i need to install a network card on my (old) pc i need to buy one first before i install it aswel, any recommendations? it's just for general b/band abuse, so doesnt need to be anything too fancy.. the pc im buying it for is pretty old pentium 800, still goes at a decentish rate for it's age. will this affect my network usage or just how fast stuff happens?
Re: i need to install a network card on my (old) pc just get a cheap one from ur local pc shop m8 , nowt fancy needed tbh , about a fiver tops i reckon !!! ...fidds...
You will probably be looking at a tenner tbh. The performance of the network won't be noticibly affected by a slower machine when using the internet, as the network card is doing most of the work!! If you send large files accross your own network you might find its a tad slow at times.
how do i install it? can you just plug it in so to speak or do i have to have an ounce of technical knowledge to do it? ta geeks
Its pretty simple.. Just plug it in a PCI slot.. Install the drivers.. Plug in RJ-45... Set-up relevant Ip info.. That should be it.. I think
Thats pretty much it. You may not even need to set up any IP details! Will you be connecting straight to a router or to another pc? If you go straight to a router (including going through a switch or hub) it should just be a plug & play job, just set your IP settings to automatically get an IP address. (You can do this in control panel > my network places > view network connections, right click and then select TCP/IP and choose properties, and select automatic IP). It is likely that it is already set to automatic as that's the default selection. If you are going to another PC, you just need to run the networking wizard (thats the easiest way anyway!), making sure you select "this computer connects to the ineternet via another computer." (You will need to run the wizard on the other machine too, setting that as the gateway). Et voila, all sorted.
Do you use windows xp on that machine mate? If so just stick the network card in a spare slot (ded easy) and turn on ya comp, it will detect and install it for you automatically. If you use 9x then just point it at the driver cd/floppy when asked easy as m8
