Help against hackers

hi! I m again asking the same question about hackers and open ports. I usually wonder how one could break in my system if he/she knows my ip address and i've some ports open at a LAN in which windows 98 OS is installed. Note that i m sure i've no trojan's server installed (like subseven) Than i came to know about one method of connecting to host system using opened shared ports. It was uploading other ip and port in lmhost file. Well i want to know about validity of this method if this really work or just a rumour. Due to some reasons I can't install any firewall and in this case upgrading to win2000 pro can save me from such attacks? Again telling i m now using win98 home networking on both workstations and server system.

Open ports are like open doorways into your computer. Firewalls will either block these ports or filter out packets coming into your computer. Are you referring to your NetBIOS port being open? Check out the below link to understand that risks of NetBIOS.

http://www.mycgiserver.com/~ethicalhackers/netbios.html

Why can't you install a firewall? What error messages are your receiving? If you are running a cable modem I highly recommend you continue search for a firewall that will work with your network.

Naughty!!! NetBIOS...you left the backdoor open again! do we live in a barn? NOW GO CLOSE IT!! :D

The minimal security you *must* use with NetBios is:
1.To put a password on your shared ressources (it's in the properties of your folders).
2. To not shared the root of your hdd or even any Systems folders.
3. To restrict the access with a good firewall to allow only some IPs to access to your NetBios ressources.
4. To not use NetBios?

>The minimal security you *must* use with NetBios is:
<1,2, and 3 deleted>
>4. To not use NetBios?

Definitely a good idea on servers and such, if you don't need file and printer sharing your machine it's probably a good idea to just disable the service.

naughty, there maybe a couple of reasons you may not be able to install a firewall, or other software or close open ports. You said in an earler post you were not running legal copies of your OS. Solving other open ports prblems may also be hampered by the fact that it appears you do not have propper premissions to access your your OS, or if you attempted to download patches for a hacked version of Windows M$ knows just about all of the cracked OS versions out there and may have disabled parts of your system files so they cannot be changed. Warez versions of anything have all sorts of bugs and fixing them is often impossible, or a waste of time. Often faster, less expensive to buy ligit versions of OS's andother software then find work arounds for Warez copies. Now don't get me wrong not down on you or other users that use Warez just be aware your version is not going to react to common fixes that work on a ligit version of the software. Such are the pit falls of free and is it really free when your system is taken over?