Need help with 2 PC home network

[wayne95240]

I use a cable broadband usb modem from comcast to my computer running XP and I have another computer running ME that I also want to bring online. I dont want to have to pay for two ISP's through comcast. Both computers have ethenet cards installed. I want to run a wired network... what do I need to make this happen software, hardware etc?

[Colemanguy]

Need to have a router.

[wayne95240]

No network sharing software necessary?

[studiot]

Your simplest solution is to connect both pcs via a crossover ethernet cable.

Windows XP contains all the necessary software to distribute the internet to another pc this way. It is called ICS, details of which can be found by typing ICS into Windows help.

However as Cole says a router is a better solution in the long run as you can use it for other things in the future. Also the internet will be independant for both pcs. That is you don't need both running to get internet on the second one.

Once again you don't need any extra software, just plug the second pc in and configure internet explorer the same as your first one. The boxes look cosmetically different but the underlying stuff is the same.

If you already have ethernet ports in the pcs do you use one to connect to the cable modem? If so is it already a router?

[wayne95240]

No the modem is connected to my mian pc via usb from the cable modem. So Am I to assume that doning the ICS thing and plugging in the enthernet cable will do the trick?

[studiot]

In the XP computer

start>connect to>showallconnections>
Right click your connection>advanced tab
select 'allow other users to connect through this computer's interent connection'

Read the windows help for more

Remember you need a crossover ethernet cable

Remember the second pc will only be able to connect when the first one is also running.