall, and (3) Zone Alarm free. Here's the thing: even if I allow all outbound requests from Windows (and inbound where relevant) my internet connection eventually fails - within 10 hours or less - and requires the machine to be rebooted. Even switching off and on the wifi and reconnecting to the router fails to give me a decent internet connection again. I need to reboot and start again. If I uninstall all personal firewall software and just leave the Windows 8 firewall (outbound only) running then my internet connection stays up all the time.
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>>Has anyone managed to run a 3rd party personal firewall application on Windows 8 for a day or more without problems? I'm curious...
>
>Have you talked with those 3 vendors about this?

No, not yet. Was looking here to see if I'm alone with this (i.e. it's my computing environment) or whether anyone else has come across this with Windows 8 or any firewall software that works for them.