Home Network on the Fritz

In article <09ec01c38a3f$a70dd460$a301280a@phx.gbl>, "Gary"
<hanson002@hawaii.rr.com> wrote:

>I have three Dell Desktop Computers networked together
>with Cat 5 cable using a 2 port Linksys Router, 4 port
>linksys switch and Roadrunner Cable modem. Identical NIC
>cards. Two of the computers are Dell 2100 Series and the
>other is a more powerful Dell 4300 series. All are
>running over 500 megabites of RAM. A Dell technician in
>Bombay India helped me manually configure IP addresses on
>all three computers a couple months ago, but suddenly I
>lost all connectivity. When I call back to Dell in hopes
>of finding the same or equally talented Dell Technician,
>after about an hour on hold, I was informed that for an
>additional $200 per hour they would assist me, however, I
>still have several months left on my extended software
>support warranty. So anyway, can someone explain how to
>best configure my network settings?
>
>Mahalo....Gary

There should be no need for manual IP addresses. Your router can
configure each computer's TCP/IP settings:

1. Make sure that the router's DHCP server is enabled and that it has
a pool of at least 3 IP addresses to assign. Check the router
documentation for details.

2. Run XP's Network Setup Wizard on each computer, and tell it that
the computer connects to the Internet through a "residential gateway",
which is what it calls your router.

If you want to use manual IP addresses:

1. Assign each computer a unique IP address in the same subnet as the
router's LAN IP address. That's typically (but not always)
192.168.1.x for a Linksys router.

2. Set each computer's default gateway to the router's LAN IP address.

3. Set each computer's DNS server address to your ISP's DNS server.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

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