hello, the other day i signed up for help from a forum. and i received a confirmation letter stating that someone from xx.xx.xx.xx this ip address had signed up for help and gave me a password and conformation link. my question is how did they get my ip address if i am using a router with a firewall and also i am using zone alarm 6.1.737.000? beccasue i was under the impression that my ip is hidden from the outside when using a router and firewall software. thanks, craig cn60@msn.com

No, your IP is not hidden. A quick check at the following web site will confirm: http://www.whatismyip.com/ A firewall prevents your computer from responding to outside port requests. If you go to the following web site and run the Shields Up port scan test on your PC you will see what, if any, ports are open on your PC and vulnerable to attack: https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 Click on the "Proceed" button and then the "Common Ports" to run the basic port test. This will let you know if you have any open ports that can be exploited. Also, if you do some reading while you're there. You'll get a much more in-depth explanation of firewalls.

Now that you know you cannot hide from the world, be careful what you do out there. If warranted, the FBI & NSA knows where to find you :-) i_XpUser

this is another nice website that you can use for various things www.dnsstuff.com Trying to make some money so i can go back to my country for vacation

craig, an easy way to surf anonymously is to use proxy servers. Using web proxies will allow you to connect to sites while keeping your IP address hidden. I prefer Tor. www.monkonline.tk

thanks for all the help. craig cn60@msn.com