Please Help Me (Tech Question)
 

I have two computers. I have external cable modem connected to the internet.

Right now, my main computer is connected to that modem through the USB port.

My other computer, i'll call it the secondary one, is not connected to anything.

What I am trying to do, is get my secondary computer (running WinME) linked to my main computer (running XP Pro), so it can access the internet through it somehow!

Both computers have modems built in, but none are in use. If anyone knows how do reach my goal without buying hubs, please help me out. I have wires to connect my two modems together.

Someone told me if I could get the two on a network together, I could get some software that could share the connection.

Anyone have any help they could give me, I would be REALLY thankfull!

networking cards, perhaps

Network Card: $10
Network card: $10
Crossover CAT-5 cable: $5


You cannot network two computers with just modems.

Yeah, they both have network cards. So is that possible.

With network cards, yes.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...Search+Froogle

I have network wires too, I need instructions on how to make them connect.

you need a crossover cable. either buy one (theyre quite rare though) or cut up a normal one and cross it (dont ask me which wires, try googleing for a diagram)

Can I create a network? If so, I have a program that can do the rest..

yes. once you have your crossover cable connected to both PCs(A REGULAR NETWORK CABLE WONT WORK), connect to the net and run the network configuration wizard on the xp one (its found in network connections in control panel). at the end it will offer to make a network setup disk. do so. put the disk in the winme pc and run it.

Your network SHOULD now work. However winme and 9x suck at networking, and you should really put xp on both.

Guess it's hub time for me.. :(

Unless anybody knows an easier way to rewire my cable? :weird:

1. find diagram

2. cut wire

3. resolder

4. electrical tape so they dont touch each other

5. ???

6. profit!

I tried rewiring one, and right now am attempting to make it all work, hopefully it does :up:

You don't solder cat5 cable. You will need to get a small pack of RJ45 jacks, and a crimper to attach the cat5 wire into th RJ45 jack, which is a pain in the ass to arrange the 8 wires in the correct order, and shove them into the jack piece and keep them in that order, and make sure they're all in as far as they go before you crimp it. After you crimp it, it better work, otherwise, you'r ass is cutting the jack off and re-arranging wires again.

best solution:

1) Buy a router
2) Have 3 sets of regular cat5 cable
3) Hook the cat5 from the cable modem to the LAN hookup on the router
4) Hook a cat5 from port 1 of the router to a NIC on one of your PC's
5) Hook a cat5 from port 2 of the router to a NIC of the 2nd PC
6) Set an account on Windows XP for Windows 98 to log onto (otherwise, windows 98 will not be able to access the XP machine)
7) Log 98se onto your XP machine
8) Configure the router with the MAC address of your main machine (the one you're currently connected to the net with), and the router will do most of the rest of the work.


That's how I'm set up, only it's Windows 2000 Pro and Windows 98se.

Shouldn't be too hard to rewire one TCP Cable, but it's not logicaly mirrored so you need to find a diagram, and see where the cables should be placed, also get a new plug for the cable, or maybe even a computer-store near you can help you? They usually have the tools for making cables, and it's kinda special the tool you need to strap the plug to the cable after you have done the rewiring.

TCP = Transmission Control Protocol, as in TCP/IP. the cable is called cat5.

As for making a crossover cable:

Connector 1
Pin 1 = green/white
Pin 2 = green
Pin 3 = orange/white
Pin 4 = blue
Pin 5 = blue/white
Pin 6 = orange
Pin 7 = brown/white
Pin 8 = brown

Connector 2
Pin 1 = orange/white
Pin 2 = orange
Pin 3 = green/white
Pin 4 = blue
Pin 5 = blue/white
Pin 6 = green
Pin 7 = brown/white
Pin 8 = brown

easy solution:
install xp or 2000 on everything, set everything to autologin, beg/steal/buy/borrow a prefab crossover cable, use wizard, woohoo done.
Thats how I did it.

Doesn't become very good if you have 3 or more computers, because then all would need 2 NICs, except the last.

With the router way, each PC only needs 1 NIC. Plus you get the added security of a hardware firewall with a router.

Just my preference to use a router.

if i end up with an extra PC i'll buy a router with a wireless-g base station built in. then laptop can be on internet in one room when my pc hosts stuff.

But if you never made your own cables, it is cheaper to buy the dam crossover cable instead of the crimper and the sack of RJ-45 connectors. And it isn't too easy (I suck at it, at least).

on my XP machine it has 3 NICs. one onboard(internet) and the other 2 for networking with the other computers. i got a crossover cable from radioshack. costed like $10 i think.