Q: Of the computer trying to steal my files, is that the IM address? What can be done about it? Is that a criminal offense? Are all the anti spyware's that sophisticated? I don't even know what I got, someone else installed it Yes it said someone was trying to steal the files, and then it did some maneuvers and told me it had the IP address! I think it stopped the file stealing, u can see I know very little about that stuff, but it looked serious!
A: Not the IM address, but the IP address, usually presented as a set of four numbers in the range 0 to 255, e.g. 192.168.0.1. Once you know the IP address, you can find who owns that address. However, there's no certainty that was the person hacking into your PC - their machine may have been hacked too. Are you sure someone was actually accessing your files? A firewall usually says that the address was trying to get in and doesn't say anything about stealing files. Yes, it's illegal, and is regarded as a very serious crime too. In fact, it's very unlikely that they'll get away without a jail sentence. Most anti-spyware is pretty good, but I think this is a firewall.