so that means if i want to host a forum from brinkster i have to upload all the .asp and .gif files? is that correct or can i just upload the database and host the rest of the site from my normal server?
It takes a little bit of time, I've done it about 20 times or so. What do you expect, it's free. They use FTP access as an incentive for you to upgrade, same with e-mail component access.