How can I connect my desktop to the internet using my laptops wireless connection?

September 25, 2010 7:59 PM

[interwubsfilter] How can I connect my desktop to the internet using my laptops wireless connection?

I am currently trying to connect my desktop (running windows 7) to the internet by connecting it to my laptop (running windows xp) with a standard ethernet cable. No luck so far.

Is this a fools errand? Or is there a way for me to get this to work?

posted by sarastro to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Best answer: This can be done, but it takes a bit of configuration. You need to go into the properties dialog for the laptop's wireless connection, and turn on "Internet Connection Sharing" or whatever XP calls it. After that, things should work with no changes required on the desktop.
posted by teraflop at 8:17 PM on September 25, 2010

Hmmm theoretically you can get this to work using ICS as teraflop suggests, in practice it tends to be a royal pain in the bum to actually get it to work.

Is there a particular reason why you're not considering a USB wifi adpater for the desktop?
posted by ruperto at 4:00 AM on September 26, 2010

Also, you will generally get nowhere trying to connect two PCs with a standard Ethernet cable. Unless you've got one of those rare and beautiful NICs with auto MDI/MDI-X switching inbuilt, linking two computers requires a crossover cable. Auto switching is common in hubs and switches, rare in PC NICs.
posted by flabdablet at 10:31 AM on September 26, 2010