USB connection to cable modem

[onnyxs]

My question is this.. I have Win ME and recently installed Win2000. I have used all my resources and can not properly install drivers for NIC. I was told to switch and use the USB connection to my cable modem. The problem is that I have heard so many bad things by not using a NIC like broken connections. I am weary of this because of the fact that I am having NO problems with connections or cable modem speed while in Win ME but I would like to get on the net in Win2000 also. I would like some input from anyone has used this type of connection before.

[dissident75]

USB nics are available. I think thats what you are talking about, they work pretty good but only connect at 10 megabits. On the otherhand you don't need even half of that for broadband so it may be ok, just make sure you can get drivers.....

[WiK]

I ran my Cable modem for a long time into a USB ethernet adapter for a long time and had my installed NIC connected to my LAN. The USB works great for the cable modem side of the network because it is faster then what the cable modem is. I did this for about 6 months untill I got a router and only needed one NIC in the machine now. Never dropped connections and never showed any difference in performance from when I had the modem connected to the installed NIC.

[Rosco]

One of the main problems I have seen with USB's is the sudden and unexplained loss of connection.For instance,if you have a cable modem and suddenly lose your connection then go into WINIPCFG to see what happened you will get a 169.xx.xx.xx. This can lead to confuson because you may think that your NIC card or the drivers have gone south which in many cases is true. However, alot of times it is the USB.
So if you buy one, the good news is that the solution is simple. Simply, unplug the cord that runs from your USB to the computer, recylcle your modem and restart your computer and walah. The IP returns a majority of the time. Still prefer PCI's though. Good Luck

[WiK]

That is very odd. I never had a loss connection when I was using my USB adapter. It was a SMC version. I was also using Win2k.