Shared AOL Internet Connection

Orion

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Help please! Do any of our knowledgeable technical experts know how to set up two computers to share an AOL Broadband internet connection?

I run AOL Broadband via a BT line on my main PC but want to set up my laptop, which is networked to the PC via an Ethernet cable, to share the same internet connection. Both machines run Windows 2000 Professional.

I’ve heard that AOL make it impossible to do this using the normal Windows 2000 facility but that there may be a solution using a Hub incorporating an ADSL modem. If anyone has succeded in achieving this I’d be most grateful for their advice.
 
It should be very simple - you just go to 'internet options' on internet explorer (I.E. 5.5 or higher I believe) on the laptop, 'connections' and 'LAN settings'.

I have the same set-up here, works no problems. No further hardware necessary. (Main PC must always be on to access internet from laptop).
 
Last edited:
zow said:
It should be very simple - you just go to 'internet options' on internet explorer (I.E. 5.5 or higher I believe) on the laptop, 'connections' and 'LAN settings'.

I have the same set-up here, works no problems. No further hardware necessary. (Main PC must always be on to access internet from laptop).

.....and once I'm in 'LAN Settings', what next? What settings are needed?
 
If both computers have ethernet cards and are connected via a hub then u don't need an extra crossover cable.

In Lan settings tick 'automatically detect settings'.
The bit I missed out is then still on 'connections' page click 'setup'. The third option is 'I want to......connect through a local area network' . Should be self-explanatory from there.

I have three computers connected this way. The main one running Win2000, another Win 98 and the last winXP, so any combination should be fine.
 
Zow

Thanks for the information. I plan on giving it a try later today. Meanwhile, can you please confirm that you are using AOL Broadband for your network of three computers?
 
Shared AOL connection

Zow

I've followed your instructions but they don't seem to work. The laptop does not access the connection. Any further thoughts?
 
On my Win XP with I.E. 6.0 computer it is actually option 1 you need on 'setup'. (option 3 on Win 98) But I presume you've tried all the options anyway.

The network itself is working fine? e.g. you can access one computer's hard-drive from another.

Apart from that I've run out of ideas. .......
 
zow said:
On my Win XP with I.E. 6.0 computer it is actually option 1 you need on 'setup'. (option 3 on Win 98) But I presume you've tried all the options anyway.

The network itself is working fine? e.g. you can access one computer's hard-drive from another.

Apart from that I've run out of ideas. .......

Having now performed a Google search it appears there are any number of problems with sharing an AOL internet connection. For example, on your machine do you have any other dial-up programs installed in addition to AOL BB? If you do, as I do, (I have BT dial-up installed as a back-up) this can apparently throw a massive spanner in the works. I am reluctant to delete my alternative internet access methods in case there's a problem with AOL when I am trading and I need quickly to switch ISPs.
Given that AOL seems to be known as AOHell I am coming round to the view that I should ditch them and switch to, say, BT Broadband.
 
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