Network

I have two really basic questions...

1. Is an Ethernet card the same as a network card?

2. Currently, in my office we are all on individual dial up modems. We have
a high speed line coming into the office but dedicated to one computer at the
moment. I have just purchased a new Dell computer with Windows XP Home
edition on it. I am told that Windows XP Home edition is not "networkable".
If we decide to connect several computers to the high speed line using a
router (no server) and we do not need to share printers or drives, can we use
the XP Home software?

_NO_SPAM wrote:
I have two really basic questions...

1. Is an Ethernet card the same as a network card?

2. Currently, in my office we are all on individual dial up modems. We have
a high speed line coming into the office but dedicated to one computer at the
moment. I have just purchased a new Dell computer with Windows XP Home
edition on it. I am told that Windows XP Home edition is not "networkable".
If we decide to connect several computers to the high speed line using a
router (no server) and we do not need to share printers or drives, can we use
the XP Home software?

An Ethernet card is a network card, but a network card may not be
ethernet. I.e. there are other networking protocols around, such as
token ring, but ethernet is the most common, in business situations at
least.

As I understand it... XP Home has reduced networking capability compared
to XP Pro. The difference is that Home cannot log in to Domains, as
controlled by a Windows 2003 Server for example. XP Home can take part
in peer-to-peer Windows networks.

Not sure what you mean by 'the XP Home software', but if you mean XP
Home itself, then yes you can.

One config that is quite common is:

Outside world
|
ADSL or cable 'modem'
|
- Network Router-
| | | |
PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4 etc.

I think there are devices that combine the ADSL modem with the router,
and there are also various configurations of router, some incorporating
wireless access, some with a printer server, etc. etc.

In ,
_NO_SPAM
.com typed:


I have two really basic questions...

1. Is an Ethernet card the same as a network card?


An Ethernet card is a network card, but not all network cards are
Ethernet cards.

That said, these days any kind of network card other than
Ethernet is very rare, so for practical purposes you can probably
consider the two to be synonyms.


2. Currently, in my office we are all on individual dial up
modems.
We have a high speed line coming into the office but dedicated
to one
computer at the moment. I have just purchased a new Dell
computer
with Windows XP Home edition on it. I am told that Windows XP
Home
edition is not "networkable".


You've been told wrong. That's completely false. XP Home can't
join a domain, but for an ordinary peer-to-peer workgroup, it
networks just like XP Professional.



If we decide to connect several
computers to the high speed line using a router (no server) and
we do
not need to share printers or drives, can we use the XP Home
software?


Absolutely. You can also share printers and drives, up to XP
Home's limit of five concurrent connections.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

_NO_SPAM wrote:
I have two really basic questions...

1. Is an Ethernet card the same as a network card?


Very probably, but not necessarily. Ethernet is the de facto standard
networking protocol in use today, but there are other networking
protocols, such as Token Ring or ARCNet, which would use Network
Interface Cards especially designed for them.


2. Currently, in my office we are all on individual dial up modems. We have
a high speed line coming into the office but dedicated to one computer at the
moment. I have just purchased a new Dell computer with Windows XP Home
edition on it. I am told that Windows XP Home edition is not "networkable".


That's completely false. Whomever told you that should stick to
flipping burgers.


If we decide to connect several computers to the high speed line using a
router (no server) and we do not need to share printers or drives, can we use
the XP Home software?


Certainly.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH