How can I connect a WinXP laptop to a WinME desktop through a cable modem?

[NevadaGator]

How do I connect a laptop running WinXP and connected to a cable modem through USB to a desktop running WinME and connected to said cable modem through ethernet? I'd like to do it through the cable modem. I'm running ZoneAlarm on the desktop, is this a problem?

BTW how do you enable WinXP's Firewall?

Thanks!

 

[Sukhoi]

Ok, so you have one cable modem, with a laptop connected via USB, and a PC connected via ethernet? I wouldn't do it through the cable modem. Too many security issues IMHO, especially with both WAN and LAN traffic using the same NICs with the same external IPs. Isn't there some way to get an ethernet connection off the laptop too? Maybe a USB NIC? Then put another NIC in the PC and connect the two NICs with a crossover cable.

Edit: IMHO if you want to do this right, get a NIC for the laptop, and a cheap ethernet router. Plug everything into the router. Then you can have secure LAN file transfer and still be sharing the internet access.

Edit #2: Isn't Win XP's firewall on by default?

 

[NevadaGator]

<< Ok, so you have one cable modem, with a laptop connected via USB, and a PC connected via ethernet? I wouldn't do it through the cable modem. Too many security issues IMHO, especially with both WAN and LAN traffic using the same NICs with the same external IPs. Isn't there some way to get an ethernet connection off the laptop too? Maybe a USB NIC? Then put another NIC in the PC and connect the two NICs with a crossover cable.

Edit: IMHO if you want to do this right, get a NIC for the laptop, and a cheap ethernet router. Plug everything into the router. Then you can have secure LAN file transfer and still be sharing the internet access.

[/b]Edit #2:[/b] Isn't Win XP's firewall on by default? >>



The laptop has an ethernet port. Is there like a network splitter so on the desktop one can go to the modem and one to the laptop?

And yes, the firewall was on by default The included help is actually pretty good.

 

[Sukhoi]

It's good that the laptop has an ethernet port. Makes things much easier.

What I would do is keep the laptop and desktop hooked up to the cable modem like they are now. However, add another NIC to the desktop. Then connect this extra NIC on the desktop via crossover cat5 cable to the NIC on the laptop. This way all your file transfers and such will be done on a private internal network, rather than through the public cable modem.

Just remember when you're setting it up to only bind file & printer sharing to your internal NICs. I believe by default Windows will bind it to all NICs.

 

[NevadaGator]

Yes I read yesterday about the crossover cable. I was hoping I didn't have to buy anything extra, but it seems I have to. Since I don't want to transfer files ALL the time, I'll just use the one port on the desktop while transferring and then back to the modem when done. This is just a temporary solution until I get the money for the 120 gig HD since I already have a USB 2.0 external HD setup on both Another $10. Sigh. I hope Best Buy carries it. Can you believe NO ONE carries external photo storage devices? The only place to get them is the web. Thanks for the help

 

[Sukhoi]

Remember you'll need to change the TCP/IP properties on the desktop to connect to the laptop. Right now it's probably on DHCP because of the cable modem, but you'll need to change it to manual and put in a private IP to connect to the laptop.