I've got two computers -- one a laptop running Vista Home
Premium and one a tower running XP, though I could easily
upgrade it to Vista. The tower is a server used for backup,
media storage off external drives and as a host for alternate
OS's like Kubuntu to be used for testing applications I write.
It's also used to run some Internet file-sharing apps 24/7.
I want to set up a network that will allow me to share files
between both computers, access the Internet (using a cable
modem) with both computers and operate the tower (in either
Windows or Linux) from the laptop using TightVNC.

The hitch is that I disconnect my cable modem to avoid
wasting time on the Internet when I'm on "crunch time" for
whatever project I'm working on that month, and I want the
network to continue to function. To accomplish this, I
understand I need to have either a router or the tower act
as a DHCP server, and I need a router which does NAT.
(I do have two IP addresses from my ISP, but I believe I
need to assign each computer its own IP so the network
will continue to function when disconnected from the
Internet.)

I currently have an old Linksys wired router which I believe
may be faulty, since I'm having trouble getting it working. I
set it up, plugged it in and it worked great, but then when I
disconnected the modem for about 2 weeks and reconnected
it, the router stopped working completely, though I could
still get net connectivity by plugging one computer directly
into the laptop. It's possible the router's fine and there's some
technical issue I'm missing, but I did try unplugging and
resetting it manually.

Can anyone here recommend me a router model compatable
with XP, Vista and Kubuntu that is affordable (~50-70$), offers
DHCP and would otherwise meet my needs? Wireless is a
plus, since my laptop supports it, but it must support wired
ethernet as well. A user-friendly HTML configuration like the
old Linksys one had would be great. (I'm not sure if I can get
GigaBit in my price range, but that would be ideal too.)

Secondly, can anyone give me any tips to setting up a stable
network that works in the manner I describe here (i.e., connected
to the Internet sometimes but not always)?

Hi
The more you do combo with network devices the more you have to compromise.
Thus you are netter off getting a decent Router and a stand alone Giga
switch.
Example for a cost effective good combo.
This Router, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156038
With this Switch,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817111479
If you need horse work router with very good Wireless this is an alternative
(more expensive)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833162134
All the hardware mentioned above works well with all variants of Windows.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

wrote in message
...
I've got two computers -- one a laptop running Vista Home
Premium and one a tower running XP, though I could easily
upgrade it to Vista. The tower is a server used for backup,
media storage off external drives and as a host for alternate
OS's like Kubuntu to be used for testing applications I write.
It's also used to run some Internet file-sharing apps 24/7.
I want to set up a network that will allow me to share files
between both computers, access the Internet (using a cable
modem) with both computers and operate the tower (in either
Windows or Linux) from the laptop using TightVNC.

The hitch is that I disconnect my cable modem to avoid
wasting time on the Internet when I'm on "crunch time" for
whatever project I'm working on that month, and I want the
network to continue to function. To accomplish this, I
understand I need to have either a router or the tower act
as a DHCP server, and I need a router which does NAT.
(I do have two IP addresses from my ISP, but I believe I
need to assign each computer its own IP so the network
will continue to function when disconnected from the
Internet.)

I currently have an old Linksys wired router which I believe
may be faulty, since I'm having trouble getting it working. I
set it up, plugged it in and it worked great, but then when I
disconnected the modem for about 2 weeks and reconnected
it, the router stopped working completely, though I could
still get net connectivity by plugging one computer directly
into the laptop. It's possible the router's fine and there's some
technical issue I'm missing, but I did try unplugging and
resetting it manually.

Can anyone here recommend me a router model compatable
with XP, Vista and Kubuntu that is affordable (~50-70$), offers
DHCP and would otherwise meet my needs? Wireless is a
plus, since my laptop supports it, but it must support wired
ethernet as well. A user-friendly HTML configuration like the
old Linksys one had would be great. (I'm not sure if I can get
GigaBit in my price range, but that would be ideal too.)

Secondly, can anyone give me any tips to setting up a stable
network that works in the manner I describe here (i.e., connected
to the Internet sometimes but not always)?