I'm not sure about my OS/CPU/RAM/etc. because I'm not sure which PC I'll be using as the actual file server. Here's what I plan to do: I already have a small 2-PC home network up and running with Shared Printing. I will hopefully be acquiring a new computer for file serving purposes. I was wondering what hardware/software this PC would need. Would it just need a hard drive and a motherboard? I'm new to networking/hardware, so please try not to be to harsh. By the way, I will be keeping all my personal files on this computer which includes: 1. MP3s 2. Video Files 3. Personal Documents Thanks, Ryan

You do not need a powerfull computer to run a personal file server at home. I would suggest getting an older PIII machine. I use a 550MHz PIII myself. However, since the machine will most likely be running all the time you should ensure it has a good power supply. Also, if you are putting files on this machine that you need to have access to all the time, I suggest you get a computer that has RAID1 capabilities or get a RAID card. With that you can run two hard drives and duplicate the data between them. Use lose 1/2 the storage space, but if one drive fails the systems keeps operating. Note though, that this does NOT replace a backup. A virus or system failure could still wipe out all your data on both drives. Michael J