Internet Connection Sharing

Q: What Is Internet Connection Sharing?
A: Windows 98 now provides users the ability to share one Internet connection with multiple computers on your home network. One computer, the Connection Sharing computer, communicates with the Internet. Requests from other computers on your home network are routed to the Internet through the Connection Sharing computer. You can also configure Internet Connection Sharing to allow users on the Internet to reach Web, e-mail, and game servers that are on your home network.

Q: Why does Internet Connection Sharing not install File and Printer Sharing by default. Therefore?
A: To install File and Printer Sharing:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.

2. Click Add, click Services, and then double-click File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks.

3. Double-click TCP/IP (shared)->External Adapter (or Dial-Up Adapter if a dial-up connection is used).

4. Click OK, and then click the Bindings tab. Click to clear the File and Printer Sharing check box.

5. Click OK.

6. Click OK, and then restart the computer when you are prompted.

Sharing Folders or Printers

File and Printer Sharing must be installed on any computer on which folders or printers will be shared on the network.

To share a folder or printer, use the right mouse button to click a folder (Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft Windows 95 are unable to share specific files) or printer, click Sharing, click Share As, type a name for the share, select the access level, and click OK.

To map a network drive, use the right mouse button to click Network Neighborhood, and then click Map Network Drive. Type \\computername\sharename, where computername is the name of the computer sharing the folder or printer, and sharename is the name of the shared folder or printer.

NOTE: Binding File and Printer Sharing to the external adapter and opening the SMB ports on the ICS host makes all shared folders and printers accessible from the Internet and creates a possible security issue. Although ICS is not designed to function as a firewall or provide strong firewall protection, shared files and folders possess a reasonable level of security if configured in the manner described in this article.

Q: How Do I Use AOL With Internet Connection Sharing?
A: If you use different AOL accounts on multiple ICS client computers, use the AOL dial-up program to establish a connection to the Internet for each ICS client computer. You can use chat, messaging, and e-mail through your Internet connection.

If you use different AOL accounts on an ICS host computer and multiple ICS client computers, use the AOL dial-up program to establish a connection to the Internet on the computer.

If you establish a connection to the Internet using AOL on the ICS host computer while some ICS client computers are already connected, the ICS client computers running AOL 4.0 are disconnected and the ICS client computers running AOL 3.0 are not disconnected. Any ICS client computers running AOL 3.0 or 4.0 cannot establish a new connection until the ICS host computer disconnects.

Q: Double-clicking the Internet Connection Sharing icon on the taskbar displays the number of computers connected to the ICS host. It can take up to 15 minutes before the correct number of connections is displayed. How can I speed this up?
A: ICS holds Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports open for a client for up to 10 minutes after the activity on that port has stopped. When a port is open for a client, ICS counts the port as a connected client. The count of connected computers is updated after the port is closed. This is the way ICS was supposed to behave.

Q: I am sometimes getting the following error messages The Page cannot be displayed and The Mail Server can not be located. How do I fix this?
A: This issue can occur if the ICS host computer is started or restarted after the ICS client computer is running. NOTE: The ICS host computer does not send notification to the ICS client computers when the ICS routing and DHCP services are shut down.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. After the ICS host computer is completely started, open the Internet program again. If the error message still occurs, continue to the next step.

2. Click Start, click Run, type winipcfg in the Open box, and then click OK.

3. Click Release All.

4. Click Renew All, and then click OK