Ok i have:

Laptop - xp
Desktop - xp
A router
An adsl modem

Can someone explain to me real quick what goes where?

My router has 4 lan openings and 1 wan and an uplink button.

I dont have a clue how this stuff works.

Thanks.

Ps: Do i even need a router?

I also have 2 network cards in my desktop and ofcourse 1 in my laptop.

Plug the ethernet cable from the cable modem to the WAN port in your router, plug your pc's into the rest of the ports on the router...you should be good to go out of the box.

...as for needing the router...it would be a whole lot better (and easier) for you to keep it. Otherwise you are looking at installing a firewall, and NATing out the braodband for the rest of your pc's.

So my dsl cable goes into the modem, from there the lan cable goes to the router in the wan opening and i use 2 free lan openings to attach my puters?

What about the uplink? Is that turned on or off?

you don't need the uplink...til you outgrow the 4 port switch...if you had another you would then link the 2...got it?

hth...

hit me up if you have questions...

i c q 2 2 2 1 9 2 2 1 0

Plug the dsl modem in like normal, plug the dsl modem into your routers wan port, plug all pc's into the numbered ports on the router.

Set all the pc's connected to the router to automatically detect a connection (DHCP). Then you'll need to get into the router and set it up, if you're on dsl its probably PPoE. So you'll enter in the username (Usually your isp email address) then the password they gave you. Ask the router to try to establish a connection.

Or turn off your dsl modem for a few seconds and then turn it back on and maybe the router will do it for you.

If you have 2 network cards on your desktop you don't really need the router you can just hook the adsl cable to one of the cards then get a cross over cable and hook it to the other card card and to the laptop.

but using the router is fine it's straight forward and just read the manual that comes with it .. it's easy stuff.

Thanks guy...i got both my computers attached to the net now and for now thats enough.

Thanks a lot.