Computer Networking Problem

[mmione]

Ok, I have a cable internet connection. The computer that can actually connect to the internet (this one) has Windows 2000 Pro and my other computer is Widows XP Home. I have them networked with network cable and a linksys BEFSR41 router.
At first it worked great but then I installed Sygate Personal Firewall Pro. I added an exception in Sygate Personal Firewall Pro to the IP of XP comp in advanced options to allow it to be allowed to have incoming and outgoing traffic. It worked, now after about a week it isn't connecting. The IP on the XP comp changed so I added that IP in and it's not working.

Any help would be appreciated.

[JackMDS]

It is not clear how you are conncected?

Connection should be like this:Diagram of Broadband Connection with Cable/DSL Router. (http://www.ezlan.net/~network/router.jpg)

.

[mmione]

I know how to connect it, it sometimes work and sometimes doesn't. That's what angers me. How do I figure out my MAC address and is it constant?

[qball15j]

Originally posted by mmione
I know how to connect it, it sometimes work and sometimes doesn't. That's what angers me. How do I figure out my MAC address and is it constant?
A MAC address will never change.
To find your mac address go to start>run>tye "cmd">type "ipconfig /all". Your mac address is the physical address.

[gfngfgf]

The troubling thing about your set up and the problem you're having is that if both computers are connected directly to the router as JackMDS suggested, then having a software firewall on one shouldn't affect the Internet connection on the other. It sounds like the WinXP computer needs to be able to connect to the Win2k computer to get to the Internet, and that shouldn't be the case when you have a router. Is Internet Connection Sharing turned on on either computer? (ICS should be off)

This article describes how to set up a static IP address for your XP comp.

http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=177