[chaosjim]

I have 3 PC's all running WinXP,2 Pro,1 Home.My components are; Motorola SB5100 cable modem,ran to Linksys BEFSR41 Router 4 port,ran to Unkown Hub 8 port,which all my computers are ran to, all with CAT5 cable.My question is this;Is this the best configuration for the hardware that I have and/or is their a more secure way to setup my network?Right now the only problem I have is the computer running XP Home can't access the printers on the other 2 computers.Mainly I'm concerned about security though and would appreciate any advice on my setup.I have Norton 2005 on all the computers,as well as Norton Internet Security.Thanks in advance for any advice/help on this subject.

Edited by chaosjim, 04 December 2005 - 10:12 AM.

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Welcome to G2G chaosjim

Your current setup seems fine apart from the fact that the hub would appear to be unnecessary. If the router has 4 ports & you only have 2 computers plus the modem, then you can connect the machines directly to the router instead.

As for the printing problem on the XP machine, if you haven't already done so, you need to enable file/print sharing on the computers that have the printers attached. On the XP machine, you need to add the printers using the Add Printer wizard. make sure you select Network Printer not local. This may require the printer driver CD if windows doesn't already have it in its database.

If you still can't access the printers from the XP system after this, then try disabling Nortons Security. Also make sure that Windows Firewall is disabled. Provided you have the Routers firewall enabled & correctly configured, then you shouldn't really need Nortons Firewall as well.

[Samm]

Welcome to G2G chaosjim

Your current setup seems fine apart from the fact that the hub would appear to be unnecessary. If the router has 4 ports & you only have 2 computers plus the modem, then you can connect the machines directly to the router instead.

As for the printing problem on the XP machine, if you haven't already done so, you need to enable file/print sharing on the computers that have the printers attached. On the XP machine, you need to add the printers using the Add Printer wizard. make sure you select Network Printer not local. This may require the printer driver CD if windows doesn't already have it in its database.

If you still can't access the printers from the XP system after this, then try disabling Nortons Security. Also make sure that Windows Firewall is disabled. Provided you have the Routers firewall enabled & correctly configured, then you shouldn't really need Nortons Firewall as well.

[chaosjim]

Thanks for posting a reply.How do you configure a router /hub?I put the CD in that came with the router and it says it can't find the router.Of course it has to go through the hub first,that may be the problem.I still don't understand what people mean when they talk about configuring a Hub/Router.Norton Internet Security has configured my hardware when I installed it,but is there another way to do it and if so how do I access these settings?The hub is unneccessary but does provide another "firewall"right?It doesn't slow my internet connection or does it?Again thanks for posting and trying to help it's appreciated.Like most newbies as you can see I have more questions,lol.

Thanks again

[Samm]

OK, the hub will NOT provide any firewall protection I'm afraid. They are passive devices & unintelligent, they simply route data through them.

In order to access the configuration settings for your router, you will need to open Internet Explorer & in the address bar, type :
http://192.168.1.1.
You will probably need to connect the router direct to the computer (without the hub) & then install the CD before accessing the config page.

You should see a logon box popup asking for username & password. Unless you have already set up username & password for the router, you need to leave the username field blank & enter admin as the password.

If you decide to do all this, I suggest you connect just one computer + modem to the router to start with, leaving the other machines + hub disconnected. Add the other computers to the router once you know its all working.
I also suggest that you create a restore point in XP prior to installing the router or changing any settings.
You will probably find that you can connect the PC straight to the router without actually needing to alter any settings either on the router or on the computer.

If you find you do have any problems, I recommend you disable all the firewalls (XPs firewall, 3rd party firewall & routers built in firewall) just until you get the connection established & working correctly. You may find Nortons firewall particulary problematic. It also has a tendency to re-enable itself after 5 mins or on reboot, so be aware of that! Remember to re-enable the routers own firewall again afterwards everything is working.

If you feel this is all too much hassle though, then just keep the network as you currently have it. There's not really anything wrong with it's current configuration, the hub is just unnecessary, thats all.