SUMMARY: Windows XP has been taking the entire computer world by storm. For the first time ever, there is a Operating System available that is compatible with nearly all existing hardware, is extremely stable, and is designed for both the novice and the expert alike. But what about those who have a couple of computers sitting around and have toyed with the idea of a home network? Never fear, for Cameron "Mr Tweak" Wilmot is here to help explain just how easy it is to establish a home network with Windows XP. Come on in and see for yourself just how simple it really is.
If your server isn’t being used for gaming and what not (preferable so it maintains it’s desired continuous uptime 24 hours a day) there is no need for it to be using the latest Pentium 4 or Athlon XP processor with a lot of RAM and hard disk drive space and latest GeForce 4 graphics card. Hell, mine doesn’t even have a monitor, keyboard or mouse connected to it, just the bare minimum for the system to run. The box itself just sits by it’s lonely self doing what it does best, serving, 24 hours a day. Since the server will be using Windows XP, the server will require at least 128MB of RAM. Note, the server doesn’t have to use Windows XP; we are just using it as an example in this guide, which will ultimately make things easier in the long run.
The beauty of the server is you could be using a Pentium 2 or an older Athlon at 500MHz, for example, and it would still operate perfectly in the environment it is intended for. What I’m trying to say is here, you don’t need a super expensive or powerful PC to act as your server. It’s important to mention we are after a stable system, so overclocking and tweaking it out to the max isn’t recommended for obvious reasons either.
We are after the most stable environment possible, this may mean slowing down memory settings in the BIOS, as much as that goes against the principles of this site.
Now we’ve proceeded through everything for the physical hardware side of the network, it’s time to get the network setup and operating in Windows. Let the fun begin... Click the link for the next page.
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