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Windows
®
XP
Home
Networking
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Windows
®
XP
Home
Networking
Dave Field
Andrew Brandt
McGraw-Hill/Osborne
New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon
London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi
San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto
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Copyright © 2004 by McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permit-
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Dedication
To Amy, Marissa, and Shaylee
—DF
To —C, >^..^< and >( 8*=
—AB
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About the Authors
In the daytime Dave Field is a mild-mannered systems engineer. In this role he
has directed the installation of entire network infrastructures at Camp Snoopy in
the Mall of America using technologies such as Active Directory, Microsoft
Exchange, and Microsoft SQL Server. He has been the principal architect of point-
of-sale implementations, ERP roll-outs, and e-commerce initiatives.
After hours Dave becomes an author, freelance trainer, and presenter. A certified
MCSA and MCSE, Dave is expert at networking technologies and support desk
topics. He has delivered training at Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centers
and has authored content for Microsoft and McGraw-Hill/Osborne for the MCSE,
MCSA, and MCDST certifications.
By day, Andrew Brandt works for a major, metropolitan technology monthly.
He is a Senior Associate Editor for PC World, where he covers the security beat,
writes his monthly Privacy Watch column, and writes and edits numerous feature
articles, news stories, and product reviews. His work has earned him awards from
the American Society of Business Press Editors, the Western Publication’s Association,
and American Business Media.
By night, Andrew blogs, codes, and fights crime like all true geeks, in online
games. In his spare moments, he operates Amishrabbit.com, a blog site named for
an over-the-top PR gimmick that dates back to the dot-com boom era. He’s also
a prolific science and technology pundit, and acts as spokeshuman for Bunbun, the
rabbit-in-residence at Amishrabbit. He’s a part-time audio technician for Rocketwars,
an Unreal 2004 mod based on the classic Segasoft game, Rocket Jockey, and he
teaches pottery on Saturday afternoons. You may have also seen him playing such

10
Chat and Send Instant Messages Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
11
Shop and Socialize Securely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
12
Prevent Identity Theft and Protect Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
vii
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
PART I
Set Up Your Home Network
CHAPTER 1
Learn about Home Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Learn What a Home Network Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A Quick Visual Tour of a Home Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Network You Don’t See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Connect Computers and More with Your Network . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Role of the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Other Uses in the Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Home Networking Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cutting Network Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Reducing Network Complexity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Components of a Network in More Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Three Types of Modems You’ll Find Today . . . . . . . . 14

Select Your Installation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cable Pulling Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Connect the Cable Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
When You Just Can’t Get a Cable There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Connect Your Networking Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Configure Your Computers for Home Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Manage TCP/IP Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Set Up Workgroup Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Share Your Files and Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Connect Your Network to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Configure and Share a Direct Internet Connection . . . . . . . 76
CHAPTER 4
Install a Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Select the Proper Wireless Ethernet Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Choose the Device Types for Your Home Network . . . . . . 80
Choose Your Wireless Ethernet Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Place Your Wireless Network Devices
for Best Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Sources of Radio Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Causes of Signal Attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Strategies for Extending Signal Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Configure Your Wireless Network Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Find a Clear Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Configuring a Service Set ID (SSID) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Enabling Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Connect Your Wireless Network to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Configure Your Internet Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Going Online Without a Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Configure Your Computers for Home Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Manage TCP/IP Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Keep All Systems Up to Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CHAPTER 6
Secure Your Wireless Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Cap That Data Gusher You Call a Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Configure Your Wireless Network for Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Install Your Wireless Hardware with Security in Mind . . . 143
Configure Your Wireless Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Keep Your Data Secure over Your Wireless Connections . . . . . . . 156
WiFi Protected Access (WPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Filter MAC Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
CHAPTER 7
Keep Your Systems Secure with System Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Why We Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Types of Flaws in Computer Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
The Design/Test/Exploit/Patch/Hack Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Use Windows Update to Maintain
Your Operating System Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
How Windows Update Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Use Internet Explorer to Access Windows Update . . . . . . . 175
Contents
xi
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xii
How to Do Everything with Windows XP Home Networking
Automate Operating System Patching
with Automatic Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
How Automatic Updates Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Configuring Automatic Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Maintain Microsoft Applications with Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Fight Spam on Your Terms, on Your Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Avoid Getting Spam in the First Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Develop Habits That Will Protect Your E-Mail Address . . . 234
Skip Online Activities That Make You More Likely
to Get Spam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Ditch Your Extremely Spammy Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Filter Spam on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Try the Software That’s Free,
or That You’ve Already Got . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Shop Around for a Good Spam Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
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Contents
xiii
Get Started with Cloudmark’s SpamNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Install and Run Sunbelt Software’s iHateSpam . . . . . . . . . 244
Get Rid of Spam with Less Effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Let Your ISP Filter Your Mail for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Report Spam to the Authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Spam Fighting Looks Toward the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Antispam Legislation Gets Tough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Spam Fighters Take Legal Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Spammers Turn Up the Heat, and Fight Back . . . . . . . . . . 258
CHAPTER 10
Chat and Send Instant Messages Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Use Instant Messaging and Chat Wisely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Evaluate the Risk IM and IRC Pose to You . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Determine Whether the Risk of Chatting
Is Worth the Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Secure Your Instant Messaging (IM)
and Chat Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Protect Your Sensitive Data Online
and on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Keep Private Information about Yourself to Yourself . . . . . 329
Perform “Vanity Searches” and Unlist Yourself . . . . . . . . . 330
Steer Clear of Phishing Scams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
xiv
How to Do Everything with Windows XP Home Networking
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Foreword
Windows XP has evolved from more than a decade of continued windows
development. During this time, Microsoft has been committed to understanding
and meeting the diverse needs of its customers, and XP is a truly usable operating
system with unsurpassed functionality. Windows XP is the foremost desktop operating
system all over the world. If one thing is missing though, it would be proper security.
One of the most common things I hear from government and industry leaders is
that there needs to be clear guidance, especially security guidance, for home and
small office users for their PCs. By the time this book is printed, XP Service Pack 2
will be released and that will be a major step to meet the needs of Microsoft’s
customers to make their lives better, safer, and their work easier.
David Field proposed a textbook to Osborne to cover Internet security topics
including anti-virus, personal firewalls, spam, and spyware. The original concept
for the book was to be all security. Upon further reflection, Osborne felt readers
wanted a broader coverage, covering topics such as home networking. The
Windows XP operating system easily adapts to most networking solutions, but it
helps to have a design or recipe showing technologies and tools such as wireless,
cable, and DSL modems.
Andy Brandt from PC World joined the project to help make the book richer
than just security, to be a real how-to for home and small-office users. Andy adds
tremendous enthusiasm and knowledge to the project also, and the combination is

the encouragement, support, and tolerance of my wife and girls, I would not have
been able to do this. They inspire me to do the best job I can and find me the time
to do it.
To Megg, Agatha, Julie, Carolyn, Jody, Bob, and the others at Osborne: Thanks
for helping us shape this work into something we can all learn from. Thanks to my
co-author Andy Brandt for his advice, assistance, and especially his contacts.
Thanks to Jon Jacobi of PC World for keeping our facts straight and to Bob Hillery
of IntelGuardians for lending his voice to our work. Thanks, Stephen Northcutt of
Sans Institute for your time and encouragement. Finally, thanks to Laura, Stacey,
Sherry, Jackie, Katrina, and the others at Studio B for letting me keep writing on
my mind.
—Dave Field
I’ve got to thank Clare, not only for tolerating extended late-night writing
sessions, but for doing a hundred different supportive things a day, and for being
the supra-genius editor-writer-designer that she is. I’d also like to thank PC World
for paying me to do, and write about, some of the fun, offbeat technology stuff I
also happen to love.
My editors at OMH have been a terrific source of insight and a fount of ideas
for which I’m grateful. I also want to thank Bob Garza for giving me a shove into
the world of tech books (and indoor skydiving), and Dave Field for being such
a networking mensch. Michael Lasky let me put sample chapters on the PC World
cover disc, fulfilled my incessant battery requests, and repeatedly told me my
second-favorite joke, which still makes me smile.
xvii
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Finally, I’ve got a huge list of family, friends, and Internet acquaintances to
thank, not only for their support and enthusiasm over this project, but also for
putting up with my absence while I spent my every waking moment working on
this book. I can’t name every one of you, just out of the environmental considerations