Internet Connection Setup (continued)

Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) & then the Properties button.

Should you have been assigned a static IP address by your ISP (Highly unlikely) use sure to select Use the following IP address & enter in the address you have been assigned with, otherwise just leave this set to Obtain an IP address automatically.

Now select the Advanced button.

Use default gateway on remote network. Tick or Untick this setting as per the description.

Use IP header compression. Leave this Ticked for best connection performance, although many who play Multiplayer Games online have reported that Unticking this improves ping times slightly.

Now select the DNS tab.

Adjust the settings here as directed by your system administrator or ISP. Although for those of you with stand-alone PCs you can adjust the settings here to disable the use of the DNS & DCHP Client (Which should reduce Memory usage slightly). To configure the settings in this tab for this please check this page & the page after of our Windows XP Services Guide.

Now select the WINS tab.

WINS addresses. Add/Remove WINS server addresses here as directed by your system administrator or ISP.

Enable LMHOSTS Lookup. Tick this setting if you have set NetBIOS setting to Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP or Default, otherwise Untick this setting.

NetBIOS setting. For improved security online it is recommended to set this to Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP (You can also disable the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service as a result), although change this to either of the other available settings if directed to do so.

Click Ok 2 times after you’ve finished making your changes & restart as requested. Should you wish to use the built-in Windows XP firewall select the Advanced tab & enable it. Personally I’d recommend using something like ZoneAlarm instead as it’s easier to use but that’s up to you.