Alright, I have a 1.5 mb dsl connection through Qwest. I can connect to the internet fine through both browsers (FF and IE) and through AIM. I can also connect to BF2 servers just fine. But when using other programs that have to connect to a central server they fail, such as Hamachi, X-fire, Steam, Xchat. I was using a static IP which i switched so i could forward some ports for torrenting. but I switched back to dynamic and it hasn't fixed anything. I have gone into my modem and made sure nothing is blocked, I have no firewalls on AT ALL and I am not using a router. I am lost as to what is blocking those programs from connecting. Any help is greatly appreciated. I p[posted this here because U trust this community and their advice more than any others. THANKS