cant share internet

[AGENT 47]

i have 3 pc's all on xp and all have network cards and crossover cables. on 1 pc "mine" i have 2 net cards plus my onboard lan,my pc is the main pc, and is the only one that has broadband, the other 2 share the net through my pc. i have a external "speedtouch adsl" modem. when i first set the two pcs up, everything was fine for a couple of days, then i had trouble with the network icon in the taskbar! saying the network cable unplugged! then i had trouble with sharing the net on both pc's. my kids havent messed with any settings, and i have clicked repair connection on the two pc's and on my pc if i click repair connection, it says cannot repair connection because tcp/ip is not enabled.
on my pc in network places i have icons for-
speedtouch connection, -local area connection, -local area connection2,
-network bridge.

these are the properties of tcp/ip.

i will refer to my pc as "pc1" and the two that share mine "pc2" and "pc3"
i have bought the cables!

"pc2" on the general tab the selected option is "obtain an ip address auto" "obtain dns server address auto" on the alternate config, "auto private ip address"

"pc3" same as above "pc2"

"pc1" on my pc, pc2 shows the same as"pc2"
on my pc, pc3 shows "use the following ip address" "use the following dns server address"
on my pc "speedtouch connection" "properties" "networking" "tcp/ip" shows "obtain ip address auto" "obtain dns server address auto" i hope this info helps.

agent 47!

[i an not a nerd]

I'd recommend getting a router.

my kids havent messed with any settings

Didn't you know that kids to that best? Lol just kiddin'.

If not, you will need to get up your main computer as a DCHP server (is that what they use over there???) or manually assign IP addresses. Set your computer's ip address to 192.168.0.1 and the other computers to 192.169.0.2, 192.168.0.3

Hope this helps!

[glengels]

I agree with "not a nerd"'s advice about getting a router. In the long run, you'll be glad you did. You won't have to worry about pc2 or pc3 not being able to access the internet because of some problem with pc1. If you watch the sale ads in your local paper, every couple of weeks you will usually see a router for $10 (including rebates).

As for your present problem, if you are seeing a "network cable unplugged" message, this sounds like a problem with an actual cable. Just because the cables are new doesn't mean they are good cables! You didn't say which of the 3 LAN connections on pc1 was getting this problem. If you cannot tell from the error msg, look at your network properties and see which LAN connection is in a disconnected state. In any case, try swapping cables to see if the problem follows the cable. Also make sure the cable is fully pushed into the connector. RJ45 (Ethernet) connectors typically have a tab sticking out that clicks into place in the connector.

If I understood your msg correctly, pc1's LAN connection to pc2 is "the same as "pc2"', which was "obtain an ip address auto", while pc1's LAN connection to pc3 shows "use the following ip address". pc2 and pc3 should both be set the same way since they both make the same use of pc1's internet connection. Unless you have installed a DHCP server on pc2, pc1's connection to pc2 will not be able to get an IP address. Refer to the advice of "not a nerd" and get an DHCP server for pc1 or assign static addresses (I would prefer the latter since you have a small network). But this appears to me to be a separate issue from your "cable unplugged" problem.