Network Connection Problem

This is a VERY insecure setup. Your friend should strongly consider getting a firewall router.

The cable installer recorded the hardware MAC address(es) of the ethernet card(s) of the computer(s) which are supposed to be on the cable. The installer also probably set the machine(s) up for automatically getting a valid IP address from the cable company's DHCP server.

Every time one of the computers is rebooted it has the potential to receive a different IP address from the DHCP server. (Ifa computer which is not registered with the cable service reboots in this setup, it may get no IP address, no gateway, etc.)

If neither computer works, call your cable company.
If one computer still accesses the internet, check its IP, mask and gateway address using winipcfg, and write these down.
Assuming one computer works (Call it A):
Reboot the other computer (B). Use winipcfg to check its IP, mask and gateway. If the IP is not on the same segment as A, and if she is paying for two computers, call your cable company. If she is not paying for the second address, everything is working exactly right, that is, the second machine is not enabled.

If she is paying for only one address, and wants to put the second machine on anyway,options are:
Internet connection sharing on the Win98 box
Various proxy programs available at little or no cost (see www.shareware.com or www.tucows.com).
A router with NAT (Netgear, Linksys or similar) at between $100 and $200. This is a good idea anyway because these routers provide firewall capabilities.

You can make the two computers talk together by doing the following:

Add the netbeui protocol to both machines.
Set the bindings so that client for Microsoft networks binds only tonetbeui (on both machines).
Turn off tcp/ip in the machine which does not have internet access.

Good luck.

Are you using TCP/IP as the protocol or are you using something VERY simple, like NetBeui? I would run simply Netbeui to connect the two machines through the hub. Connect the Cable Modem to a NIC card in the 98SE machine and run Internet Connection Sharing. This is a very simple process and I hope this helps

Install a second NIC card within the Host computer (the one with Internet access). This card should be of a different brand and make than the one present. This so that you would be able to distinguish one from the other more clearly for setup and configuration purposes. Using CROSSOVER CABLE and NOT PATCH CABLE connect the two computers together directly via their NIC cards. You do NOT need a Hub for only 2 computers.

But being that you already have one and I presume wish to use it anyway you will need to have CROSSOVER CABLE from the HOST to the HUB via the second card mentioned above; and then you must use PATCH CABLE to connect the CLIENT computer to the HUB via the clients NIC card. I cannot tell you how many times my clients make this mistake in setting up their own networks. Having followed the "procedures to the letter" they could not understand why the network never worked.

Next go back to Network Configuration inside the HOST and remove any alterations you may have made to the the Internet NIC card of that machine when you attempted to set it up for file & printer sharing. Nothing should be done to that card at all. Configure the second Network NIC card alone for File & Printer Sharing remembering to setup the proper protocols (NETBEUI & TCP/IP) for the network NIC card.

Unplugging the power cord from the Cable modem should allow it to reset itself and the HOST should be able to regain access to the internet.

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