Dell connection to a Mac network....NOT WORKING!

Question

OK, here is the situation. I am a Mac user and was given a old Dell with Windowz XP Pro. I already have a Mac network with two macs and a printer. They both can connect to my DSL perfectly. When I was given the Dell, I figured I wanted to connect it my existing network. This is where the problem comes in. First I have no idea how to do this. Second, I connect the Dell to the router. The Dell will not connect to the Network. But when i plug in the wire to the router, the network just, stops for the macs. So there I sit trying to figure out how to make this work with no internet for all computers. Basically I want my Dell on my already established Mac network so that my Dell can connect to the internet and everything like that, and still use my macs.
Help would be the greatest!

Answer 1

Are you connecting all of these with LAN cables or wirelessly? In order for the MACs to communicate with the Dell, you need to turn on 'windows sharing' from the 'sharing' folder in the 'system preferences'.
It's difficult to troubleshoot this kind of problem because there could be a number of different issues. Is the Dell able to connect to the internet if all of the macs are disconnected? What kind of router are you using? Have you tried configuring the router? If not, go onto the internet and read the through the FAQ section for your router. Perhaps you could run a program on the Dell to get it to work..
You need to be very methodical in how you attack this problem. Try the dell connected directly to the modem. Does it work? If not, there might be a problem with your ethernet cable. If it does, then try connecting the dell only to the router. Does it work? If not, then you need to follow the steps from your router and configure the router and computer so that it will work. Once that works, add the macs. Do they work? etc.
Good luck.