how do i host my website on my p.c . i am running win xp pro and i
have a static i.p address. AS it's just a personal webpage, i don't
want to have to go and buy software or register for any paid service.
i already have the domain name pointing to my computer's i.p address.
i.e at my registrar i have the nameservers as my i.p address.

monclair-ga:

Looks like you are already in good shape to run a web server.  All
you'd need is a web server (http server) like the one from
http://www.apache.org/  (Get the Windows32 binary to install, and
source code if you want it.  They are free, but you can contribute
funds if you like.)  Spend some time reading the configuration
information carefully and you should be able to set it up easily after
that.  Some cable ISPs have policies against running any type of
server, but that's an administrative detail I assume you have already
taken care of.

--
I am not an official GA researcher.

Apache is great if you have a large website and have the knowlage to
configure it properly. A miss-configured Apache server puts you at
serious risk from hackers. I would recomend AnalogX's SimpleServer
http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/sswww.htm

Although the posts above are helpful, but running a host in house is
not good without good security. Windows platforms are volenurable and
you need to worry about that.