Setting up network - run wizard or not?

I have an XP MCE2005 computer and a 98SE computer. At this point,
each is set up to connect directly to the internet through a
cablemodem, with no networking of the two computers at all.I want to
set up a LAN for these computers using a NAT router. Both computers
will initially connect to the router by ethernet cable, but later
the 98SE computer will be replaced by a laptop which will connect
wirelessly.

At this point the XP computer is set up with no network, with the
Local Area Connection being set up for directly connecting to my
cablemodem. I don't see any Network Neighborhood or anything like
that.

When I set up the network with the router, do I need to run the
Network Setup Wizard, or just make changes to the existing Local
Area Connection settings? If I run the wizard, will it just change
the existing Local Area Connection settings, or create a new
connection? If it creates a new one, what do I do with the old one?

And then, what about the 98SE computer? What do I do there?

In general, is there a detailed How-To posted anywhere that covers
EXACTLY how to set up a router-based LAN where one machine is XP Pro
and the other is 98SE - so that file sharing works?

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:50:09 -0600, Peabody
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have an XP MCE2005 computer and a 98SE computer. At this point,
>each is set up to connect directly to the internet through a
>cablemodem, with no networking of the two computers at all.I want to
>set up a LAN for these computers using a NAT router. Both computers
>will initially connect to the router by ethernet cable, but later
>the 98SE computer will be replaced by a laptop which will connect
>wirelessly.
>
>At this point the XP computer is set up with no network, with the
>Local Area Connection being set up for directly connecting to my
>cablemodem. I don't see any Network Neighborhood or anything like
>that.
>
>When I set up the network with the router, do I need to run the
>Network Setup Wizard, or just make changes to the existing Local
>Area Connection settings? If I run the wizard, will it just change
>the existing Local Area Connection settings, or create a new
>connection? If it creates a new one, what do I do with the old one?

Leave the old connections (probably the wired ethernet connections)
alone. You can add as many connections as you find useful in XP.
W98SE limits you to 4 network connections max. XP includes Wireless
Zero Config which will create the connection for you. W98SE requires
that you install a driver and client manager to setup the wireless
connection.

>And then, what about the 98SE computer? What do I do there?
>
>In general, is there a detailed How-To posted anywhere that covers
>EXACTLY how to set up a router-based LAN where one machine is XP Pro
>and the other is 98SE - so that file sharing works?

The instructions for setting up a wired or wireless LAN usually arrive
with the router. You didn't specify what maker and model router
you've purchased, so I can't point to the specific instructions. In
general, there's not much you need to do to install the router. The
WAN(internet) port on the router goes to the cable modem. Set the WAN
connection type to DHCP.

There's no wizard or magic incantations necessary to get the client
computers to work. Start with a wired (CAT5) cabled connection. Make
sure the computers are set to get their IP addresses from the network
(DHCP). It should just work.

Wireless is considerably more complex and will require that you
disclose the maker and model number of your wireless router.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

Jeff Liebermann says...

> Leave the old connections (probably the wired ethernet
> connections) alone. You can add as many connections as
> you find useful in XP.

So then I would have two connections using the same ethernet
adapter - the Local Area Connection and whatever the new
LAN connection is called. Does that work? Do I need to at
least disable the old one?

> XP includes Wireless Zero Config which will create the
> connection for you.

Would I use that wireless wizard even for the XP computer
that will always be directly wired to the router? There
appears to be another wizard for wired networks. Well,
maybe either would work.

> The instructions for setting up a wired or wireless LAN
> usually arrive with the router. You didn't specify what
> maker and model router you've purchased, so I can't
> point to the specific instructions.

I haven't quite pinned that down yet. But I'm looking at
something called Buffalo.

> In general, there's not much you need to do to install
> the router.

Yeah. After many installation misadventures on Windows
stuff over the years, I've just become paranoid about any
new installation - software or hardware. So I try to
understand as much as possible about it before I start.

Thanks for the help.

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:04:12 -0600, Peabody
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann says...
>
> > Leave the old connections (probably the wired ethernet
> > connections) alone. You can add as many connections as
> > you find useful in XP.
>
>So then I would have two connections using the same ethernet
>adapter - the Local Area Connection and whatever the new
>LAN connection is called. Does that work? Do I need to at
>least disable the old one?

No. On XP you would have one icon under:
Control Panel -> Network
for each "interface". One for ethernet and one for wireless. There
may be others (IEEE 1394, IRDA, etc). If your XP something or other
machine has a wireless device, the manufacturers install script or
Wireless Zero Config will supply the necessary drivers and the
wireless icon.

> > XP includes Wireless Zero Config which will create the
> > connection for you.

>Would I use that wireless wizard even for the XP computer
>that will always be directly wired to the router?

Sorry, but I never have used the wizard and do not plan do start doing
so now. If you insist on using the wizard, you might want to check
with the wireless device vendors instructions as it's probably
un-necessary.

>There
>appears to be another wizard for wired networks. Well,
>maybe either would work.

You must like wizards. They have their place.

I'm guessing you're looking at:
Control Panel -> Wireless Network Setup Wizard
This is NOT what you want. It's for seting up a floppy or CF card
used for generating a client setup for Windoze Internet Connection
Sharing (ICS). Do NOT run it. Here's how it goes.
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0604.mspx>

> > The instructions for setting up a wired or wireless LAN
> > usually arrive with the router. You didn't specify what
> > maker and model router you've purchased, so I can't
> > point to the specific instructions.
>
>I haven't quite pinned that down yet. But I'm looking at
>something called Buffalo.

I've recently been playing with some of their products. Other than
some of the usual advertising hype (i.e. MIMO performance without
actually supporting MIMO features), I like what I see.
http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless.php

> > In general, there's not much you need to do to install
> > the router.
>
>Yeah. After many installation misadventures on Windows
>stuff over the years, I've just become paranoid about any
>new installation - software or hardware. So I try to
>understand as much as possible about it before I start.

Paranoia is good. Before you attack any installation, create a
restore point so that you can put the mess back if it fails.
Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

Jeff Liebermann says...

>> So then I would have two connections using the same
>> ethernet adapter - the Local Area Connection and
>> whatever the new LAN connection is called. Does that
>> work? Do I need to at least disable the old one?

> No. On XP you would have one icon under:
> Control Panel -> Network
> for each "interface". One for ethernet and one for
> wireless. There may be others (IEEE 1394, IRDA, etc).
> If your XP something or other machine has a wireless
> device, the manufacturers install script or Wireless
> Zero Config will supply the necessary drivers and the
> wireless icon.

I guess what's confusing to me is that even though the
current direct connection from the desktop XP to the modem will
instead go through the router, that connection will still be
wired. There's no wireless adapter or second NIC there. So it
just seems that I should be making any changes to the
existing Local Area Connection rather than creating a new
connection. But I guess the router docs will explain all
that.

> You must like wizards. They have their place.

Only if they work.

> I'm guessing you're looking at:
> Control Panel -> Wireless Network Setup Wizard

That's it. My eye went right to it.

> This is NOT what you want. It's for seting up a floppy
> or CF card used for generating a client setup for
> Windoze Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Do NOT run
> it.

Now you see? This is why I'm paranoid. I thought the
Wireless Network Setup Wizard should be used to set up a
wireless network. Silly me.

> Paranoia is good. Before you attack any installation,
> create a restore point so that you can put the mess back
> if it fails.

Oh I do better than that. I clone the entire partition.
Just in case.

Thanks very much, Jeff. Particularly the wizard insight. I
really don't know if the ICS thing would ever have dawned on
me before it was too late.

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:50:09 -0600, Peabody
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in <6JLah.28$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>I have an XP MCE2005 computer and a 98SE computer. At this point,
>each is set up to connect directly to the internet through a
>cablemodem, with no networking of the two computers at all.I want to
>set up a LAN for these computers using a NAT router. Both computers
>will initially connect to the router by ethernet cable, but later
>the 98SE computer will be replaced by a laptop which will connect
>wirelessly.
>
>At this point the XP computer is set up with no network, with the
>Local Area Connection being set up for directly connecting to my
>cablemodem. I don't see any Network Neighborhood or anything like
>that.

That _is_ a network even though there are only two devices on it.
Windows XP doesn't have Network Neighborhood -- the closest equivalent
is My Network Places (which combines all networks). Check the System
Tray (lower right corner of Task Bar) and you should see the wired
network adapter (unless it's been hidden).

>When I set up the network with the router, do I need to run the
>Network Setup Wizard, or just make changes to the existing Local
>Area Connection settings? If I run the wizard, will it just change
>the existing Local Area Connection settings, or create a new
>connection? If it creates a new one, what do I do with the old one?

If the cable modem is configuring your network adapter by DHCP, you
probably only need to move the cable from the cable modem to a LAN port
of the router, which then connects to the cable modem from its
WAN/Internet port with another cable.

>And then, what about the 98SE computer? What do I do there?

Connect by cable to another LAN port on the router, and make sure the
wired connection is configured for DHCP (the default).

>In general, is there a detailed How-To posted anywhere that covers
>EXACTLY how to set up a router-based LAN where one machine is XP Pro
>and the other is 98SE - so that file sharing works?

Microsoft has some very good documents on setting up Microsoft
Networking. See wikis below for links, and lots of non-Microsoft
resources.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:04:12 -0600, Peabody
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in <hrPah.44$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>Jeff Liebermann says...
>
> > Leave the old connections (probably the wired ethernet
> > connections) alone. You can add as many connections as
> > you find useful in XP.
>
>So then I would have two connections using the same ethernet
>adapter - the Local Area Connection and whatever the new
>LAN connection is called. Does that work? Do I need to at
>least disable the old one?

No -- you move the cable from the cable modem to the router, so still
one connection.

> > XP includes Wireless Zero Config which will create the
> > connection for you.
>
>Would I use that wireless wizard even for the XP computer
>that will always be directly wired to the router? There
>appears to be another wizard for wired networks. Well,
>maybe either would work.

No, only for wireless connections.

> > The instructions for setting up a wired or wireless LAN
> > usually arrive with the router. You didn't specify what
> > maker and model router you've purchased, so I can't
> > point to the specific instructions.
>
>I haven't quite pinned that down yet. But I'm looking at
>something called Buffalo.

Good stuff. Recommended.

> > In general, there's not much you need to do to install
> > the router.
>
>Yeah. After many installation misadventures on Windows
>stuff over the years, I've just become paranoid about any
>new installation - software or hardware. So I try to
>understand as much as possible about it before I start.

See the wikis below.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:46:52 -0600, Peabody
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<h5Xah.21375$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>Jeff Liebermann says...
>
> >> So then I would have two connections using the same
> >> ethernet adapter - the Local Area Connection and
> >> whatever the new LAN connection is called. Does that
> >> work? Do I need to at least disable the old one?
>
> > No. On XP you would have one icon under:
> > Control Panel -> Network
> > for each "interface". One for ethernet and one for
> > wireless. There may be others (IEEE 1394, IRDA, etc).
> > If your XP something or other machine has a wireless
> > device, the manufacturers install script or Wireless
> > Zero Config will supply the necessary drivers and the
> > wireless icon.
>
>I guess what's confusing to me is that even though the
>current direct connection from the desktop XP to the modem will
>instead go through the router, that connection will still be
>wired. There's no wireless adapter or second NIC there. So it
>just seems that I should be making any changes to the
>existing Local Area Connection rather than creating a new
>connection. ...

Correct -- just change the wired connection.

> > You must like wizards. They have their place.
>
>Only if they work.

They really do help.

> > This is NOT what you want. It's for seting up a floppy
> > or CF card used for generating a client setup for
> > Windoze Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Do NOT run
> > it.
>
>Now you see? This is why I'm paranoid. I thought the
>Wireless Network Setup Wizard should be used to set up a
>wireless network. Silly me.

That's right. Jeff was confused about your XP machine.

> > Paranoia is good. Before you attack any installation,
> > create a restore point so that you can put the mess back
> > if it fails.
>
>Oh I do better than that. I clone the entire partition.
>Just in case.
>
>Thanks very much, Jeff. Particularly the wizard insight. I
>really don't know if the ICS thing would ever have dawned on
>me before it was too late.

You don't need ICS.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

John Navas says...

>> At this point the XP computer is set up with no
>> network, with the Local Area Connection being set up
>> for directly connecting to my cablemodem. I don't see
>> any Network Neighborhood or anything like that.

> That _is_ a network even though there are only two
> devices on it. Windows XP doesn't have Network
> Neighborhood -- the closest equivalent is My Network
> Places (which combines all networks). Check the System
> Tray (lower right corner of Task Bar) and you should see
> the wired network adapter (unless it's been hidden).

I have the icon in the System Tray, and I see My Network
Places in Windows Explorer (nowhere else), but there's
nothing in there.

> If the cable modem is configuring your network adapter
> by DHCP, you probably only need to move the cable from
> the cable modem to a LAN port of the router, which then
> connects to the cable modem from its WAN/Internet port
> with another cable.

Ok. I just thought that in order to access other computers
on the LAN, there would be something that let me choose
which computer I wanted to exchange files with. Will the
other local computers show up in My Network Places
automatically when the physical connections to the router
are in place? I don't have to "set up" a network beyond the
way it is now (for file sharing, I mean - I can see that
internet access would not require any changes)?

John Navas says...

>> > This is NOT what you want. It's for seting up a
>> > floppy or CF card used for generating a client setup
>> > for Windoze Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Do
>> > NOT run it.

>> Now you see? This is why I'm paranoid. I thought the
>> Wireless Network Setup Wizard should be used to set up
>> a wireless network. Silly me.

> That's right. Jeff was confused about your XP machine.

Ok, I give up. I'm confused too. I'm probably making this
harder than it is. I'll just plug it all in, power up, and
see what happens.