How do I connect a new laptop to the net.
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How do I connect a new laptop to the net.
Hi guys, my wife has just got herself a laptop our 1st,
We normally use a desk top connected via a Virgin broadband stand alone modem and an ethernet wire,
My wife would like to try her laptop on line but when I plug the ethernet cable into it I cannot connect,
Can any of you guys tell me how to do this, I do have the Virgin software but not installed it in the laptop yet.
Nick.
We normally use a desk top connected via a Virgin broadband stand alone modem and an ethernet wire,
My wife would like to try her laptop on line but when I plug the ethernet cable into it I cannot connect,
Can any of you guys tell me how to do this, I do have the Virgin software but not installed it in the laptop yet.
Nick.
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Location: Cambridge, England, EU
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Certainly do not install any Virgin software! - rule number zero, never let any ISP's software anywhere near your computer.
If you've got the Virgin modem plugged straight into your PC then it's your PC's MAC address that is the only PC that Virgin will talk to, and the only one they'll give an IP address to, because they only give out one IP address.
You'll need to buy and install a router with NAT and DHCP server capabilities - connect that to your modem, then connect as many PCs as you like to the router. (There's probably some messing around needed to get your router to connect in place of the one PC you've had connected so far - just leaving everything switched on overnight and power cycling the router and modem a couple of times might do it.)
I use a Linksys BEFSR81 but there's plenty of choice these days.
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Sorry, the above is assuming you want to use both machines at once. If you just want to use one at a time you can simply switch between them, but you'll probably have to wait a while for it to start working each time you switch. Like I said, overnight will probably do it, but if you're in more of a hurry than that "four hours" rings a bell.
If you've got the Virgin modem plugged straight into your PC then it's your PC's MAC address that is the only PC that Virgin will talk to, and the only one they'll give an IP address to, because they only give out one IP address.
You'll need to buy and install a router with NAT and DHCP server capabilities - connect that to your modem, then connect as many PCs as you like to the router. (There's probably some messing around needed to get your router to connect in place of the one PC you've had connected so far - just leaving everything switched on overnight and power cycling the router and modem a couple of times might do it.)
I use a Linksys BEFSR81 but there's plenty of choice these days.
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Sorry, the above is assuming you want to use both machines at once. If you just want to use one at a time you can simply switch between them, but you'll probably have to wait a while for it to start working each time you switch. Like I said, overnight will probably do it, but if you're in more of a hurry than that "four hours" rings a bell.
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What Gertrude says. If the modem has only one "output" port, connected to the desktop, and you want to use both machines at once then you need a router. The Linksys one is good.
If you want to connect via wireless, then you also need a wireless access point (which will connect through the router, unless you get a router with built-in WiFi).
You should find that connecting the ethernet cable to the laptop, the existing software will do what's necessary.
There are some tests you can do: for example
-With the ethernet cable connected to the laptop, open a CMD box (click on "Start" and type CMD in the box, and press return).
- A black box should appear.
- In that box, type IPCONFIG /ALL
(note the space before the /)
You will get a screenful of information. Note the following bits and paste them in here:
IP address
Subnet mask
Default gateway
DHCP server
DNS server
From that information, you can tell a lot about what's happening.
If you want to connect via wireless, then you also need a wireless access point (which will connect through the router, unless you get a router with built-in WiFi).
You should find that connecting the ethernet cable to the laptop, the existing software will do what's necessary.
There are some tests you can do: for example
-With the ethernet cable connected to the laptop, open a CMD box (click on "Start" and type CMD in the box, and press return).
- A black box should appear.
- In that box, type IPCONFIG /ALL
(note the space before the /)
You will get a screenful of information. Note the following bits and paste them in here:
IP address
Subnet mask
Default gateway
DHCP server
DNS server
From that information, you can tell a lot about what's happening.
