On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 09:38:18 -0000, Rob Brigham wrote: > To find the IP address you should just be able to right click on the > computer icon next to the time and select properties. The support tab > there should show you the IP address. You can also select properties, > select the TCPIP and click the properties button/
Or open a command-line console and run the command "ipconfig /all". It will tell you everything you never wanted to know about your current network connections. :-) Sometimes just running the commands C:>ipconfig /release C:>ipconfig /renew will take care of it. > Also worth looking at in control panel are the firewall settings (Under > security center in control panel) - you could just try turning it off if > it is on. Firewall is relatively new in XP so unless you stay up to > date you may not have it. If you recently updated it probably got > installed and may well be blocking internet connection sharing. Firewall is new with SP2. When you install SP2, it defaults to enabling the firewall, unless it detects that you already have another firewall product installed. I know it detects ZoneAlarm, because it detected mine and defaulted the Windows Firewall to off. Since it detects that one, I'd guess it also detects the major players in the Windows firewall market. If the problem started soon after an SP2 upgrade, the firewall is low-hanging fruit for being the problem. > You would be far better served by getting a router and letting each > PC connect direct to the internet. I totally agree. At Wal-Mart, Target, etc., you can get a small device that's usually called something like a "Cable Modem / DSL Router" that has not only the network router but also a firewall, and a four-port Ethernet (10/100BaseT) switch or hub for about US$40. Some of them even have a built-in Wireless Access Point. Personally, I splurge another US$40 or so and get a dedicated 10/100 switch and connect the router to the uplink port on the switch and connect the computers to the regular ports. Some of the "Cable Modem / DSL" routers put their ports into the DMZ or directly onto the internet, rather than having them behind the built-in firewall. With a switch between the computers and the router, they're all behind the firewall, they're all NAT'ed, and they get their IP addresses from the router automagically. TTYL, DougF KG4LMZ
