How To Setup Lan Connection In Windows Xp

How to set upwardly a LAN connection in WinXP

Countless games are playable over a Local Expanse Network provided you can pull through the hassle of actually establishing a working connection. This guide will attempt to brand the procedure quick and painless for beginners. For simplicity's sake, I'll show y'all how to create a LAN connection betwixt only two computers so explain how to add more machines into the fold.

Stride ane. Before Starting

Before we start, exist sure to have the post-obit:

At least two computers, each i with a clean installation of Windows XP and fully compatible Network Adapters.

At least one cablevision router

At least two Ethernet Cables

Step 2. Bank check Your Card Model

First and foremost, brand sure that each one of your network adapters are correctly installed and configured on every system. To exercise this, open Device Manager (My Computer / Properties / Hardware Tab / Device Managing director) and left-click to lower the 'Network adapters' branch where yous should see the name of your network bill of fare model.
manager1

If a card model proper noun does non appear, or if you come across a ? symbol, so it'due south likely your network drivers are missing and Windows XP is unable to recognize your card. Your network drivers will near likely be found on your motherboard driver CD (or run into FAQ and Troubleshooting beneath for an alternating solution)

Step 3. Connect Computers

Assuming your network cards are all in check, search the back of your reckoner for its Ethernet port, which looks something similar this: ethernet_port

Connect the 2 computers via the router as shown in the following diagram:

lan_connections

Stride 4. Examine Connections

Afterward connecting the two computers, open Network Connections ( Start / Command Panel / Network Connections). A window with all your available connections will open up.

You should now have an upwardly-and-running network connectedness!

Double click on your Local Area Connection to run across what's up.
Connection status

Click on the Support tab.

Here you lot volition notice your IP Address. This IP Accost is specifically assigned for your Local Area Network by a Windows service known as DHCP. Your bodily IP may differ from the one seen in this screenshot.

Important. If y'all wish to use your auto-assigned IP address, you may at present skip Stride 5 (Assign IP Address) and jump straight to Step 6 (Configure Windows Firewall). But I recommend you read on and learn how to assign each IP Address yourself equally it'south very simple. If you lot cull to skip ahead, remember to render to this part of the tutorial should yous run into trouble

Step 5. Assign IP Address

Now we tin can assign a static IP to each calculator. Nosotros'll first with Reckoner i, which should be continued to Port 1 on your router as shown earlier in Step 3.

Open Network Connections ( Commencement / Control Console / Network Connections ).

Right click on your Local Expanse Connection and select Properties.
lan2

Double click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Select the 'Utilize the post-obit IP address' radial and type in the values for Estimator 1 every bit shown below:

IP address: 192.168.0.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.0.1
Prefererred DNS server: – goose egg –
Alternate DNS server: – nada –

DNS is unessential for a LAN connexion and so we'll exit it alone.

Now switch to Computer ii and blazon in the post-obit values.

IP address: 192.168.0.3
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: 192.168.0.one
Prefererred DNS server: – zero –
Alternating DNS server: – nothing –

And that's information technology!

You'll find how the final value of each IP is used to place every calculator in the network. Alter the IP Address in the aforementioned way on any other computer while leaving the default gateway and subnet mask alone. eg: Computer 3 would have an IP of "192.168.0.4" while Calculator 4 would take "192.168.0.5" so on. This will enable you lot to add together multiple machines to the network.

Step 6. Configure Windows Firewall

Windows uses a Firewall that has a nasty habit of blocking multiplayer LAN-based games. By default, a pop-up window will alarm the player when this happens.

To prepare the issue, open up Windows Firewall (Control Panel / Windows Firewall) and switch to the Exceptions tab. Click on Browse and select the games you wish to play over a LAN connection.

This must be done on every computer for every game in society to brand them playable.

If, however, your computer network is working offline and use adequate anti-virus software, you might fifty-fifty consider shutting down Windows Firewall on each arrangement for the elapsing of the gaming session.

Step 7. Sharing Data (optional)

This section is not-essential for LAN play and may be skipped entirely. Since this may benefit player who wish to transfer files between computers, I thought I'd write it upwards anyway.

Right click on any Local Disk whose contents you wish to share over a network. Select Properties and switch to the Sharing tab.

Check "Share this binder on the network" and "Allow network users to change my files" and write in a proper Share Proper noun. Select "Only enable file sharing".

At present your HDD partition volition be accessible to other computers. From where exactly?

Connected users will accept to open up My Network Places ( Desktop / My Network Places or My Computer / My Network Places). From there, select View Workgroup Computers. Information technology might take 5 or 10 seconds earlier shared files are displayed. Later on that, it should be conveniently easy to copy, change or movement files between computers.

The aforementioned concept applies to printers, fax machines and scanners.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

This list volition exist extended over time.

Q: My LAN Connexion is working merely I can't play some of my games!

A: Which games are yous trying to play? Many older games (1990s – 2000s) predate standard TCP/IP engineering and use much older IPX/SPX protocols. Famous examples of such games include Diablo, Ruby Alert ii, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D or Age of Empires two. These are still playable later y'all assign an IPX/SPX protocol to your Local Area Network.

Q: Is there a mode to connect multiple computers without using Network Adapters / Network Cards?

A: Aye. Look for USB to Ethernet Adapters, which function as detachable USB network adapters. Just install their drivers, connect and you've got a portable network card. This is an excellent choice for laptops or other machines with malfunctioned or otherwise unusable network cards. You'll still need a router and cables, though.