Windows XP Prefers Broadband
Published: March 20, 2001
By Jerry Honeycutt, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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In my last column, I was showing off Windows XP on a home network. I described how easy it is to configure Windows XP—all you do is install the network interface card and let the operating system take over.
I also discussed one of Windows XP's coolest features: Internet Connection Sharing.
In this column, I'll explain why Windows XP is so great for high-speed Internet access, known as broadband, and I will discuss configuring Windows XP for broadband.
The most common types of broadband Internet connections are digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem connections. Both are radically faster than the typical modem. Configuring your broadband connection in Windows XP is a snap.
My experience went something like this:
| • | Run the Network Setup Wizard. |
| • | Type in the computer name that my Internet Service Provider (ISP) gave me. |
| • | Reboot my computer. |
| • | Shebang, I was on the Internet. |
First Things First
The first thing you must do is order service. Contact your local cable company or phone company to arrange for installation. If broadband service is available in your area, they will schedule an installer to come to your house and hook up everything. The installers pull the wires—often they will reuse your existing TV cable or phone line—and they install a broadband modem near your computer. They may also install a NIC in your computer, connect it to your broadband modem, and configure your Internet connection, which is like any other network connection.
If you're technically savvy, or if your ISP does not yet support Windows XP, you'll want to stop the installers before they configure your network connection. They are likely trained to install software that you probably don't want on your computer. It's best to configure the connection yourself. Configuring your broadband connection yourself is not too difficult.
Nine times out of ten, your ISP uses the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) and configuration is automatic. Make sure that you ask the installers for your computer's name, though. Most ISPs require you to give your computer a certain name or automatic configuration won't work.
Hook me up, Jerry
After you have a NIC installed and it's connected to your broadband modem, you can configure your broadband connection, and then share that connection with the other computers on your network.
When you install Windows XP, it asks you for the name of your computer and, if it doesn't get a DHCP server, it'll ask you to enter network settings that your ISP has provided. The entire process takes a few seconds and is totally pain free.
If you've already installed Windows XP, use the Network Setup Wizard to configure your Internet connection.
| • | In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections; |
| • | Click Set Up or Change my Home Network Settings. |
| • | How you answer the wizard's questions depends on your goals: Share the connection with other computers on your home network. | This computer connects directly to the Internet. The other computers in my home network connect to the Internet through this computer. | Connect to the Internet without sharing the connection with other computers on the network. | This computer connects directly to the Internet, and so do the other computers in my home network. | Configure an Internet connection when you don't have a network. | This computer connects directly to the Internet. I do not have a home network yet. |
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The Network Setup Wizard will also ask you for the name of your computer. Most broadband companies require that you use the name they assign you. In fact, if you don't use it, DHCP will flat out ignore your computer and so your Internet connection won't work.
Protect Your Bits
A high– Internet connection is hog heaven. It's fast. It's always on.
It's always on? Yes, and that's a problem. Since it's always connected, intruders have ample opportunities to break in to your computer. They can damage your configuration or swipe information. It's much more of a risk considering that your IP address doesn't change often and your ISP's pool of addresses is known.
One of those features that makes Windows XP so great for broadband Internet access is Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). It protects your computer from intruders. It helps ensure that no information gets inside the firewall unless your computer expects the information, or you've explicitly opened a hole in the firewall. In other words, ICF only lets information past the firewall if it has proof that you've requested it.
When you run the Network Setup Wizard, it automatically enables ICF on any active Internet connections that it finds. To double– whether a connection is using ICF:
| • | Open the Control Panel. |
| • | Click Network and Internet Connections. |
| • | Click Network Connections. |
| • | Right– your Internet connection, and then click Properties. |
| • | Click the Advanced tab of your connection's Properties dialog box, and configure ICF. I'll talk about this feature in depth in a future column. |
Now What?
"It just works" is a phrase that you are going to hear many, many times. In the case of broadband Internet connections, plug and play has new meaning. And Windows XP includes plenty of toys that you can use with your high– Internet connection. Try streaming audio and video with Windows Media Player. How about the online games that you find on the Start menu? Internet Explorer 6 was built for speed. And don't forget NetMeeting, which is even more impressive when you give it fast Internet access.
Expert Zone Columnist Jerry Honeycutt is a writer, speaker, and technologist who has written over 25 books, including Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide (Microsoft Press, 2002). He frequently writes about customizing and deploying Windows XP.
