can't connect to the internet plz help!!!

trying to connect another computer to my modem (cable/brighthouse) so i can get on line but i'm not sure what the problem is. do i need a disk to install a driver or something? modem won't respond, and it has an internal data fax voice modem. this computer was previously dial-up, could that be the reason? OS Win98 and i do not have any recovery or backup disks nor the original software that came with the computer, this computer is not mine so i don't know much besides that. can anybody help???

 

youll need some kind of routing/switching device like a linksys or dlink home router. youll plug your modem into the wan/uplink port on the router then plug your computers into the switch ports(other ports on the device). the device will provide your computers with dhcp which gives you network addresses for your devices on the network.

hope that helps

 

okay, i thought that much already but i'm not keeping this computer i just need a couple things off the internet before i return it to my friend. i'm assuming the solution you provided is long-term right? i just need to connect for about two or three hours, so is that the only solution? however, i also plan to network these two computers with another three so is there a use for the router in that situation? these computers will be in different cities.

 

well its not necessarily long term, its just how a home network should be set up. you never want to plug directly in to your modem because youd have the public IP address anyone can see and potentially hack your computer. if youre behind a router, you would have some security because you're on a different network.

if you only need to use the internet for a few hours and thats it, youd be better of going to starbucks and using the free wireless.

networking between different cities and whatnot is an entirely different concept. a vpn is a virtual private network. this will basically make a secure pipe through the internet that will make your home network and the network across the internet 1 virtual lan. you will still need to be behind a router because its the router that will create the vpn. and you can only have a private network when youre behind a router, otherwise it is still all public.

Virtual Private Networking or VPN is something you will have to look deeper in to than what i just told you.

 

cool. you answered my next question also, thank you so much i truly appreciate it by the way anybody know of a tutorial site on networking that i could check out. (my books just aren't cutting it)

 

networking is huge. it all depends on what you want to know. you can learn a lot from books if you have the right ones.

i think www.ezlan.net has some good faq's and a's that might help you out.