OMG someone please tell me how to hook up a network on two computers using Vista!

I have two computers and one router (not wireless). The cord from the modem is going into the router, and there is are cords going from the router into each computer. I can enable the network for one computer, either computer, but not both at the same time. Please, oh please, help me before one of these computers goes out the window! And I'm not very tech-savvy, so you'll have to say it in English.

:cry:


Edit: Apparently it's a hub, not a router.

n/t

What's the "stuff"? I can tell you everything I am capable of telling you, except, ya know, my social security number 'n' stuff. :P

as well as what happens when you connect the two computers. Is the hardware setup for the two computers the same? Right now, it could be anything so as much detail as possible would be helpful.

I plugged the ethernet cable into the modem, then one from the modem into the computer, for each computer. I went into network connections in the control panel, and I enabled the Local Area Connection for each computer. That is the point where it gets screwy. One computer will enable and connect to the network, and the other will not. If I unplug everything and start over, using the other computer first, that computer will enable and connect to the network but not the other one.

And, uh, what do you mean by hardware setup? :blush:










I really need to take some computer classes or something.

or a hub?

I think we had this discussion yesterday and I now know the difference...:P

It says "hub" on the cover in the instruction manual. :D

it may not be able to support connecting two computers to one internet connection.

You need a router.

Then what's the point of a hub?

I dont know either.

So, for instance, if your router is in the west wing of your estate, and you have four computers in the east wing you want connected, you can just run one cable from the router into the west wing into a four-port hub, and then plug the four computers into that hub, instead of running four cables from the west wing into the east wing, saving you some cable expense.

Though if you go wireless router, you need not worry about cables at all (except, of course, the one coming into your house and the one connecting the modem to the router).

That's the first step to make sure. And then also make sure that each directory and/or drive that you want to share is set to "share".

Or do you mean, you can't get both computers to talk to the Internet at the same time? That would make me think that you have a hub, and not a router.

And I can't get both computers to talk to the internet at the same time.

And yeah, it's a hub. I wasn't privy to the discussion about this yesterday. :P

Naming the network the same on each computer is only important if you actually want a network.

If you just want them both to talk to the Internet, then you don't need to worry about networking.

So, I don't even have the right piece of hardware for this? See, told you I'm not tech-savvy. In fact, I shall redefine myself as Extremely Tech Challenged after this one.

Thanks. :hi:

:D

Your router may be supplying address/mask to each computer automatically, but the inability to get both online at the same time sounds like overlapping or incompatible masking. Maybe. I once had overlaps do something similar to my home network.

Can you specify the IP address and subnet mask on each device? I don't much care about your outside address on the router; the problem I'm thinking of would just be on the inside.

edit: Oops. Missed that you have a hub instead of a router. Please disregard. You're gonna need a router; once you get one, you can worry about the info above.

:D

...(actually a router/hub) you can do the conventional thing, and let it use 192.168.1.0/24 for your inside addressing, with 192.168.1.1, say, configured on its inside port. The /24 specifies that eight bits of the 32 are left for host (your computers) addresses (and is often written as 255.255.255.0); you could hard-set 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3, for instance, on your computers (or let the router/hub's DHCP just assign addresses automatically when you boot a computer).

The key is getting a device like a typical Linksys router/hub to translate (network address translation, the NAT mentioned earlier in the thread) back and forth between your single IP address from your ISP and the thousands available for private addresses in your home network. This way, your two computers won't be fighting over access to the Internet.

the linksys is just an Ethernet hub...

Like troubleshooting 101 over IM :rofl:

We can't all know what we're doing with this stuff. :(

It would help if you explained who you are getting your service from, what is it?

FIOS? DSL?

They gave you a box with a 1 or 2 Ethernet Interfaces? What box make/model did they provide? The hub is just to add computers to the network..so for example-

Your Internet provider may run DHCP ( dynamic host control protocol )..This means that any allowed host/computer that is connected to the network will dynamically be assigned an unique IP Address. I don't know who is providing the service so don't know if they allow that. The Ethernet Hub just gives you more interfaces to add machines- ensure the cable between your providers box (cable modem? router? ) and the linksys is connected to the "uplink" interface-

the blood of a virgin and her still beating heart...

Oh, yeah, crash a Purity Ball. :eyes:

You want blood that's been around a few times and knows how to hook up.

Now what?

:D

They usually come included with some sort of managing software/instructions on how to manage it. Sometimes though, you can just plug it in and have it work immediately but I would still recommend finagling with your router options.

* Get a tech
* If you ask, I'll be right over!