moterhead

We have been on dial up since moving out to the country outside Nashville. Got a letter in the mail last week from Bellsouth saying that DSL will be available in mid December. YOOAH!!! As a 36 year computer pro, I've really been suffering with this stinkin' dialup. Well, I was (now retired) a mainframe guy, so I really don't know much about networking, etc. A program I downloaded from Bellsouth that "analyzed my computer to determine suitability for DSL" said that I did not have a functional network card. My computer is a relatively new Dell with Windows XP Pro. I ran an "info" on it & found that under network card, it has "WAN (PPP/SLIP). Is this an "Ethernet card"? If not, my old computer has something in it called a PCI NIC. Is this Ethernet??? I've looked on Ebay for them & found them for cheap prices but they say drivers not included, but they may be resident on my PC. What does this all mean? The Bellsouth program said I needed " 10 Base -T Ethernet NIC and installed dial-up modem". What's the deal with a dialup? I'm switching to DSL!!!

westcoaster

This is one of those things that is simply worth the investment to run your computer down to a shop. My head still goes in circles when I try to figure this stuff out sometimes....

There are a few more things you should have as well. A good anti virus software and either a software or hardware firewall. With DSL your computer will be connected to the internet full time wether you have internet explorer open or not.

runamuk

No, really!

Go to any office supply store or even Walmart and pick up a Network interface card (NIC). Simply install it in any unused slot on your motherboard and windows will recognize it. No problem easy install!!

Rick

Pentastar

Your computer has an onboard NIC from what you are telling us but may be disabled in the bios.Just look for an RJ45 port in the same area that everything else plugs into,an RJ45 jack looks like a telephone jack but it is somewhat larger.A computer that new would almost certainly have that on the motherboard.Your XP disk will be all you need for drivers.Ron G

TomW

Yepper... Pop into the BIOS, turn it on.. Fire up winders... Voila.. Instant network interface.

moterhead

Thanks for all the responses.

I do have an RJ45 plug on the back of the computer. I still have a few questions that are probably really dumb to ya'll who know about these things. How does one "pop into the bios?" When one does, how does one turn it on? Are you turning on the bios or the NIC? RonG, from what you've said, my WAN (PPP/SLIP) is an Ethernet NIC. Is that correct? Also, I don't have an XP disc. This box came with all that pre-installed from Dell. If I do the "turn on in the bios" thing, shouldn't Windows find the new device and pull the drivers out of the system?

I really feel stupid asking all this basic stuff.

Westcoaster, I had DSL when I lived in the Florida Keys & the morning turn-on/boot up required an action on my part to activate to modem to connect to the internet. We weren't connected all the time. OTOH, when I lived in Michigan and had cable modem thru comcast, when the computer was on, you were connected. Bellsouth tells me I will have both a DSL modem and the required Ethernet NIC. I assume the DSL modem plugs into the RJ45 connection.

paco72

have bellsouth DSL. the deal is, you buy the DSL modem from them plus a 2yr contract, to stay with them. the modem cost is 70$ and they install. no charge. they have been giving a 50$ rebate. computer is on internet 24hrs. so get all the security stuff and turn off power to modem when not in use.

frank

Pentastar

You should log on to the Dell website,create an account if you don't already have one and download the .PDF user manual for your computer which will explain these things to you.Since everything was preinstalled you may have that info on your harddrive,look for a Dell subdirectory on your root C:\ drive and it will likely have your user manual in it.
You may also find your restore disk there as well and just need to burn it to a CD.
To get into setup you press F2 or delete when the system is first booting up to get into the bios setup.If you do not feel comfortable making changes there then find someone who does as you could disable your computer if you don't know what you are doing there.By enabling your NIC you can then connect the modem to it with a Cat5 cable and configure whatever service you end up with.
Download your documentation from Dell to answer any questions you might have.Good Luck.Ron G

Fronty Owner

The easiest security is to buy a $50 router and set it up to act as a gateway. This will isolate you from the internet (only allow responses from inside requests). Plus, unlike software firewalls that can be crashed, if someone manages to crash your router, you are disconnected. If your really paranoid, then you can run xp firewall also.

I didn't notice if you said that you had a desktop or lappy. If you have a lappy, the wireless may be showing up as your NIC.

spunbearing

If you can't turn on the NIC interface on the MB ( which I agree it must have already onboard because anything built in the last 5 years or so has one) Then the PCI NIC card that you have should work as long as it is a 10/100 base T. XP should find the drivers automatically. As someone else already said you can buy a NIC card almost anywhere. Last time I bought one it was about $14 but I see that the prices have gone up. You could expect to pay between $22-$28 for a good one. Buy Linksys or Netgear. Don't buy an unknown brand. They come packaged with the drivers even though XP plug n pray usually loads them for you. Good luck.

PanteraGSTK

Not to be mean, but NEVER take your PC to a shop. UNLESS you KNOW they are good. Too many times I have had to fix problems created by people in shops that know as much as my dog about computers. BEST BUY IS THE WORST. take it to a locally owned shop if you must.

blderman

[QUOTE=I ran an "info" on it & found that under network card, it has "WAN (PPP/SLIP). Is this an "Ethernet card"? If not, my old computer has something in it called a PCI NIC. Is this Ethernet??? [/QUOTE]

WAN is your wireless network card. PCI NIC is your hard line ethernet, as others have said you just need to enable it.


J

redpoint5

Motorhead-

Your computer has everything it needs for DSL. Just have the person that does the install hook everything up. The BIOS is normally accessed right when you turn the computer on by pressing delete, F2, f12, esc or some other button. Look on screen for a message that says press __ to access the setup or bios. Make sure you are running service pack 2 and enable the windows XP firewall. The internet connection will always be on.

Follow these steps to see if your network card is installed properly:
1. right click my computer
2. click properties
3. click the hardware tab
4. click device manager
5. your network card will be listed under network adapters
6. if it is working properly, there should be no '!' mark
7. right click the network card and click properties
8. the status should say the drivers are installed and device is working properly.

spunbearing

F8 seems to be the most common to access the bios.

redpoint5

WAN does not mean wireless, it stands for Wide Area Network. It is not neccisarily a wireless card. WLAN might be what you are thinking of and it stands for Wireless Local Area Network.