pornguy, assuming you are using a command line prompt with Windows, the first thing I think I would look at is to determine just what is making all of the connections you notice. Typing "netstat -b" at the command prompt, for example, will show you the executable being used.
Additionally, you can use netstat to determine the port used as well other pertinent information that you can use to search for clues/answers on Google if it's not apparent on the terminal display output.
Not sure what else to suggest, but to me, the very first thing you need to do is determine, and isolate, exactly what is causing the connections.
Here's a decent site for NetStat command line switches and what each one does.
Netstat Command and its Application in Windows