Please help me get online (LAN, DSL)

Factual Questions
1

To begin, I don’t know anything about networks. I’ve been on dial-up for as long as I’ve been online.

I’m house-sitting for some people at the moment, and they left me with the following instructions so I can use their super-fast internet (passwords deleted):

Password for router: xxxxxxx
Earthlink account: xxxxxx@ earthlink.net
password: xxxxxx

So, how do I use this info to access their account?

Random info:
Their house is completely wired up with ports everywhere there’s a phone jack, all going back to two routers in the attic, both of which are always on.
I have a new desktop running Windows XP with a built-in Ethernet card.
As far as I can tell, it is DSL always online service.
I have tried to use the built-in XP “New Internet Connection Wizard,” but it hasn’t gotten me anywhere.
If you have the time to help, please explain things as if you are talking to a 2 year old cat, as it probably knows more than I do about all this.

Thanks in advance.

2

Control Panel > Network Connections > find their connection > right click > connect > put in name and password

Should work. That’s how I do it at home (except for the name and password…that’s automatic).

3

Off the top of my head, I’d say pop open a copy of internet explorer and see if that doesn’t prompt you for a password. Chances are good, its the router password and you’re there.

4

Thanks for the replies - xvxdarkknightxvx, how do I find their connection? That’s not an option I’m seeing. A friend of mine said he would come over and set this up for me, and he tried for about an hour, then gave up. I hope he didn’t screw anything up. When I go into Network Connections, I have two entries under Broadband (Broaband Connection, Disconnected, WAN Miniport; and Broadband connection 2, Disconnnected, WAN Miniport. Under Dail-up I have my Earthlink account. Under LAN or High Speed Internet I have 1394 Connection, Enabled, 1394 Net Adapter; and Local Area Connection, Disabled, Realtek RTL(a bunch of other stuff). The 1394 Connection (under status) shows 0 “packets” sent or received.

Beelzebubba, when I open Explorer, I just get the “Page Not Found screen.”

Thanks again for your help.

5

Try this…

  1. Network Connections (in the Control Panel)
  2. Select “Create a new connection”
  3. Hit “Next” when the New Connection Wizard pops up
  4. Select “Connect to the Internet” and hit “Next”
  5. Select “Set up my connection manually” and hit “Next”
  6. Select “Connect using a broadband connection that requires a user name and password” and hit “Next”
  7. For ISP Name try “Earthlink” and hit “Next”
  8. Username would be “xxxxxx@ earthlink.net”
  9. Password would be “xxxxxx” (yes, :rolleyes: ) and confirm password
  10. Uncheck the first box
  11. A window should pop up - hit “Connect”

Hopefully this worked. If it didn’t call Earthlink support; they should guide you step by step.

6

Yeah, what Necro said, except don’t use “Earthlink” since you already have the dial-up connection udner earthlink. Use “DSL.” Also, the username probably will just be whatever they gave you, with no “@something.net”. Hope this helps.