I use "Zone Alarm", which is a freeware firewall program. Just to back up Mike's point, I cleared my "Alert Log" this morning before I left for work at 6:30 AM. I have an "always on" DSL internet connection so my 'puter stays running all the time. When I got home this afternoon from work, I checked my firewall & I had been "hit" 35 times since this morning. All of these hits were probably innocent in nature but it just takes one bozo to get inside your computer & totally mess up your world.
Bill R-4581