Do I simply go into "network connections" and add the ports (settings>add>all that other good stuff) from the connection settings? If not, can someone please tell me a step by step process of unblocking the ports. i already know which ports i need to unblock. thank you

assuming that you are only using Windows Firewall (installed with XP's Service Pack 2) then getting to it from the "Network Connections", though the long way to go about it, is possible by Right-Clicking a particular connection > Properties > Advanced Tab > Settings... This will bring up the Windows Firewall consule (same as if you clicked on "Windows Firewall" in the Control Panel). From there you can go to the "Exceptions" tab and add a port... name it whatever you would like and enter the appropriate port number. For something like AOL's Instant Messenger it may just be simpler to add the entire program instead of just the port. If you are still unable to connect with AIM then you are either using a 3rd party firewall (consult the manual for configuration) or have different issues all together. Not sure how much that helped, but there's some info! Michael