Marilyn writes in with a networking question.
Q. I have DSL connectivity on my desktop and I have a laptop with warless card. What do I need to get wireless internet on my laptop? Also my desktop does not have Ethernet connectivity, only USB ports.
A. If you don't have Ethernet on your desktop does that mean you are using USB for your DSL connection? In order to share your DSL connection you will need a DSL router. The DSL router takes the internet connection from the modem and then allows you to split the signal among multiple computers. If you are using USB for your internet connection you may be able to get a DSL router that supports USB although they are not nearly as common as Ethernet routers and may be hard to find.
I suggest getting an Ethernet card for your desktop and using a network cable for your DSL and getting a wireless router to share the connection with your laptop. You should be able to get an Ethernet PCI card for $15 and a wireless router for around $60. Check out this link for more details on how to set it up.
Back to the Networking Questions
Index Back to the Main Answers Page
Back to the Computer Help Home Page