First, I'm using windows xp sp2 and a LAN connection

I have this problem with my windows XP firewall.. when i right click on my connection icon in the tray and click on configure internet connection firewall, i get this:

"Windows cannot display Internet connection firewall settings because the associated server is not running. To fix this problem, open control panel, double-click Adminstrative Tools, double-click Services, click Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service, and then click start"

So, i do what they tell me to at the end, and i get another message that says:

"The Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they have no work to do, for example, the Performance Logs and Alerts service.

Can anybody help me here please!!!

You might find more detailed information on the problem in your system logs. You can view the logs with the Event Viewer utility in your Administrative Tools control panel.

Look through the messages in the System and Application logs, especially those identified as "Error" or "Warning". If you find any information in the messages which could help pinpoint the problem, post the full and exact text of those messages here.

Do a virus and spyware scan first and then :

Open Run menu and run this command : netsh winsock reset

DMR, this is the error properties i get in the Event Viewer everytime I try to configure my firewall:

DCOM got error "The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it. " attempting to start the service StiSvc with arguments "" in order to run the server:
{A1F4E726-8CF1-11D1-BF92-0060081ED811}

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

and nanosani, this didnt do anything

Did you do a virus scan and a spyware scan ???? most probably you'll have a virus in your computer. The command I told you was only for reseting LSPs. Post your hijackthis log in spyware and nasties forum.