PC home network question

Factual Questions
1

I have four PC’s in my house, and have three of them networked together. I’m wondering if I can add the fourth PC. Here is a description of the network:

Fisrt, I have wireless broadband, and this is connected to the system though a linksys wireless router.

PC 1 (Windows XP home) is connected to the network via a wired connection to the router.

PC 2 (Windows XP home) is connected to the network via a wired connection to the router.

PC 3 (Windows XP home) is connected to the network via a wireless connection to the router. This PC is also connected (via USB) to a printer which PC 1 and PC 2 can print to.

PC 4 (Windows 98SE) is not connected to the network, but has some software loaded that no other PC has and I’d like to use and print from.

I’d like to add PC 4 to the network in order to access the printer connected to PC 3. PC 4 is located right next to PC 3, and does not have a wireless adaptor nor can be hardwired to the router easily. PC 4 has an unused network card connection, as does PC 3. I do not need PC 4 to access the internet or PC 1 or PC 2, but just the printer connected to PC 3.
Can I connect PC 4 to PC 3 with a crossover cable to use the printer? PC 3 has an unused network card connection in addition to the wireless card. I’d prefer to use a crossover cable to PC 3 rather than buy and install a wireless network card on PC 4 to access the network.

2

It can be done, though you’ll essentially be creating two seperate networks, with the router and PCs 1, 2, and 3 forming one, and PCs 3 and 4 forming the other. The key is making sure the two network resources in PC3 (wireless and wired) aren’t in conflict.

3

Yes.

Assign a static IP address to the network cards of PC 3 and PC 4. Make sure it’s a private IP address and not in the same subnet as the existing network. I’d recommend 10.10.10.1 and 10.10.10.2. Your existing IP range is probably 192.168.x.x.

Connect the two with a crossover cable. Now Pc 3 and PC4 can see each other; PC3 can also see the rest of the network and the Internet. PC4 can only see PC3.

If you turn on IP routing on PC3, and add a static route to 10.10.10.0 on PC1 and PC2, than all the PCs in your house can talk to each other.