WINDOWS SP2 FIREWALL

Group policies are applied in a corporate environment. Speak with you network administrator.

but i dont think i have a network adiministrator, i mean this is my pc at home.

Are you runnn' XP Home or XP Pro?

Do you have a home network - is your problem machince connected to other machines?

im on xp pro..i do have another computer which my brother uses in his room but the only thing i can think of that we might be connected is through internet cable..our pc's arent connected directly or anyhting.

Well then, we got us a wierdness here - dunno any logical reason your machine might think it was a client om of a WSBS 2003 network I'm not real sure, but readin' through the MSKB article you linked, and chasin' through some related MSKB articles, and bouncin' around some in various newsgroups and bulletin boards, I come up with no answer in which I can put any confidence. It doesn't seem to me the orkarounds offered are applicable, as there is no WSBS 2003 nework involved, and of course no WSBS 2003 machine from which to administer Group Policy.

I'm gonna suggest you let Microsoft sort this one out. They have a toll-free number for SP2-related issues: (888) SP2-HELP (772-4357), 5:00 AM - 9:00 PM Pacific Time Weekdays, 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM Weekends.

all right thanks for all the effort timb