Networking 3 home machines, (Me, XP and XP)

Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100 Ethernet
card.
I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted 10/100
card.

I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although presumably I
can buy a PCMCIA network card??).

My questions are :
Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this ?(hub/routers/cables
etc)
Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.) connected
to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any of the linked
computers and also use (from any of the machines) a broadband connection
which is linked to the main machine ?

I appreciate there are many questions here. Any and all help is gratefully
received.

Kind Regards
Matt

"Matt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:4qijb.512$(E-Mail Removed):

> Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a
> 10/100 Ethernet card.
> I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted
> 10/100 card.
>
> I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although
> presumably I can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>
> My questions are :
> Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
> What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this
> ?(hub/routers/cables etc)
> Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners
> etc.) connected to the main computer (presume the XP base
> station) from any of the linked computers and also use (from any
> of the machines) a broadband connection which is linked to the
> main machine ?
>
> I appreciate there are many questions here. Any and all help is
> gratefully received.
>
> Kind Regards
> Matt
>
>
>
Suggest you go for a router-based solution. Most routers
incorporate a 4-port switch and provide DHCP server and basic
firewall functionality.

Broadband
modem---------Router
| | |
A B C

You'll need 1 UTP patch cable per PC. The cable between Router and
modem is also UTP - may need to be crossover, depending on the
particular modem. If it's ADSL broadband, check the modem has an
Ethernet interface or consider a router with built-in ADSL modem.

--
BRG
===
http://www.brgservices.co.uk/

Matt wrote:
> Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100
> Ethernet card.
> I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted
> 10/100 card.
>
> I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although
> presumably I can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>
> My questions are :
> Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
> What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this
> ?(hub/routers/cables etc)
> Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.)
> connected to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any
> of the linked computers and also use (from any of the machines) a
> broadband connection which is linked to the main machine ?
>
Do you have ADSL or Cable?
Either way you just need a suitable 4 port router into which you plug your
broadband modem (if you have USB adsl then get a Modem/router combined) and
all your client PCs using normal Cat5 Patch leads.

Sell all three machines to obtain an IP address automatically and one will
be provided by your router and thats pretty much it to get net access on all
machines and doing it this way you only need one machine on.
If you have the modem connected into one PC then you would need to leave
that on all the time you are browsing on any machine.

Make all three machines part of the same workgroup if you want to share
files between them , then its just a case of sharing a folder or drive which
is done by right clicking and following the obvious instructions

--
Alex

"We are now up against live, hostile targets"

"So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad
attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch! "

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

In message <4qijb.512$(E-Mail Removed)>, Matt
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100 Ethernet
>card.
>I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted 10/100
>card.
>
>I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although presumably I
>can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>
>My questions are :
>Can I network these three machines and share resources ?

Yes.

>What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this ?(hub/routers/cables
>etc)

A hub or a switch and a patch-cable for each machine. While you have
only two machines you can connect them using a crossover cable but as
soon as you add a third machine you need either a hub or a switch.

>Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.) connected
>to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any of the linked
>computers and also use (from any of the machines) a broadband connection
>which is linked to the main machine ?

Yes you can share printers. I don't think you can share scanners, but
you could use the scanner on machine A and put the files in a shared
folder also accessible from B and C.

As has already been suggested, a better way to share a broadband
connection is to use a router. You can buy a combined router and switch.
So the best option is probably to use a crossover cable until you get
the third machine and then to buy a router/switch.



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.

"Matt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4qijb.512$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100
Ethernet
> card.
> I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted 10/100
> card.
>
> I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although presumably I
> can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>
> My questions are :
> Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
> What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this ?(hub/routers/cables
> etc)
> Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.)
connected
> to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any of the linked
> computers and also use (from any of the machines) a broadband connection
> which is linked to the main machine ?
>
> I appreciate there are many questions here. Any and all help is gratefully
> received.

I've got the same mix of OS's . Don't expect much from ME-XP/ XP-ME file
transfer speeds - there is seemingly some issue in the ME IP stack - it
works just v slowly - that said its perfectly OK for opening the odd file -
just no good for transferring GB about the place.

XP-XP flies though.

I.

"Dr Zoidberg" <AlexNOOOOO!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bmke96$nn3q7$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Matt wrote:
> > Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100
> > Ethernet card.
> > I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted
> > 10/100 card.
> >
> > I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although
> > presumably I can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
> >
> > My questions are :
> > Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
> > What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this
> > ?(hub/routers/cables etc)
> > Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.)
> > connected to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any
> > of the linked computers and also use (from any of the machines) a
> > broadband connection which is linked to the main machine ?
> >
> Do you have ADSL or Cable?
> Either way you just need a suitable 4 port router into which you plug your
> broadband modem (if you have USB adsl then get a Modem/router combined)
and
> all your client PCs using normal Cat5 Patch leads.
>
> Sell all three machines to obtain an IP address automatically and one will
> be provided by your router and thats pretty much it to get net access on
all
> machines and doing it this way you only need one machine on.
> If you have the modem connected into one PC then you would need to leave
> that on all the time you are browsing on any machine.

Sell all three machines to obtain an IP address automatically
There must be an easier way to get an IP address

Automated Zero wrote:
> "Dr Zoidberg" <AlexNOOOOO!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:bmke96$nn3q7$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Matt wrote:
>>> Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100
>>> Ethernet card.
>>> I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted
>>> 10/100 card.
>>>
>>> I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although
>>> presumably I can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>>>
>>> My questions are :
>>> Can I network these three machines and share resources ?
>>> What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this
>>> ?(hub/routers/cables etc)
>>> Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.)
>>> connected to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from
>>> any of the linked computers and also use (from any of the machines)
>>> a broadband connection which is linked to the main machine ?
>>>
>> Do you have ADSL or Cable?
>> Either way you just need a suitable 4 port router into which you
>> plug your broadband modem (if you have USB adsl then get a
>> Modem/router combined) and all your client PCs using normal Cat5
>> Patch leads.
>>
>> Sell all three machines to obtain an IP address automatically and
>> one will be provided by your router and thats pretty much it to get
>> net access on all machines and doing it this way you only need one
>> machine on.
>> If you have the modem connected into one PC then you would need to
>> leave that on all the time you are browsing on any machine.
>
> Sell all three machines to obtain an IP address automatically
> There must be an easier way to get an IP address

Damn fingers
--
Alex

"We are now up against live, hostile targets"

"So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad
attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch! "

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

Matt reckoned that:
> Hi, I have a Win Me machine - to which I am looking to add a 10/100 Ethernet
> card.
> I also have a machine running Win XP Home Edition, with a fitted 10/100
> card.
>
> I plan to buy a laptop PC, (without any form of card although presumably I
> can buy a PCMCIA network card??).
>
> My questions are :
> Can I network these three machines and share resources ?

Of course.

> What sort of kit do I need in order to achieve this ?(hub/routers/cables
> etc)

At the very least a hub, and three lengths of CAT5 cable. For a bit more
speed go for a switch (handles up to 100Mbps). For total freedom go for
wireless Access point and 3 wirless network cards (PCI or USB for the
desktops and PCMCIA for the laptop)

> Is it possible that I can use resources (printers, scanners etc.) connected
> to the main computer (presume the XP base station) from any of the linked
> computers and also use (from any of the machines) a broadband connection
> which is linked to the main machine ?

Printer yes, scanner I'm not sure.

For broadband aswell get yourself a combined box (ADLS modem, router,
switch, wireless access point for wireless installation)

> I appreciate there are many questions here. Any and all help is gratefully
> received.

Have a smiliar setup to yours, just purchased a Netgear DG824M to bring it
all together.
--
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