Copy the REG files to the second computer. On the second computer, open the Registry

Part VII ✦ Adding to Your Home Network You can share a fast CD-ROM drive, but it will run more slowly over the network. If you don’t use the network a lot for multimedia, or if the speed works well with your applica- tions, you don’t have to upgrade. If, on the other hand, you find some multimedia applications that don’t work, you can speed up the network by changing technologies. A phone line network, for example, running at 1 Mbps, will be too slow to show movies or to play some games over the network. Upgrading that network to Ethernet can make all the dif- ference. Of course, you need to upgrade your network cards to 10100 Mbps Ethernet, buy a 100 Mbps hub, and install CAT 5 UTP cabling. That can run into some money, but you’ll see improvement in the speed, reliability, and efficiency of your entire network. You might also consider upgrading to wireless, but make sure you check game and applica- tion software in case there are limitations that include wireless. See Chapter 6 for more information about Ethernet technology and Chapter 7 for more infor- mation about wireless networking. If you are currently using a 10 Mbps Ethernet network, you might want to upgrade to 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet for superior speed in multimedia applications, as well as in other facets of network performance. You should be using 10100 Mbps Ethernet network cards and CAT 5 UTP cabling already, so all you need to purchase is a 100 Mbps hub to make the network com- plete. If you’re not using 10100 Mbps cards, buy those first and use them with the 10 Mbps hub until your budget enables you to buy the faster hub. You also might consider replacing your NetBEUI or IPXSPX protocol with the more efficient TCPIP protocol. If you’re using Ethernet or Fast Ethernet, TCPIP can display a marked improvement over the others. See Appendix B for more information. Cross- Reference Tip Tip Troubleshooting Multimedia Devices Anytime you add a new device or change an old device, such as a video card or sound card, you can cause your computer to stop working. Each device has its own settings; if you add another device that tries to take those settings, you have a hardware conflict. Hardware conflicts are more noticeable in Windows 98 computers than in Windows 2000 or XP computers because newer systems deal with conflicts automatically. You might, however, find a problem in any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer that deals with interrupt request IRQ, direct memory access DMA, or inputoutput IO addresses. Hardware lines carry a device’s signal to the processor. When a device wants to communicate with the processor, it causes an interrupt request to gain the processor’s attention. The IO is the means by which data is transferred between the computer and its peripheral devices. DMA is a method of transferring information directly from a hard disk, for example, into memory by bypassing the processor. Most PCs have 15 IRQs; some are assigned to specific devices, and others are free for cards and devices you install. Each computer is different, so the device might not have the same IRQ in one computer as it does in another. In addition, not all devices require an IRQ, IRQs cannot be shared by multiple devices, and the most common IRQ conflicts are between two COM ports.