There’s no need to have multiple Internet accounts or connections for
every computer on the network; just turn on Internet Connection
Sharing.
Once your computers are networked, you can share a single computer’s
Internet connection with all members on that network. In the old days, you
had to have an Internet connection and account for each computer in the
home, but not anymore. If you’re still running a setup like that, it’s time to
move forward. If you’ve just networked a second computer, it’s time to get
that one connected to the Internet.
The first decision you’ll make is what computer is going to be the host.
The host should meet the following requirements:
■ It should be running Windows XP Home or Professional.
■ It must be set up to run most of the time. If the computer is not on,
others on the network will not have Internet access.
■ If more than one computer meets the first two requirements, but also
has DSL, broadband, or a cable modem, choose the fastest computer
as the host.
Each network computer that will share this connection must meet the
following requirements:
■ It must have a NIC and be able to connect to the network.
■ If it has Internet Sharing capabilities, they must be disabled.
■ It must be running Windows 98 or higher.
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on the designated host computer
(or to disable it on any other computer on the network that is not acting as
the host):
1. Open Network Connections. There are two ways: right-click My
Network Places and choose Properties; or from Control Panel, select
Network And Internet Connections (if in Category Mode), and then
choose Network Connections.
2. Decide which connection is the connection to the Internet. It won’t
be the Local Area Connection. Figure 8-2 shows a variety of choices.
The correct choice in this instance is under Dial-Up and is named,
appropriately, Internet.
3. Right-click this connection and choose
Properties.
4. In the Internet Properties dialog box, click the
Advanced tab, as shown in Figure 8-3.
5. Under Internet Connection Sharing, check
Allow Other Network Users To Connect
Through This Computer’s Internet Connection.
Depending on your preferences, enable or
do not enable the other two choices. Each
has to do with how much control over this
connection other network users will have.
6. When finished, click OK.
If you’re setting up the network for the first time or just need to repair
the network you have, use the Network Setup Wizard.
After your network is set up physically, you can use the Network Setup
Wizard to configure it virtually. There are alternate ways to set up the network,
but this is by far the fastest and easiest. For the best network performance
possible, you should follow the setup directions to the letter.
If you already have a network set up but are having problems with it,
running the wizard again may also solve these problems. The Network Setup
Wizard locates your shared Internet connection, enables the Internet Connection
Firewall, enables and configures a network bridge if the Windows XP computer
has more than one NIC, and gives you the opportunity to name (or resolve
naming problems for) each computer on the network. (A network will fail if
more than one computer has the same name.) Once the network is set up (or
connected), you can then share files and folders, share media, play games on the
network, and surf the Web simultaneously on all computers in the house.
Before starting the Network Setup Wizard, verify that you’ve chosen
a computer to act as the host and supply the shared Internet connection.
The host should be the one connected to the Internet and thus should be
a single computer, as detailed in the previous section. Then, do the following:
■ Verify that all hardware is installed on each computer and that it is
working properly.
■ Turn on all computers, printers, scanners, etc.
■ At the host computer, connect to the Internet.
With that done, work your way through the wizard. At the host computer:
1. Choose Start | All Programs | Accessories | Communications | Network
Setup Wizard. Click Next to begin.
2. Read the Before You Continue page, and click Next.
3. Since you’re configuring the host computer, on the Select
A Connection Method page, select This Computer Connects
Directly To The Internet. The Other Computers On My Network
Connect To The Internet Through This Computer. Click Next.
The Network Setup Wizard can be run on computers installed with Windows 98, Windows
98SE, Windows Me, and Windows XP Home or Professional. It cannot be run on Windows
2000 or Windows 2003 Server editions. There is information in the help files to add the latter.
4. On the Select Your Internet Connection page, choose the connection
that you use to access the Internet. It may be chosen already, as shown
in Figure 8-4. In this figure, there are three: an Internet connection
that uses a modem, a 1394 FireWire connection for a digital video
(DV) camera, and a local area connection using a NIC. Click Next.
Select the shared
connection for the Internet
5. If your host computer has multiple connections, you can either let
the wizard decide what’s best for you, or configure the settings
yourself. It’s wisest to choose Let Me Choose The Connections To
My Network. If you’re wary of doing it yourself, though, choose
Determine The Appropriate Connections For Me (Recommended)
and skip to Step 7.
6. On the Select The Connections To Bridge page, select the local area
connection that connects your host computer to the others on your
network. Uncheck the others. In Figure 8-5, the FireWire connection
is unchecked because it is not the connection for the LAN; the NIC
is. Click Next.
7. On the next wizard page, type a computer description if desired, and a
computer name. The computer’s name must be distinct on the network.
Click Next.
8. On the Name Your Network page, select a workgroup name. By default,
that name is MSHOME. If you’re repairing a network and don’t know
the current workgroup name, click Start, right-click My Computer,
choose Properties, and then click the Computer Name tab. The
workgroup name will be there. Click Next.
9. Click Next to begin the process of applying your network settings.
Once that’s complete, the next step is to get the appropriate network setup
files on the other computers in your network. In my opinion, the easiest and
most reliable choice is to create a floppy disk and carry it from computer to
computer. You can also use the Windows XP CD, but sometimes that’s not
available, especially with computers purchased from retail computer chains,
where computers come with “restore disks” instead of the actual Windows XP
CD. So, when prompted with the screen shown in Figure 8-6, select Create
A Network Setup Disk. (If your newer computers don’t have floppy drives,
you’ll have to use the Windows XP CD, or choose Create A Network Setup
Disk, save the files to your hard drive, burn them onto a CD-R, and use that
for the setup disk.)
Depending on the choice you make on the page shown in Figure 8-6, the
wizard continues in one of various directions. If you’ve chosen to create
a floppy disk, you’ll need to choose the drive, format the disk, and make the
copy. If you’ve chosen to use the Windows XP CD, there isn’t much left to
do but prepare the other computers.
For the other computers on the network:
1. Insert the network setup disk into the floppy drive.
2. Click Start | My Computer, and select the disk.
3. Double-click netsetup.
4. If you’re using a CD, input the CD, select Perform Additional Tasks
and then Set Up A Home Or Small Office Network.
5. You’ll work your way through the wizard the exact same way as before,
except in the dialog box that asks you to define your connection,
shown in Figure 8-7, choose This Computer Connects To The Internet
Through Another Computer On My Network Or Through A Residential
Gateway.
After all computers have been configured, at each computer, open
My Network Places. In the Network Tasks pane, select View Workgroup
Computers. Each computer should appear within 15 minutes. If a specific
computer does not appear, verify that the connections are secure, and run
the Network Setup Wizard again on it. Figure 8-8 shows a successful and
functional network setup.
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Originally Posted by uniquegodwin
