No NetBios share + No Open Port = Safe Win98?

[gohyongkwang () hotmail com]

Hi,

I'm using an old computer at home for casual personal communication (checking Web based emails and MSN instant 
messaging) and Web surfing and it is still running on Windows 98 SE due to its limited RAM and CPU power. No plan to 
upgrade and the computer is still good enough for the simple job.

Nevertheless, since I connect my computer to the Internet via a ADSL router/modem, I did some preliminary check on my 
computer to see how secure I am.

I used winipcfg.exe to obtain my IP address (192.168.1.101) and did a netstat -a on it to find out what ports are open 
and/or listening. It reports only port 139 as listening, which after googling around a bit says it's a NetBios session 
port. Dunnoe what this means though, but I've _not_ enabled "File and Printer Sharing."

Now assuming I'm a cautious Web surfer who uses Firefox and only visit reputable sites like MSN, Yahoo! and Google, and 
avoid visiting hacking sites and running hacking tools, and that my computer is currently not infected by malware, 
virus or rootkit (i.e. computer is clean and updated), is there any way that a hacker can still connect to my computer 
over the Internet, browse my hard disk and steal my files?

Theoretically, I've not enabled port forwarding in my router/modem, and so external computer trying to ping or connect 
to my computer should not succeed, and if there's no port listening at all (except for port 139), no other computer 
should be able to infilitrate right?

Yet, I can't say anything is foolproof. So just like to seek your expert opinion. What are the other areas I should 
continue to look at to further protect my system? Is it still possible to be attacked through a listening port 139 with 
file sharing disabled?

Thanks in advance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This list is sponsored by: Norwich University

EARN A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE - ONLINE
The NSA has designated Norwich University a center of Academic Excellence 
in Information Security. Our program offers unparalleled Infosec management 
education and the case study affords you unmatched consulting experience. 
Using interactive e-Learning technology, you can earn this esteemed degree, 
without disrupting your career or home life.

http://www.msia.norwich.edu/secfocus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------