Anilrgowda

I have an XP Pro PC which has a connection to the internet.....
ADSL single user (no router) external USB device.
I am looking to buy a laptop and I'd like to be able to share the internet connection that the PC already has.

What would be the best way to go about this and what features would I need to ensure the laptop had in order to achieve this.
I am fairly comfortable with traditional networking (to a point) but my knowledge of wireless is almost zero.

Do I get a card for the PC and laptop and have them talk wirelessly. Would I put a nic in each and connect the laptop peer to peer each time I wanted to access the web? Do I need to do anything special to the PC (Win XP Pro) to be able to share the connection with the laptop?

Anilrgowda

You have a few options:

1) Buy a router (preferably wireless since your laptop will (maybe) support wireless). Then the ADSL modem should be set to bridged mode, with DHCP disabled so that your router can manage your connection. After this, your desktop would be wired into the modem and your laptop could use either wireless or wired connection to the internet.

2) If you have no plans to add an additional system to the network and have no interest in wireless use, you can intall a 2nd network adapter in your desktop and bridge the two adapters so that your desktop would serve as a router for your laptop

3) Using the above method you could also implement ICS (Internet Connection Sharing).

My preference would be the first one - you can get wireless routers for around $40-$50 USD - or even get a used one off ebay, for less...