Phil Thompson wrote: > the best way to connect any pc to broadband is via ethernet, using an > ethernet router.
I'll second that. In particular, the best way to connect Windows PCs is via a router. Windows modem drivers invariably install all sorts of rubbish on the PC which is fine until you need to move to another modem because the one you have died, but then the drivers start to get messy. However the main reason is that it is very risky putting a Windows PC (or - to a lesser extent - a Linux PC) directly onto the Internet. A router becomes the first point of attack for anything trying to get in from the outside, and they're much better at coping with that than PCs are. Your PC on the other side of it simply isn't "routable" from the outside - that is you cannot even address it from the Internet side, never mind try to attack it. And, of-course, once you have two PCs to connect a router becomes the only sensible option anyway. I would not be at all surprised if the issues with Tiscali's USB modem have been resolved by the community (regardless of whether Tiscali or their hardware manufacturer assisted with that), but I'd still suggest getting hold of a router. Assuming it's an ADSL connection (ie uses the BT phone line, which I assume is the only option Tiscali have) then any ADSL router will be fine but some might have extra features you can make use of (wireless, for example). (If it's a cable connection (eg Virgin/NTL) you need a cable router instead.) NB: Regarding office documents, I have a mixture of .doc, .docx and .odt files and don't really pay too much attention to which format they are unless I need to forward them to someone. I don't see much reason to convert between formats. (Everybody in the office now has OpenOffice installed to allow them to access .docx files - go Microsoft!) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0845 45 89 555 Registered in England (0456 0902) at 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG _______________________________________________ Peterboro mailing list Peterboro@mailman.lug.org.uk https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/peterboro
