How do I set it up

[todmax]

Hi,
I want to connect my PC running Win 98 to my laptop running Win ME. I want to use a hub. My PC has an ethernet card and DSL. What all do I need and how do I configure/install everything?

[glc]

If your DSL modem has an Ethernet output, just go buy a Linksys BEFSR41 Cable/DSL router with 4 port 10/100 switch. Buy an Ethernet card for the laptop and buy two Category 5 Ethernet cables. Disconnect the DSL modem from your computer and plug it into the WAN port on the router. Using the cables you bought, connect the Ethernet cards from both computers to the router. Follow the directions in the pamphlet that comes with the router to set it up. Once it is set up and both computers can browse the Internet, you can, if you wish, enable file and print sharing on the machines to share drives, folders, and printers.

If your DSL is "PPPoE" and uses software to log on (such as Enternet 300 or WinPoet) it must be uninstalled.

[todmax]

Thanks for your help. It is PPoE and uses the Earthlink Dialer (WinPoet). Do I need to get rid of all the Earthlink software? It is version 5. Or do I need to get rid of just WinPoet?
Max

[glc]

You may keep the Earthlink-branded IE and OE if you wish, but you must uninstall Winpoet before you hook up the router. The Linksys pamphlet and help files will tell you how to set up the router for PPPoE, you basically have a place in the configuration page to enter your username and password. The Internet connection settings need to be verified as "never dial a connection" and LAN settings must have all proxy boxes unchecked. The reason you must uninstall Winpoet first is because your TCP/IP must be able to be configured to connect to IP address 192.168.1.1 to access the router setup pages.

[LawyerRon]

If you want to really read up on networking, sharing dsl, printers, etc., here's a good site: http://www.practicallynetworked.com/

[Dini]

if you do everything that mr Glc said you will not have any problem.
all you need to get this work is exactly as mr Glc said.
good luck.

[todmax]

Hi,
ok, I am officially frustrated. I followed the manual point by point, and had my WinPoet uninstalled, but everytime I click on IE, it says that the page could not be found. I have my settings on obtain IP address automatically, with PPPoE enabled. Whe I go under "run" and the type "winipcfg", and then select the ethernet adapter, my settings don't say what the manual says they should be. They are:
IP Autoconfiguration Address: "169.254.114.5"
Subnet mask: "255.255.0.0"
DCHP: "255.255.255.255"

Nothing works any more because I uninstalled WinPoet....thank goodness for a laptop!!!!
Max

[glc]

I assume that you have DHCP enabled in the router, and your laptop is working through the router properly?

If this is the case, your TCP/IP in your other machine is broken - and Winpoet probably had something to do with this. I recognize the "bogus" IP addressing you are getting, and it's not terribly easy to fix.

Go into Networks in control panel and remove ALL components. Reboot and your network card should reinstall. Then go into TCP/IP properties of the network card and set them up the same way the laptop's are. If this still doesn't work, you may have to reinstall Windows.

If anyone else has found a quick fix for that 169.254.xxx.xxx syndrome, please post it - I hate reinstalling Windows to fix a broken stack.

[todmax]

actually, the laptop won't connect to the internet either.......i have to connect through a dial up connection.
Max

[todmax]

I got it to work. I reset the router and it came back with the correct settings on the card. How do I set that up? What about if I want to use my laptop off the network. Do I just hit cancel when I come up to that point?
Max

[glc]

Easiest way to set the router and the clients is - enable DHCP on the router and do the same on the TCP/IP settings on the clients. The easiest way to run the laptop off the network is eject the network card before you boot it up and it won't bother you when you start Windows.

[todmax]

How does that whole password thing work, and why can I still get on there even if I hit cancel or don't type in a password. Where do I set the password up?

[glc]

All you are doing by canceling is not logging onto your local network for filesharing. You still have an IP address to access the Internet.

The way I usually set up small networks like yours is:

Search the \windows directory for *.pwl, delete them. These are your password lists. Then go into networks and set the primary logon to Client for Microsoft Networks. Then reboot the machine, and when the logon box comes up, type your name into the name field, leave the password blank, and hit OK. Windows will ask to confirm the password, and just click OK again. You will now have both file and print sharing connected, and access to the Internet. Every time you boot, the logon box will come up with your name already in it, just hit Enter or click OK and you will be logged on. When you want to use the laptop standalone, eject the network card and boot it up - it will go right into Windows with no logon box appearing.

[AlwaysUp]

GLC, will that Laptop bootime be a bit longer after poppin out the ethernet card?

[HAL9000]

No, if anything, booting without the network adapter will cause the system to boot faster.

[todmax]

I still cannot get the two computers to find each other

[glc]

Add the NetBEUI protocol and the 2 machines should find each other for filesharing. You did enable file and printer sharing, right?

[todmax]

That did the trick!!!
May I say "I LOVE YOU!!!"
Max

[todmax]

was working is the key word............... I installed windows xp on my laptop last night and now it doesn't work anymore....it doesn't support NetBEUI it says....any ideas?
Max

[glc]

I think I read somewhere - maybe in another thread here - that NetBeui is somewhere else on the XP cd and can be installed.

[todmax]

I read that too, but after hours of tinkering (instead of writing my paper for school), I found out that Norton Firewall was the culprit. As soon as I disable it the comps find each other. Now I have to figure out how to configure it to still work. Thanks for your help though.
Max

[glc]

Although it adds an extra layer of security, you don't really NEED a firewall if you are using a Linksys router - it acts as a hardware firewall because it's masking your internal IP addresses from the outside world.