Yep....There's no such thing as a free lunch.

One of the things that really infuriated me when I first got onto the web a few years back, and has only proliferated since, is that everybody (ISPs, Webhosting services, index submission services, etc.) has got their hand out, for a cash grab or ulterior motive that will generate a cash flow. Anytime you see something that is supposedly free (Mudcat Forum exempted), the word FREE should trigger alarm bells. Everything is conditional on something else.
Bit of thread creep here, but hopefully others might see this as a public service. Others may already be familiar with this but for those that aren't...whether you are logged on to the Internet via dial-up connection, cable modem, DSL, whatever, you owe it to yourself to download a free (yeah there's that word again *G*)and very effective firewall program called Zone Alarm. This simple little program will stop all attempted hacks and intrusions into your computer while you are connected and online --especially good for people who maintain 24/7 internet connections even when you're not sitting at your computer. Yes it uses between 5 and 7% of Windows resources but the security it provides is in my opinion an acceptable trade-off. I was shocked after first putting it on my system a few months ago, at how many attempted probes (either thru telenet, TCP/IP, Net bios, and other "open" ports on ones computer) that are made in a 24 hour period. Some of these attempted hacks are generated by cookies placed on your computer from websites you visit, and act like homing pigeons relaying info about your hardrive contents and browsing habbits back to its source; some are webmasters who log your IP address and then try and find out more information about your which they can use at their own discretion or sell to marketing, advertising and bulk junk emailers, etc. Without a firewall program in place you are a sitting duck and literally naked and exposed to some wannabee hacker, business competitor, etc.

I urge everyone that I know and care about (which includes the members of this Forum) to download this program and install. It's very simple to set up. Once you've installed it, just set the security setting for your LOCAL network to LOW, and the INTERNET connection to HIGH. As you run your web browser or email or other internet application, the firewall program will ask you if you want these apps to access the internet. Just say yes, as far as email, web browsing, newsgroup, ICQ etc...and the program will remember, and not bother you about when you go to run these apps the next time.

I would suggest when you configure the firewall, to leave checked, the box that will put a notice/prompt on the screen notifying you each and every time an attempted intrusion into your computer is made while you're on the Internet, and of course it will give you the source of the intrusion and other details, and, it will reassure you that the firewall blocked this intrusion. You will be shocked and amazed at the frequency of hack and probe attempts into your computer.

An