I currently have a broadband USB modem. I bought a wireless router that has ethernet connections. The modem is currently connected to my computer downstairs running Windows 98, so it will not connect connections to my computer upstairs (XP). I can’t upgrade to XP because a family member doesn’t ‘take a chance’.

Can I connect the USB broadband modem to my wireless router using a complicated selection of cable adapters, ie Ethernet to USB (I can’t find a USB TO ETHERNET adapter)? If this is not possible, if I connect the USB modem to my XP computer, can I bridge the connections to my Win 98 computer using the XP computer as a host?

I think your output is Ethernet to USB currently, but not USB to Ethernet. I don’t see any reason why you can’t connect your USB modem to your XP computer and use it as a bridge to the 98 computer.

Of course, it would be better to have an all-in-one unit, but you can achieve your goal with this kit. You cannot use cable adapters to convert the modem’s USB to Ethernet. USB needs drivers to work and Ethernet connections do not provide those drivers to the device. You could also plug the modem into the XP machine and hook up the connections, yes. but you can leave the system as it is and set it up to work like this:

If I had the hardwear in front of me, it would be easier to provide details… but I can probably give you an idea of ​​what to do. Here there are only 2 steps:

1. Set up an internet gateway.

2. configure the router.

And the rest is easy.

1. Set the Internet machine to SHARING AN INTERNET CONNECTION (you can use the wizard if you want, or just enable Internet Connection Sharing), which will turn the 98 into an Internet gateway. however, that gateway needs a designated IP address. In essence, machine 98 will be the Internet server, so the IP of machine 98 is the IP of the gateway. Assign an address, eg: 192.168.1.1 to machine 98. The “192.168” is important, and the last few strings you can stretch on, but for the sake of ease, let’s keep it small. *TIP* the subnet mask will always be 255.255.255.0. ok, that takes care of the host machine.

2. After you have a gateway to the Internet, connect the wireless router and console (or IP) to the setup, usually by accessing Internet Explorer and typing 192.168.0.1 in the address bar, and find a slot for the gateway Internet link. Write down the address assigned in step 1. That’s for the router. (There may be other settings required for your specific network, and if there are, be sure to configure them.)

Lastly, some cleanup. make sure that the workgroup of both machines is identical. I usually use MSHOME as a workgroup. Also make sure that on the XP machine, your IP address is set to “Obtain IP address automatically”, also known as DHCP.