I was trying to remove old "embarrassing" pictures of George & Katie from the old heath-whyte.freeserve.co.uk site, but found that my FTP clients couldn't get full access to the old Freeserve server, on ftp://uploads.webspace.freeserve.net

I was logging in with the correct username and password, the client would get a reply back from the server, but when it tried to LIST, it just timed out.

I tried the Windows command-line ftp console (info about that here: http://www.nsftools.com/tips/MSFTP.htm), and I managed again to get access, to be able to delete, but not to copy files to the server, or list the files on the server. Hmmm... what could be wrong?

Then I spotted that, whereas most ftp commands go to port 21 on the destination server, the commands that weren't working were going to ports 5003, 5004 etc. Aha - I turned off my Wireless Router's Firewall - and bingo! Full access is restored.

The Router was blocking my ftp requests, hence the timeouts. Nothing to do with Orange, or Freeserve - no great plot to stop us using the sites. Nope - just a firewall on my wireless router.

I guess if you're up to FTPing stuff, you'll know how to get into your router to (temporarily) disable the firewall

You might be thinking - but what kind of photos could be so embarrassing they want them removed? I guess its this kind of thing...(x gallery deleted for humanitarian reasons x)