Basic home network setup troubles: Airport, ethernet, and cable modem

Hi,
Having only just subscribed to a cable broadband service we're experiencing some troubles setting up a mixed-mode home network and I'm wondering whether we've got some of the very basics messed-up.
What we have is:
1. Recent version (white) ibook, with airport, running 10.4.7;
2. Old G4 PowerPC (450MHz I think) running 10.4.7 ... airport card available;
3. Old powerbook (?Lombard) running 10.2.8 ... no airport;
4. A PC running Windows XP (not that important to have this in the network though) with no wireless;
5. A 3com SuperStack 1100 switch;
6. A cable modem;
7. A Linksys BEFSX41 Etherfast Cable/DSL Router ... 4 ethernet switch ports;
8. An airport express base station;
9. An HP laser printer connected into the ethernet LAN.
We'd like to keep both our wireless and ethernet networks running with all computers able to access one another, print to the laser printer, and access the broadband (fixed IP address) account. We're not (yet) conderned with hosting websites from our home computers.
I'm unsure of how we should configure this system. Do I connect the airport base station to the switch (which is what we presently have) or into the router? Do I connect each of the hardwired PCs (and the printer) into the switch
and then the switch to the router via single conenction?
If we use DHCP to access the router have I got the potential for the router and the airport base station to interfere with one another?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've pulled a few TCP/IP setup-for-idiots books from our local library but this specific situation doesn't seem to be well covered.
Cheers
Dougal

You probably have a few options here that will work. Considering the number of wired devices, I would suggest the following:
Cable modem > (Ethernet cable) > [Internet port] BEFSX41 [LAN_1] > (Ethernet cable) > SuperStack switch > (Ethernet cable) > [Ethernet port] AirPort Express Base Station (AX) > (wireless) > wireless clients, AND
SuperStack switch > (Ethernet cable) > wired clients
Then setup the AX as a bridge, as follows:
To set up the AirPort Express Base Station (AX) as a bridge, using the AirPort Admin Utility, connect your computer directly (using an Ethernet cable) to the Ethernet port of the AX, and then, make these settings:
Network tab
- Distribute IP addresses (unchecked)
- Apply the new setting.
- Wait at least 5 minutes.

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