Update...

[Silver_Panther]

Alright.. So I finally have a clean fresh copy of XP Pro SP2 installed. Captured some video from my camcorder.. And daaaam. This thing is awsome.. Not a single dropped frame where as my old computer would render a nicely chopped up version of the video with many stops pauses and cuts out of it at random intervals. lol Needless to say I'm VERY pleased with the results so far..

Purchased me a router finally.. So I won't be sharing an internet connection with a hub anymore.. Went with the Blitzz Super G Wireless Router... Seemed to be the best bang for the buck. 50 bucks and its got 4 wired ports and an antenna for wireless networking for when or if I decide to build me a laptop next.. :) And the wireless is supposed to be able to transfer at a nice 108 Mbps

Just got it all setup on this computer tonight (moms comp) and will probably get mine hooked up tomarrow night. After trying to manually set it up and being confused out of my mind I finally broke out the instructions where I noticed it comes with a handy dandy setup wizard. After I found that it set itself up in a matter of seconds.. Workin good so far.. And dam it feels good to be behind a firewall.
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[Google]

[fussnfeathers]

Be careful with the wireless........sometimes the non-branded wireless routers will only work at full speed with their own wireless cards. Something to keep in mind when you DO go wireless with your laptop.

Otherwise, congrats!
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Big enough to scare you

[Silver_Panther]

[fussnfeathers]

Two different animals that do the same thing, more or less.

A router works off of your IP address, and by itself, is more of a hardware firewall and IP gateway than anything else. Early routers were just that.......plug your modem into your router for a hardware firewall, internal IP addressing, and limited networking.

A hub is simply a splitter, that only deals with Ethernet. You can use a hub without a router, or even an internet connection, for local internal LAN networks, say joining 10 machines together for a LAN party. Basically, all it does is route traffic to assigned IP addresses, per the port they're connected to.

Most new routers have a hub built into them, generally 4 port hubs. Each computer is assigned an internal IP address, which the hub then directs info to from the router. But since a hub doesn't recognize TCP/IP protocol, you need the router to do the actual seperation of internal IP signals. If that made any sense........say, you have four computers you want hooked to the 'net. A router won't do that, it can (at most) handle two machines, and slowly. The router is sortof like the ticket booth at the bus station......it can't get you anywhere, but it can tell the bus where to take you. Same idea.....your ISP signal requests info to go to or from a certain internal IP, the hub does the work of getting it there.
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Big enough to scare you

[[KoG]^weaZel]

^^^not entirely correct

the router is what you will want to use to share your internet connection with the entire network. Most DSL/Cable routers come with built in four port hubs. This will allow you to share the one modem (cable or DSL) with all the computers connected to your network. And if it has wireless on it as well then you will be able to connect upto as many as it supports.
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I tweaked and it tweaked back! So I Tweaked some more!

"Barney is like the Michael Jackson of PBS." - James Tybeerious

[2old2care]

adding 2¢.....
These guys are using the term hub, when they really mean switch. Hub has become a generic kind of term, in the last few years....
Do yourself a favor and don't by anything that isn't an auto-negotiating switch
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Liquid-Cooled Q9450 and an EeePC
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[[KoG]^weaZel]

thank you for the correction 2O.
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I tweaked and it tweaked back! So I Tweaked some more!

"Barney is like the Michael Jackson of PBS." - James Tybeerious