I was wondering if someone could explain to me how to share DSL internet between two computers with a d-link switch. Both computers run on Windows XP. I have a DSL modem with 4 plug ins for RJ 45 cables, until now we just plugged both RJ45 cables into there from our Ethernet cards and dialed into the same account but I was wondering how to share it with a switch seeing as how we get disconnected sometimes. Any help would be much appreciated.

You will need to get a router to share the connection. A switch will not do it. You say the modem has four ports?? Are you sure that it is not a modem/router combo?? If it is a modem/router combo you need to find out how to set up it and your computers. Rule #1: Good Computers don't go down. Rule #2: There is no such thing as a good computer.

You can share a connection with a switch. My friend and I have done it before, I just can not remember how to set it up.

That was helpful Joshua. Yes you can share dsl with a switch but you have to use XP's ICS [internet connection sharing]. This requires a pc to have two nics. One goes to dsl. One goes to the switch with the other pc. Get a router instead. Better protection and shared bandwidth. Golly gee wilerkers everyone. Learn to Internet Search

"You can share a connection with a switch." If the ISP didn't give you two IP addresses, it cannot be done unless the switch supports VLAN's, and even then you'd need to use Internet Connection Sharing, which is using NAT, just as a SOHO router does, to share the connection. Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina. www.redcross.org

actually you could do it. You could have the dsl come into the switch and then the two pcs. Problem would be you would have to remember to boot the ICS machine first so it would get the internet based dhcp address. The ICS machine's nic and 2nd pcs nic would need static ip assignments so they couldn't grab a dhcp address by accident. You would still need two nics in the ICS machine because you can't bridge using one nic. Golly gee wilerkers everyone! Learn to Internet Search