Chapter 22: Connecting to the Internet

Chapter Introduction

Once your modem is installed (as described in the previous chapter), you need to configure Windows XP to work with the account. How you connect depends on the type of account. Windows can have network connections to dial-up, ISDN, DSL, and cable Internet accounts as well as connections to local area networks (LANs).

If you don't already have an Internet account, the New Connection Wizard can help you sign up for one. If you have an account, this Wizard can create a network connection for the account. Once created, you can configure, copy, or delete the network connection manually. Then you can connect to and disconnect from the Internet manually, or configure Windows to connect automatically when you request information from the Internet.

If your computer is connected to a local area network, you can connect to the Internet over the LAN if another computer serves as an Internet gateway. If you have a small LAN at home or in a small organization, Windows XP comes with a program called Internet Connection Sharing that allows a computer running Windows to act as an Internet gateway for all the computers on the LAN.

If you dial in to your Internet account, you can tell Windows either to dial direct or use a telephone calling card, and you can specify whether to dial the area code or not (see Chapter 21).

For all types of accounts, the built-in Ping, Tracert, and Netstat programs can help you test your connection. This chapter describes all these programs.

What Is TCP/IP? TCP/IP is the acronym for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, the way computers communicate with each other on the Internet. All Internet accounts use TCP/IP. Windows XP also uses TCP/IP for communication over local area networks.