I need help connecting 2 computers to the internet.

Here's what I have:

1 desktop running XP Pro
1 laptop running Win2000
1 Linksys NH105 5 port hub (with Uplink)
1 cable modem connection

The scenario:

The desktop is my personal computer. The laptop is a work machine and therefore it belongs to a domain.

I want to be able to have internet access from both machines at home. I do not need the machines to share resources - I just want to be able to gain access to the internet from both simultaneously.

I can get one machine only at a time on the internet through the hub even though both machines indicate they have a Local Area Connection.

Here is the scenario tonight:

1. I'm using my desktop to surf the web.
2. I decide to do some work and therefore turn my laptop on and plug my laptop network cable into the hub.
3. I lose internet access on my desktop.
4. I gain internet access on my laptop.
5. I take a break and leave both machines.
6. I return and my desktop is in sleep mode.
7. I reactivate my desktop and it restores it's internet connection.
8. I lose my internet access on my laptop.

Any ideas on how to properly configure this? I know it should be fairly easy, but I'm not much of a techie. I thought I would just be able to run network cables from my machines to the hub and another network cable from the uplink on the hub to the cable modem and have internet access on both machines.

Thanks in advance,

B

Does one of your machines have two LAN connections ? If yes, plug the cable modem on that machine, share the Inet conenction & then connect your other machine to the one sharing the connection on its 2nd LAN connection.

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately they both only have 1 LAN connection.

Replacing the hub with a router would solve your problem.
If you are allowed to change the laptop-settings (now belonging to a domain), you could have the router-DHCP dispensing IP-addresses, and set your laptop to "obtain IP and DNS automatically"
You would also have to change your desktop lan-settings the same way (but only once)

I am hoping to pick up a wireless linksys router for Christmas but until then I'm stuck with a borrowed hub.

If I were allowed to change the laptop settings would that mean I'd have to change from a domain to a workgroup? The last time I did that I wasn't able to rejoin the domain without requesting help from the network admin team at work.

So I guess what I'm asking originally isn't an easy task, hey? I thought it would have been pretty much just plug and play.

You could open another user-account on that laptop (copy of your current profile) and change the network settings for your home-setup.
At work you log in as usual, at home you log in under the new name.

Thanks for the idea, but it didn't work for me.

I had the computer logged in as the local adminstrator and created another user account. Unless I give that user account administrator privileges it won't let me make any network changes (aka joining a workgroup instead of the domain.

Unfortunately when I disconnect from the domain it's a system wide change affecting all user accounts leaving me out in the cold at work.

I did a little more toying around to try to isolate the problem... don't know if this'll help but...

1. I know I have 2 IP addresses available through my ISP.

So I logged in my desktop followed by my laptop both of which are connected to the hub.

2. my desktop has
- internet
- an ip address
- ability to ping www.cbc.ca

3. my laptop has
- no internet connection
- an ip address (obviously different than my desktop)
- ability to ping www.cbc.ca

4. I ran ipconfig /release and /renew on my laptop

5. now my laptop has
- internet
- ip
- ability to ping www.cbc.ca

6. desktop has
- no internet
- an ip address
- "Ping request could not find host www.cbc.ca"

7. I ran ipconfig /release and /renew on my desktop

8. desktop has
- internet, ip, and ping

9. laptop has
- no internet
- an ip address
- ping returns "Unknown host www.cbc.ca"

Any more help out there, please?

One other thing to note...

when I run ipconfig /all from a dos command prompt on the laptop I get the following:

--------------------------------------------------------

Windows 2000 Ip Configuration

Ethernet adapter {FEAA6306-D5F2-4476-AB54-F7B6C524285F}:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: NOC Extranet Access Adapter
Physical Address: 44-45-50-54-43-01
DHCP Enabled: No
IP Address: 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask: 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix: ed.shawcable.net
Description: Inter (R) Network Connection
Physical Address: 00-04-03-8A-43-CE
DHCP Enabled: Yes
Autoconfiguration enabled: No
IP Address: 24.67.129.165
Subnet Mask: 255.255.252.0
Default Gateway: 24.67.122.1

--------------------------------------------------------

Thanks again!

With a hub, only one PC can connect to the internet at the time, that's why a switch (or router) is so much better.

You'd have to setup Internet sharing on your desktop and use your laptop as the client to the desktop.

And you have to give the new account on your laptop admin-rights, if you want to use that account.

You could tinker with your PC and give it the same domain/workgroup etc. as at your work. Have never tried that though.

Yesterday I brought the hub into the office and when we used it to hook up two laptops they had simultaneous access to the internet. They both belong to the same domain so I believe you're on the right track. I'll play around with trying to emulate my work domain on my home machine and see what I can come up with.

Thanks.