Have a Dell PC running Windows XP and a PowerMac G3 OS 8.6. The PC is
already networked to another PC (also Windows XP), which is the
hub(?). I want to subnet(?) my PC and Mac within the existing network.
Have already hooked up router and have connected it to the PC and Mac.
Understand I have to manually assign IP addresses to PC and Mac.
Here's where I'm stuck. How do I go on from here, so I can get on
Internet from my PC and Mac? Step-by-step idiot-level answer please :O)

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Clarification of Question by k8hayes-ga on 02 Feb 2005 17:15 PST

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:  The PC that is currently the hub is upstairs
and too far away from my PC and Mac to make cabling feasible. That's
why I want to keep the existing network intact and create a "network
within a network," as I understand it.

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Clarification of Question by k8hayes-ga on 03 Feb 2005 08:34 PST

Good grief, this is difficult. Yes, the existing network is wireless.
The network-within-a-network uses cables.

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Clarification of Question by k8hayes-ga on 06 Feb 2005 14:07 PST

In response to james_l_mar-ga on 04 Feb 2005 06:22 PST :

I have three computers altogether. One, at one end of our 1700 sq. ft.
house, upstairs, is a PC running Windows XP. The second is at the
other end of the house, downstairs, also a PC running Windows XP.
These two PCs are networked wirelessly via a router, which is
connected to the upstairs PC. These two PCs share an internet
connection. The third computer is a Powermac G3 running OS8.6. It is
in the same office as the downstairs PC. The Mac and the downstairs PC
will be cabled to a second router (also in the downstairs office). I
want all three computers to be able to share an internet connection. I
would also like the two downstairs computers (PC and Mac) to share a
printer, but this isn't as important as the internet connection.

I assume that you just want to have all computers talk to each other
and go onto the internet.  If so, you don't really need to create a
"subnet."  Also, you don't have to manually assign IP addresses.

Just turn on DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol" on the router
and configure the computers to obtain an IP address automatically. 
The router will then do all the addressing for you.

The manual for your router should go into this.  Search on google for
DHCP for more info.

HTH.

Are you using a broadband connection (DSL, cable modem)? If so, the
wiring would go like this:
An ethernet (cat5) cable from the modem to the WAN connection on the router.
Ethernet cables from all 3 computers into the numbered ports on the the router.
Now for configuration:
In Mac 8.6 - Go to your TCP/IP control panel and choose connect via: Ethernet
Also in this control panel select Configure: using DHCP server
Close the control panel and save the changes - Reboot the Mac
This should get the Mac connected

In Windows XP, once you have the PC's connected to the router, try
reboting the PC's to see if they will grab an address from the router.
If so, you should be all set. If not, check your network settings on
the PC's to ensure that they are set to be assigned an address. You
can see these settings by going to control panel/network
connections/LAN connection>properties. You will see the setting for
assign an address automatically.

Repost for additional help if needed.

I'm confused as to what your setup is.  

If you can't cable your hub PC to your MAC how do you plan on
connecting them?  Wirelessly?  If so, do you have a wireless router? 
If so, then you don't really need a subnet.  Again, just have DHCP
running to assign addresses to everything.

It seems that the non-hub PC (the one you refer to as a Dell) is
connected to both the hub PC and the MAC.  If this is true, it sounds
like this Dell is the hub since it's connected to both computers. 
Does this computer have two network cards?  Also it sounds like that
this dell computer is cabled to the other two computers.  If that is
the case, it seems like cable can be run between all the computers.

Please give us a more detailed picture of your setup.

It's still unclear as to what your set up is.  Be very detailed in
what computers are where and how they are connected.  What devices are
between all of the computers?  Does the cabled network use a router,
switch, hub, or a cross-over cable?  Also, what do you want to do with
them all (file share, print share, internet connect)?

I'll be making some assumptions here...

Are your 2 PCs networked wirelessly?  And your Dell PC and your Mac
are networked via wires?  And you want the MAC to be able to talk to
the non-Dell hub PC?  Is the hub PC connected to the internet?

If all of the above questions are yes, and you want the Mac to be able
to connect to the internet, then the Dell PC needs to have internet
connection sharing enabled.

see 

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/ics.mspx

If all of the above questions are yes, and you want the Mac to be able
to share files with the hub non-Dell PC, then this will take more
work.  You may need to establish a domain with the Dell PC being the
server.  Otherwise, you will need to establish another network (could
be a subnet of the existing network or a different network on its own)
with the Dell PC having some routing software on it to transfer data
between the two networks.

If you have a wireless router that has cable ports in the back, then
you could put the wireless router in the downstairs office to connect
all three computers.  However, you would need to connect to the
internet in that downstairs office.  Is this not possible?

If not, you can just enable the internet connection sharing on the PC
in the downstairs office (using the link I provided as a reference). 
There are tons more links on the internet that talk about this too. 
Just search in google for it.

As for the print sharing, there are a few options.  Some routers
actually have a print server on them.  Check to see if yours does.  If
not, you can go buy one (check to see that it supports MACs and PCs). 
Otherwise, there is software out there that can do it.  Here is one
that I found with google criteria: print server mac pc.

http://www.miramar.com/Products/PC_MACLAN/win_9xme.html

But this costs money.  There may be some freeware for this, but I'm not sure.

If your printer is attached to one of the PCs, then it's easy to do
print sharing between the PCs.  Here's a link from microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/honeycutt_july2.mspx