Usually, that sort of attack is just annoying, and wastes your time. Usually there is no actual "damage" to your computer.

You may like to try a quick fix. Most people know about the /ignore nick command. There is a variation on that which is /ignore nick 3 - the magic number 3 will stop the person from getting past your "ignore" by changing nicks.

While ignore works until you remove the ignore command by typing /ignore -r nick, you can use an alternative. This is /silence nick or /silence user@host - but, you need to understand how a host mask is made to do the host version of that command. silence will reset itself when you quit mIRC or whatever chat program you use.

There is a link on the left to a website which will trace the route from you to the person who is attacking you. You will need to enter the internet address of the person causing trouble.

Make a copy of the log it produces. There is also a command you can use from a DOS window on your computer that will do the same thing, but the person can tell if you are tracing him that way, and will often turn up the power on his attack.

The solution to your problem may well be in a thing called a "firewall". We have a link to a site where an excellent product called "Zone Alarm" can be found. This product is very easy to install - it even asks you what programs you want to work into the internet, which you check off on a list it gives you on screen!