> In effect, it will only be online when I want it to be, i.e., when me and my friends need access to it. It won't be 24/7. And when it does get hacked (and I notice), I'd just re-install. It's not my main pc, so that wouldn't be a disaster. <br>> <br>> Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try. <br> <br>If you take a standard windows box you buy from the store (which wouldn't have the most recent patches) and attach it to the internet with no firewall it will be taken over in about 7 minutes. Of course, you're only opening one non-standard port, but you're running IIS and you're not familiar with securing it. Depending on how concerned you are about your other machines, I might unplug them such that they are never connected to the network while your .NET machine is also plugged in. Once someone is past your router/firewall they can/will take over whatever else is on your network eventually. <br> <br>Disclaimer: I tend to be more cautious/paranoid than most people.