How to turn on ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) in Windows XP
With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can
connect one computer to the Internet, then share the Internet
service with several computers on your home or small office network.
The Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP Professional will automatically
provide all of the network settings you need to share one Internet
connection with all the computers in your network. Each computer
can use programs such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
as if they were directly connected to the Internet.
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows
2000 Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers,
or systems configured for static IP addresses.
Enabling ICS
The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local
area network connection, automatically created by installing a
network adapter, connects to the computers on your home or small
office network. The other connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN,
DSL, or cable modem, connects the home or small office network
to the Internet. You need to ensure that ICS is enabled on the
connection that has the Internet connection. By doing this, the
shared connection can connect your home or small office network
to the Internet, and users outside your network are not at risk
of receiving inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the
home or small office network is given a new static IP address
and configuration. Consequently, TCP/IP connections established
between any home or small office computer and the ICS host computer
at the time of enabling ICS are lost and need to be reestablished.
For example, if Internet Explorer is connecting to a Web site
when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, refresh the browser
to reestablish the connection. You must configure client machines
on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the local area
connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small
office network users must also configure Internet options for
Internet Connection Sharing. To enable Internet Connection Sharing
(ICS) Discovery and Control on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition,
and Windows Millennium Edition computers, run the Network Setup
Wizard from the CD or floppy disk on these computers. For ICS
Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second
Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, Internet Explorer
version 5.0 or later must be installed.
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection
You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account
in order to complete this procedure.
Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and
then double–click Network Connections.)
Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection
you want to share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change
settings of this connection.
On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to
connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another
computer on your home or small office network attempts to access
external resources, select the Establish a dial–up connection
whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet
check box.
If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared
Internet connection, select the Allow other network users to control
or disable the shared Internet connection check box.
Under Internet Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection,
select any adapter that connects the computer sharing its Internet
connection to the other computers on your network. The Home networking
connection is only present when two or more network adapters are
installed on the computer.
To configure Internet options on your client computers for Internet
Connection Sharing
Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and
then click Internet Explorer.)
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then
click LAN Settings.
In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings
and Use automatic configuration script check boxes.
In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box.
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