To quote mdsn http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpref/html/frlrfsystemiostreamreaderclassreadtoendtopic.asp[^] : "ReadToEnd assumes that the stream knows when it has reached an end. For interactive protocols, in which the server sends data only when you ask for it and does not close the connection, ReadToEnd might block indefinitely and should be avoided." If your sending and receiving text only, use StreamReader and StreamWriter's ReadLine and WriteLine methods an you should be ok. Rob Philpott.