"New" Desktop pc help

[Rikkuffx]

My aunt recently gave me her old hp desktop,cause she got a laptop. Well everythings fine with it cause she restored it back to factory settings. My only question is how do I get the net up? I have a router somewhere but someone told me that I needed a wifi adapter because I have wireless in my house. So my question is,do i need the router and a wireless adapter? or just the wifi adapter?

Thanks everyone!

[Sean]

You have a couple options.

The cheapest is to run a Ethernet (LAN) cable from the router to the computer. This may not always be possible depending on the location of your router.

If your router does support wireless connections (you didn't specify if it's a wireless router or not) then you can buy a PCI card that acts as a wireless networking device, or a USB adapter that does the same. The PCI card is probably more reliable, though you need to know how to open a computer and install hardware and install drivers to the system.


Edit: You didn't specify if you even had the router installed. Without the router you can only have an internet connection on one PC, two if you bridge the connection to the other. With a router, it acts as a gateway sharing the internet connection with all computers networked together.

If you don't have a network set up at all, then you'll need to set up a home network for all the computers you want to connect to the internet with.

[Rikkuffx]

Thanks Sean. I haven't installed the router yet and i think its a wireless one i can't remember,ive gotta find it lol. I'll find it soon and let ya know thanks sooo much

[Sean]

Mmk, well if you need help setting up the network, let me know the make and model of the router, what your internet connection is (DSL vs Cable vs Dial-up.... I'm not even sure if you CAN use dialup via a router tbh), and the approximate location of the computers that will be using said router, and I'll write you up a guide to help you get going, if you can't find someone who can do it for you in person.

Also setting up wireless security can be pretty tricky, especially if you use items like the Wii or the DS that are only compatible with specific (shitty) types of security. Actual passwords rarely work, as well, depending on the router, so most of the time you have to rely on memorizing (or writing down) a 16 or 32-bit hexadecimal (0-9,A-F) code.