Can anyone help? I've just got AOL broadband and want to share the connection with my son's computer which is linked to mine with a crossover cable. Although he can see the shared broadband connection, he can't connect to AOL. It can't be accessed by sharing the AOL program and it can't be installed on his computer because it checks all the moden connections etc. which he doesn't have. :confused: :confused:

I phoned AOL and they said I have to get a router. I didn't know that as it wasn't mentioned in the blurb they advertise about sharing their connection. Is this really true or is there some way round it. It took me ages to pass a cable up throught the attic and into his room, can't face meddling with all that again. Don't want to spend more money if it's not necessary.

Cheers for any advice

Derek

Ahem, I think you might need a router too... :(

Is the broadband going to your PC via the USB and you want share it via the LAN? I have a feeling you can't have both PCs trying to access the net using two different connection methods. :( (USB method is effectively dial-up, wheras LAN is totally different)

I didn't think of this issue, but got a wireless netgear router, as I wanted to share my broadband with other people in the house with laptops. The side benefit is now I have my two PCs here connected to it via a DAT cable and they merrily talk to one another through the router.

Some real techie may come along and confirm all this.

Edit: If you do get a router, leave the cables where they are as it will need those anyway. Only difference is your DSL cable will plug into the router and then into your LAN port, then your son's PC cable will plug into one of the other router ports. This is how it works with my router/modem combo anyway.

Ahem' date=' I think you might need a router too... :(

Is the broadband going to your PC via the USB and you want share it via the LAN? I have a feeling you can't have both PCs trying to access the net using two different connection methods. :( (USB method is effectively dial-up, wheras LAN is totally different)

I didn't think of this issue, but got a wireless netgear router, as I wanted to share my broadband with other people in the house with laptops. The side benefit is now I have my two PCs here connected to it via a DAT cable and they merrily talk to one another through the router.

Some real techie may come along and confirm all this.

Edit: If you do get a router, leave the cables where they are as it will need those anyway. Only difference is your DSL cable will plug into the router and then into your LAN port, then your son's PC cable will plug into one of the other router ports. This is how it works with my router/modem combo anyway.[/quote']

:eek: I hope some real teccie doesn't come along if yours is the simple explanation! I'm not good at this kind of thing but I think I may follow your drift.

So the cable stays there because that's how he connects to the network and I need the router for him to connect to broadband. Don't understand how he gets AOL on his computer though - is that the router again?? :rubchin:

Cheers

:eek: I hope some real teccie doesn't come along if yours is the simple explanation! I'm not good at this kind of thing but I think I may follow your drift.

So the cable stays there because that's how he connects to the network and I need the router for him to connect to broadband. Don't understand how he gets AOL on his computer though - is that the router again?? :rubchin:

Cheers

he doesn't get "AOL" through his computer - The cable is supplying your internet connection for him to share. On the internet settings (in internet explorer, this is under tools, options, connections) there should be no dial-up settings or at least selected to "never dial a connection" and the LAN settings down the bottom set to auto.

One thing that might be needed is to allow access when the router is installed. If you do get a router, I can't recommend the Netgear DG834G highly enough.

When you're PC connects to the router/modem, you'll need to copy the same settings as above, i.e "never dial a connection" like you use to access broadband (like I did with Wanadoo which uses a kind of fake dial-up system to access the ADSL) and the PC should automatically see the router once you're ethernet port is wired up to one port on the router.

Hope that makes sense.

You will be able to share the conection on your current setup with windows ICS (Internet Connection Sharing). Have a look here for setup instructions:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/ics.mspx

HTH

Ventmore

One point to note since you don't want to re-run the cable is that if you do go the router erm.....route...then you will need one with auto-sensing ports to accomodate the crossover cable (computer to computer connections use crossover cables, whereas, computer to router use normal patch cables), or get a wireless one and get rid of the long cable run altogether.

Cheers

Ventmore

AAAgggghhhh! I think I should go to bed. But I have followed the set up home network wizard and shared the internet connection and he can go to Connect To and choose the connection and get a 'connected' notification in the taskbar. What he can't do is get to AOL (or anywhere for that matter) when he clicks Internet Explorer. I find all this stuff alien and puzzling - I know it seems easy to some of you and I do appreciate all your help. Just hope I'm not asking really stupid questions.

Will think about it more tomorrow

Goodnight all

Derek

So, its connected but not talking then... :confused: Sounds a little odd if he can access the connection through the LAN port but then no websites come up. Does it also bring up a connection error when trying to download emails in outlook express or similar? I would check your son's internet explorer settings first and check that its setup for LAN connection only.

Beyond that, I'm hopin there's no sharing settings need changing (somewhere in yours and your lad network card settings is a "file and print sharing"thing - I believe both must be ticked on your machine and his I suspect.

HTH

How is your sons network connection set up?

How is your sons network connection set up?

I will try and take some screen pix to show the settings on both computers when I have time. Be great if you could have a look at them. Tried again tonight to get it working but still no joy. The Broadband connection is there on his computer but he can't go to anywhere in IE.

Thanks

Derek

I had a similar problem with my ntlworld connection. It ended up being my firewall being too tight (admittedly after a LiveUpdate from Nortons today I'm now having fun and games with it trying to block the entire internet.

I'm going to guess that the two systems have assigned their IP addresses dynamincally.

To find the IP address:

Start

Run

Type cmd

Press enter

Type ipconfig

Press enter

Do this on both machines and note down both addresses.

Now go to the firewall settings on the machine directly connected to the AOL connection. Add in the IP address into the allow list on networking.

Note that you may need to set it up for the entire range so if your address is:

123.456.789.xxx

Set from 123.456.789.0 to 123.456.789.255

(Yes, I know each set of numbers can't go over 255, it's just an example!).

Additionally you could put the same settings on the other machine as well.

If the machines have static IP addresses you can just put those in instead.

Feel free to ask any questions on this.

There shouldn't really BE an actual visible "connection" icon for the broadband, just the LAN network icon, which is what the broadband will come through.

I suspect its doing what mine was doing and trying to use only "dial-up" connections to access internet related stuff. All "dial-up" connections need to be removed (including broadband through USB as this is usually done to trick the PC into thinking its using a dial-up connection)

Hopefully then with all other routes to connect lost, and connection settings set to auto in the LAN settings, it should find what your PC is trying to send to your son's PC through the network cable.

Just had another go at meddling with stuff before going to work and read a Microsoft 'How To' that said firewall should be turned on on the Host computer and off on the connecting computer. I've done that and my son's computer can now connect to AOL.

IS that OK though, is he protected through the firewall settings on the host computer? I'm just using the firewall that comes with XP-is that enough now I've got Broadband?

MAny thanks for all the advice-it was a combination of changes I made following bits of advice from all of you that fixed it in the end.

Cheers all

Derek

why aol?

why aol?

i too was thikning that while reading the post Mark, and the thing is Mark, people like our Derek here know no better they see the attractive TV adverts and claims and how it will chnage your life and be so easy to use and protect there computers and family etc etc.... so we can't blame him for going with AOL even tho there software is biggest virus on the net... we only accpet Dereks destion and help him as much as posible

Glad to hear you got it all sorted Derek.... i dont know how old your son is but i belive that none of the AOL 'safegards' (age resirtions, anti spy ware software etc) do not apply and are not active on his PC...ie he can look at as much porn as he likes, , he will be protected by your windows fire wall but if you have no anti virus on your pc only what is in AOL then his computer is not protected for virus's either. :eek:

you see the AOL software is a bundle that containes all the safe gaurds once you start using a browser out side of the confinds of AOL eg internet explorer , netscape, firefox, none of what comes with AOL applies...then it is down to what you have installed localy

Joel

Joel

thought aol used IE built into its software?

Sorry to hijack the thread but kind of relevant

I am going to be able to get broadband for the first time in June (live in a small village)

Which service provider would you recommend (from previous posts im thinking not AOL )??

Are you in a cabled area or are you restricted to ADSL?

I'd check to see if anyone near has got a wireless connection and nick that!

AOL has a browser capabilities but if its IE based im not sure...

basically if you are going for broadband connection id go with with some one who is going to utalise browser software already loaded on your PC eg BT yahoo, blue yonder, tesco, wannado, tiscaly (sp??)

the problem with AOL is the consol that it installs on your pc, it gets everywhere and conflicts with no end of software and drivers.... i have had customers with PC's who cannot use there new camera on there PC they take off AOL and it works (not that you can ever completely take it off with out formatting the drive)...time and time again i got that problem... with the PC i was selling...it got so if anyone i spoke to had a hardware problem it woudl be the first question i asked 'do you use AOL?'

Joel

AOL has a browser capabilities but if its IE based im not sure...

They bought Nutscrape navigator a while back IIRC

it got so if anyone i spoke to had a hardware problem it woudl be the first question i asked 'do you use AOL?'

My name is Andy, and i use AOL :bawl:

Nevermind, my computer seems ok...when i make the switch to broadband i will probably go to BT instead.

Thanks for advice.

Just had another go at meddling with stuff before going to work and read a Microsoft 'How To' that said firewall should be turned on on the Host computer and off on the connecting computer. I've done that and my son's computer can now connect to AOL.

No-it still doesn't work! Now I've had time to check properly, all it was doing was displaying an AOL page from the C drive in the address bar (Not sure why)

Well, sorry I seem to have gone down the wrong broadband route according to many of you but I don't pretend to know much about broadband. I did start a thread a few months back asking which provider to go with but all that did was result in a scrap between 2 people so I chose for myself. I didn't see any TV hype about AOL changing my life - I wanted something with no download limits and AOL has none. A couple of people I know have it and have no complaints. My only problem with it so far is the shared connection.

I'll just have to keep trying with the sharing issue - maybe I would still have the same problem with any of the BB providers.

cheers

derek

No-it still doesn't work! Now I've had time to check properly' date=' all it was doing was displaying an AOL page from the C drive in the address bar (Not sure why)

Well, sorry I seem to have gone down the wrong broadband route according to many of you but I don't pretend to know much about broadband. I did start a thread a few months back asking which provider to go with but all that did was result in a scrap between 2 people so I chose for myself. I didn't see any TV hype about AOL changing my life - I wanted something with no download limits and AOL has none. A couple of people I know have it and have no complaints. My only problem with it so far is the shared connection.

I'll just have to keep trying with the sharing issue - maybe I would still have the same problem with any of the BB providers.

cheers

derek[/quote']

This site has a detailed setup procedure for ICS.

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/ics_xp

Your best bet though would be to look at getting an ADSL modem/router...it will make your life so much easier.

Cheers

Ventmore

Thanks Ventmore-that looks really helpful link. Will print out and have a look. Why does a router make things easier? Sorry if that's a silly question but I just don't know much!

cheers

derek