Hi ALL. This is my first vivit to your forum. I've read alot of threads. The Admin here is doing a GREAT job! A background on my prob:I have a small home network.2 computers. both XP home.One older version of XP, 1 new that came with sp1. All updates and driver updates are in place(critical, and only some of the other updates which I deemed may be worth installing). My networked is connected as follows: Cable line to modem, modem to 4port lynksys, computers in slot 1 and 2 of router.(I have recenty learned from NetworkWizzard that this is not the best way,as files in MyNetwork can be seen. SO what. just a bunch of game demo's. It's easy to dload to 1 and drag and drop to the other.)I like getting all I can out of my machines so I feel like I would be using processing power uselessly if I connect 1 computer directly to another.pls advise if I am incorrect in that assumption. Both computers worked fine until I gave my Ip to someone (saavy in code language)for help with a .zip file prob I was having.(the prob turned out to be me). 2 days after I gave out my IP to this guy I tried to send a demo to MyNetworkPlaces as usual. The file transferred fine but when I tried to access that folder from computer2 I was not able to. I double click on the folder, it opened not long enough for me to even see contents and then it closed.A second try to open the folder gave me an error. I even got messages that someone my have tried to hack my computer.( this is all on computer2. computer1 is used as main to dload the files for internet) I follow error links that for that prob"MyNetWorkPlaces folder not opening". Microsoft error page says that their is a fix comming(whenever) in sp2. I go online with MS support. They tell me to go to msconfig and by process of elimination find the source. I did. The source seemed to be Norton2003. So I uninstalled N2003 and lo and behold I think my N2003 disk got damaged so I couldnt reinstall it. Well to top this off, computer1 started the same thing about 30 min later. I can no longer access MyNetwork folder on either machine. Wondering if my free year of subscription to updates from N2003 had run out, I proceeded to uninstall 2003 from both computers. I had to dload tools to completely remove it ok. did that. My P4P800 motherboard came with a diff version of norton.(norton internet security to be exact.)So I installed that version hoping that norton was in bed with Microsoft and that this was their way of getting me to upgrade, and that installing a new(or different version not yet used would clear things up.Nope. I still cant get into the folders of My Network places. AAAAND now I can't use MSMessenger on computer1 cause norton isn't able to scan it. Even after using all removal tools and installing different version.(Bear in ming that MSMessenger works fine on computer2 with same norton installed)[pls let me add that XP is the only OS that I have seen that runs differently on every machine that it is installed on.]Hmmm. So I hope ya'll have't fallen asleep yet reading all of this. 1)Why am i locked out of MyNetwork folders? 2)Does it sound like someone tried to hack my computer? 3) If so, did Microsoft(or Norton) remotely kill my access to these folders for security reasons?( Microsux would not give me an explaination). Oh yeah, I did try a clean install on of XP on both machines(did not format.I thought XP was going to cause I selected that during install, yet all files were left on both machines and only OS was reinstalled). 4)Any Ideah how to correct Messenger prob? 5) Should I just format both and reinstall XP again?( and again and again and again..............;). Pls help, I know this is alot to ask. Sincerely, David B.(FaTaL) !!High-End Gaming!!

I'm not very familiar with networking, but I had a problem LONG ago on a Win98 system similar to that. Folders stopped opening, pictures turned to .exe files when I clicked them, etc. Turns out I had a backdoor, trojan, whatever term turns you on. The problem turned out to be the "Romeo and Juliet" (ble-bla virus) bug. I'm not saying you may have this exact problem, but I'd definately buy myself a new version of Norton (2004 works great for me), a Spyware program such as Spybot.com or Adaware.com (I use Spyware Killer), and see what those turn up AFTER updating the definitions files. It's possible there may be something there! Ciao!