I ask because, since downloading my last MS updates, I have a balloon popping up telling me my MS firewall is not on and that it should be. Yes, I have been having problems. A trojan virus and 5 malware infections in the last few days alone. If you search my username, you can see all of my posts on those subjects. I think I finally got everything cleaned up, with the help of all of you here and an MS virus tech, but am trying to do all I can to stop it from happening again. I have basic computer skills and am learning on the fly, so ...may I pick your brain? So, outbound firewall protection is important because it keeps my private info from being pulled OFF my computer and sent somewhere else? Is there such a thing as inbound protection and is it important too? Do you have any firewall reccommendations if the MS firewall isn't very useful? Are there any free ones? We're about to get DSL from our phone company, which includes a firewall. What questions should I ask them about their firewall? If it's a cheesy firewall, will I be able to turn it off and use another? If so, how?