Win XP-Setting Up Your Home Network

Setting up your network

From
choosing the right kind of network, to shopping for hardware and
getting your network up and running, these how-to articles and tips
will help you use Windows XP to build your home or small business
network from the ground up.

Introduction to home and small business networking Which type of network is best for you? This article walks you through the different types, helps you choose one, and shows you what hardware you need to set it up.

How to connect to the Internet Get the accessory that every computer user needs: a connection to the Internet. Follow these steps to get connected.

Choosing the type of network to install Should your home network be wired or wireless? Learn which one best suits the way you use your computers.

How to install a network adapter To connect to a network, your computer needs a network adapter. Learn how to tell if your computer has one and how to add one if it doesn’t.

How to set up a wireless network Decided wireless is the way to go? Follow these steps to get your wireless network up and running.

How to set up a wired network If a wired network is the best choice for you, this article can help you get it set up.

How to set up your computer for home networking Get your computer ready to run on your home network using the Network Setup Wizard.

How to add a computer to your network using Windows XP Once your network is up and running, connect additional computers with Windows XP. If you’re using an earlier version of Windows, see: • How to add a computer to your network using Windows 2000 • How to add a computer to your network using Windows 98 or Windows Me

How to set up a network without a router Connect your computers without the expense of a router.

Using Windows Connect Now technology See how Windows Connect Now technology makes setting up a network in your home or small office even easier.

How to connect an Xbox or Xbox 360 to your network Take gaming and entertainment to the next level by adding an Xbox to your network.

Windows XP: Basic Networking Utilities





Below is a list of some command line network utilities that come with
Windows that you can use for troubleshooting some basic network
problems. The problem with these utilities is that they're not very
intuitive until you learn to understand what you're looking at.

The
primary use of them is to find out if different parts of your
computer's network subsystems are working properly. For example if
you're able to PING a remote computer, then you know that your computer
is able to talk to it and that it's able to talk back to you. The
IPCONFIG command is handy for finding out information about your
computer's TCP/IP information, such as your IP address.

In order
to access these utilities you must use the MS-DOS command prompt. To
access the command prompt, from the Run... command under the Start
menu, type CMD and press Enter. To exit the command prompt, close the
window or type EXIT and press enter.

PING [hostname]
Example : ping example.com
Preforms
a basic network test to see if you can communicate with a remote
computer. This is generally the first utility that you should run if
you're having a network problems. Type "PING /?" for more information
on this command.
TRACERT [hostname]
Example: traceroute example.com
Shows
the path and the number of routers (aka hops) that the data pass
through to arrive to the destination, if a connection is broken, you
can see where its happening at. Type "TRACERT /?" for more information
on this command.
IPCONFIG

Example : ifconfig
Shows
the basic TCP/IP network information for your computer, such as the IP
address, subnet mask, and default gateway. Type "IPCONFIG /?" for more
information on this command.
NSLOOKUP [hostname]
example: nslookup example.com
Displays
the remote IP address of a domain name based on the DNS information.
This is a good test to make sure that your DNS connection is working
properly. Type "NSLOOKUP /?" for more information on this command.

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: example.com
Address: 192.0.34.166
NETSTAT [options]
Example: netstat -nt
Displays
the current TCP/IP based connections established on your computer. This
is handy to see the remote TCP/IP connections your system is using.
Type "NETSTAT /?" for more information on this command.
TELNET [hostname] [port]
Example: telnet example.com 80
Allows
you to set up a simple terminal session with a another computer to
perform different tasks, such as remote computer administration or
running text based applications. This utility can also be used for
doing basic troubleshooting on HTTP, SMTP, and other text based
computer services.