Switching to DSL - any hints and tips? | Porn Fan Community Forum

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willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 12:34PM I'm considering changing to dsl. Verizon would be the isp. Looks like monthly cost will be close to cost of dial-up. Any hints, tips, things to consider, etc., that any of you would like to share will be appreciated. Motherboard is old enough that it does not have integrated network interface card, and I understand that is how the connection is made. Checked with a local computer store, just for the hell of it. He guessed at 15 bucks for a NIC. When asked for the brand name, he said that anymore it didn't matter - that all were about the same. That's when I thought I'd come here and ask. :) Any advice on selecting a NIC? Brand names to shop and/or avoid would be nice. Online places to shop too - good and bad. Whatever you care to share. What should I expect to pay? A quick look around and I see them from under 10 dollars to over 50. There's got to be something different about them. How about surge supressor - I suppose I'll need a new one of those too. Are they all about the same, - specs - so long as they have the proper connectors? Again, any brand names to look for/avoid? Anything else I'll have to purchase? Basically, I'm just at the stage of considering it, and want to get a better idea of what is involved. All comments welcome. Thanks edited to add: For now, assume an open PCI slot. I'll have to check, but I think so. Operating system is Win98SE. Edited by - willywilly on Oct 18 2006 [Link]
Hardware All-Star Member Your other left 14606 Posts 3/02	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 3:08PM Do you have a USB port? I use Verizon and the DSL modem they shipped me has both USB and Ethernet ports. As far as an Ethernet NIC goes, I wouldn't spend a great deal of money on it. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles for what you want it for. As long as you get it from someplace that will take it back if it doesn't work, get the cheap one. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8031 Posts 9/99	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 3:47PM Like Hardware said. Your DSL circuit will run slower than the Ethernet interface. So even if you get a crappy Ethernet card with "slow" driver software it will still be faster than your DSL. Had I known you would need a network card I would have included one along with the memory modules. I have a dozen or so of them I'm not using. [Link]
picman Senior Member Nothing says I love you so much as a tongue in the ass. 2884 Posts 1/03	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 4:17PM If you're getting Verizon FIOS, you're going to love it. Any nic that can handle at least 100baseT will work. Probably cost about $20. [Link]
budtugley Senior Member One man's trash can be the next man's treasure. 1187 Posts 1/04	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 6:35PM I upgraded my former mother-in-laws computer that still runs Windows 98SE. I bought a NIC card for about $10 and installed it. They don't need installation discs, they slide right into a PCI slot, it takes about 10-15 minutes and the computer will recognize the new hardware at bootup and there you go. It might be a good idea to remove one of the screws holding on the serial port plug because you might need one of those. Get a screw identical to the one you removed froma hardware store or the store where you buy the NIC card. DSL is less than $15/month in most locations. Remember, computer chips die painful deaths when subjected to electrostatic discharge so ground yourself when you toy around inside a computer. It's better to work on kitchen tile or garage floor cement than carpeting which provides a good source for electrostatic buildup. Touch the case to ground yourself and don't rub your shoes on carpeting. You'll need to reconfigure your e-mail address and most of the ISP's will allow you to forward e-mails from your old address to your new one for $3.95/month or so. Do that for a month or two and inform the folks you trade e-mails with to use your new e-mail address. [Link]

willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 7:07PM Hardware wrote: Do you have a USB port? I use Verizon and the DSL modem they shipped me has both USB and Ethernet ports. Click to expand Yes. Scanner and printer are using them both though. I doubt I'd want to use them anyway. They are probably 1.1 . Wouldn't that be too slow? As far as an Ethernet NIC goes, I wouldn't spend a great deal of money on it. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles for what you want it for. As long as you get it from someplace that will take it back if it doesn't work, get the cheap one. Click to expand I hadn't thought of that. Kind of expected that with electronic components, unless the problem is obvious, no vendor would take a component back after it was installed. [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 7:09PM Drew Black wrote: Like Hardware said. Your DSL circuit will run slower than the Ethernet interface. So even if you get a crappy Ethernet card with "slow" driver software it will still be faster than your DSL. Click to expand I wouldn't know a crappy one from a good one. :) Care to mention some brand names of either or both? Had I known you would need a network card I would have included one along with the memory modules. I have a dozen or so of them I'm not using. Click to expand Thank you. I didn't think of it then, because I wasn't pissed at my isp then. True, I should have looked into this ages ago. I'll use inertia as my excuse. :) [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 7:13PM picman wrote: If you're getting Verizon FIOS, you're going to love it. Any nic that can handle at least 100baseT will work. Probably cost about $20. Click to expand Fiber? I don't know. I'd have to ask them. They don't bring fiber all the way in now, do they? Fwiw: Other people I know, with DSL on Verizon, have it on the same old phone line as their phone is on. They plug in a splitter and on one side of it is some sort of inline filter that the phone is plugged into. Other side goes to the dsl modem. I've seen that spec in some ads. 100baseT . Is that a minimum that I should be looking for? [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 7:24PM budtugley wrote: I upgraded my former mother-in-laws computer that still runs Windows 98SE. I bought a NIC card for about $10 and installed it. They don't need installation discs, Click to expand They don't? I thought they did need drivers. That was one of my concerns, using Win98. If I get just any old NIC card, will I be able to find drivers for it on the internet? I know how my luck runs. they slide right into a PCI slot, it takes about 10-15 minutes and the computer will recognize the new hardware at bootup and there you go. It might be a good idea to remove one of the screws holding on the serial port plug because you might need one of those. Click to expand Need it for what? I probably have a selection of screws around here someplace - accumulated over the years. Get a screw identical to the one you removed from a hardware store or the store where you buy the NIC card. DSL is less than $15/month in most locations. Click to expand There is a promotional price that is less than that for a years commitment. After that it is ~$18/month. Remember, computer chips die painful deaths when subjected to electrostatic discharge so ground yourself when you toy around inside a computer. It's better to work on kitchen tile or garage floor cement than carpeting which provides a good source for electrostatic buildup. Touch the case to ground yourself and don't rub your shoes on carpeting. Click to expand No problem. :) I've built a few. It has just been years since I did it. That part doesn't change. The components, compatibility, and other stuff does. I'm not up to date. We didn't network DOS. :) I guess some did, but we didn't. You'll need to reconfigure your e-mail address and most of the ISP's will allow you to forward e-mails from your old address to your new one for $3.95/month or so. Do that for a month or two and inform the folks you trade e-mails with to use your new e-mail address. Click to expand If I decide to make the change, I don't want to give them any more money. Besides, if I give them a piece of my mind, they won't want to do me any favors anyway. The folks I email will get an email from me in time, else I'll use a web based freebie email box in the interim. Thanks for the concern though. [Link]
budtugley Senior Member One man's trash can be the next man's treasure. 1187 Posts 1/04	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 8:55PM NIC cards don't need drivers. There is a unique hardware address that's coded into the firmware. When it's installed, the computer will recognize that something was installed into a PCI slot, it will query the device, learn what it is, and there you are. The data link layer protocol uses these addresses to indentify other systems on the network and the packet headers use that address to ID computers.You need the RJ-45 large phone jack connector to connect to the DSL modem so that's why you need to install the NIC card. You probably need the screw to attach the NIC card to the inside of the computer. You might look inside to see if there are screws there for you to use but sometimes those cheap computer makers won't pay 10 cents for spare screws. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Oct 18 2006 : 10:02PM You're overthinking this, willywilly. Just randomly pick one of these, or pick up any cheap one you can find locally. Or, if it makes you feel better to have one that came in a box that says "Netgear" or "Linksys" on it, buy one of those for a few bucks more. You don't need a gigabit (1000 Mbps) one; 10/100 is fine. The DSL provider might even just give you one if you ask. I don't remember if a driver is needed for Win98; if it is, go to the website of the manufacturer of whichever NIC you buy, and download the latest driver before you put the card in. (The NIC is liable to have sat around for a long time, and the included driver disc is likely to be outdated.) [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8031 Posts 9/99	Posted - Oct 19 2006 : 10:51AM willywilly wrote: Care to mention some brand names of either or both? Click to expand I've always preferred Intel NICs. Netgear's are OK, good bang for the buck. Intel's drive software has always been more efficient, IMO. We had an old quad processor Pentium Pro server years ago running the Compaq/TI chipset server class NIC that Compaq included with those servers. I swapped the Compaq NIC out with a base model Intel desktop card (not one of their fancy server cards) and the processor utilization dropped 10-15% depending on network activity. I attributed this performance increase to more efficient drivers. This is significant on systems that have slow processors. Sorry I don't have any recommendations on cards to stay away from. [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 19 2006 : 1:56PM budtugley wrote: NIC cards don't need drivers. Click to expand Maybe I'm misunderstanding Drew then. I see it mentioned in his posts. There is a unique hardware address that's coded into the firmware. Click to expand MAC address? When it's installed, the computer will recognize that something was installed into a PCI slot, it will query the device, learn what it is, and there you are. The data link layer protocol uses these addresses to indentify other systems on the network and the packet headers use that address to ID computers.You need the RJ-45 large phone jack connector to connect to the DSL modem so that's why you need to install the NIC card. You probably need the screw to attach the NIC card to the inside of the computer. You might look inside to see if there are screws there for you to use but sometimes those cheap computer makers won't pay 10 cents for spare screws. Click to expand I've got a bunch of screws around here somewhere.... shit - I've got no idea where I put that container now. I'll find it eventually. [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 19 2006 : 2:04PM Harri Patel wrote: You're overthinking this, willywilly. Click to expand Good. Better to do that than the opposite. :) Thanks for hanging in there with me though. Just randomly pick one of these, or Click to expand Now that's easy enough to understand! :) I'd had a quick look around at NewEgg. When I realized how many different ones there are, with prices all over everywhere, that made me wonder what the difference was in them. That's part of why I thought I'd ask for advice. pick up any cheap one you can find locally. Click to expand I'm leaning this way. For convenience, speed, no shipping - since the consensus is that there is no real need to worry too much about it. Or, if it makes you feel better to have one that came in a box that says "Netgear" or "Linksys" on it, buy one of those for a few bucks more. You don't need a gigabit (1000 Mbps) one; 10/100 is fine. Click to expand 10/100 then. Thanks for the specific. The DSL provider might even just give you one if you ask. Click to expand I like that price! :) I'll ask, but won't hold my breath. I don't remember if a driver is needed for Win98; if it is, go to the website of the manufacturer of whichever NIC you buy, Click to expand So it is likely that the manufacture does provide a driver for Win98 then. I was concerned that they might not. and download the latest driver before you put the card in. (The NIC is liable to have sat around for a long time, and the included driver disc is likely to be outdated.) Click to expand Got it. Many thanks. Edited by - willywilly on 10/19/2006 2:12:12 PM [Link]
willywilly Member Activated Member 662 Posts 2/05	Posted - Oct 19 2006 : 2:08PM Drew Black wrote: I've always preferred Intel NICs. Netgear's are OK, good bang for the buck. Click to expand Ok. Intel's drive software has always been more efficient, IMO. We had an old quad processor Pentium Pro server years ago running the Compaq/TI chipset server class NIC that Compaq included with those servers. I swapped the Compaq NIC out with a base model Intel desktop card (not one of their fancy server cards) and the processor utilization dropped 10-15% depending on network activity. I attributed this performance increase to more efficient drivers. This is significant on systems that have slow processors. Click to expand Thanks for explaining. Sorry I don't have any recommendations on cards to stay away from. Click to expand Ok. Good enough. Thanks :) [Link]

BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Oct 19 2006 : 2:54PM Skip the middle step (DSL) and go straight to cable :) [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Oct 23 2006 : 1:37AM budtugley wrote: Remember, computer chips die painful deaths when subjected to electrostatic discharge so ground yourself when you toy around inside a computer. It's better to work on kitchen tile or garage floor cement than carpeting which provides a good source for electrostatic buildup. Touch the case to ground yourself and don't rub your shoes on carpeting. Click to expand Ya know....I've been hearing this since the early 90s. And while I certainly don't doubt it, it's never actually happened to me. I've handled all kinds of cards, drives, etc without "discharging" myself (Not on purpose. I just always forget). I dunno. Maybe I just have better luck than some with computers. I've never had a hard drive die on me, either. (Disclaimer) I'm certainly NOT telling anyone they shouldn't ground themselves whilst toying around inside a computer. Merely relating my own experience and wondering out loud why I don't seem to be a staticy sort..... [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8031 Posts 9/99	Posted - Oct 23 2006 : 2:36AM This was a fun trick at birthday parties when I was a kid: Take flourescent bulb, the long skinny type. Hold it in your hand. Turn the lights off in a carpeted room. While wearing socks (no shoes) shuffle your feet around for a minute or two. Now touch the lightbuld to something metal. It will flicker/flash depending on how much static you built up. Next you can try lighting your farts up for fun and amazement too. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Oct 23 2006 : 4:36AM RandomPrecision wrote: Ya know....I've been hearing this since the early 90s. And while I certainly don't doubt it, it's never actually happened to me. I've handled all kinds of cards, drives, etc without "discharging" myself (Not on purpose. I just always forget). Click to expand Ditto. And, for whatever inexplicable reason, I tend to build up static charges to such an extent that I occasionally fear that I am some kind of mutant -- yet I've never killed any computer or other electronic component. [Link]