My mom gave my son a used Imac what do i need to get the internet on it?

Question

I currently have a PC with DSL, what do I need to do or get to have the internet on this Imac?

Answer 1

If you already have a PC with DSL then you probably already have an external modem (router) which your DSL provider rented to you. It's a box with one or two antenna(s) coming out of it, and there's lights that blink when you are on the net. You are also probably hooked up to it via a thick yellow cord (wired access is called Ethernet).
I assume your PC is the main computer and you probably have no other computer in the house, except that used iMAC which you just got. The main computer is always WIRED, not wireless, and any other computer in the house can be hooked up WIRED or WIRELESSLY.

First of all, your son's iMAC must have an adapter card built-in or an external adapter which is hooked up to the iMAC.

Assuming you have all of the above, I hope you have Windows XP on your computer, USB ports on both computers and a USB driver because then to set up for wireless network is very simple.

You do the following:
Go to START then CONTROL PANEL.
Now look for the WIRELESS NETWORK SETUP WIZARD icon. It's probably the last icon on the list. Follows it's instructions. Make sure you DO have a password and a randomly generated access key which consists of letters and numbers (and therefore a SECURED wireless signal). Otherwise, anyone in the vicinity of your signal (like your neighbours) will tap into YOUR DSL service for FREE!! This does not mean you have to keep entering this information every time you log onto the net. It's a one-time thing and you only have to remember your password and access key if you want to change the access key or you want to add a third computer.

Assuming you have all of the hardware above, the only thing I'm not sure about is whether or not the APPLE Operating System will recognize the Windows network setup program.

Answer 2

Does it have a network card in it? If so the easist way would be to buy a router and set up a small network.

EDIT:
Marky M is partially correct. He/she is wrong on a few things though.

1) A modem and a router are NOT the same thing. A routers job is to route traffic between multiple computers on a network. They also allow multiple computers to connect using the same main IP address supplied by your ISP. A modems sole purpose is to connect you to the net.

2) Ethernet cables are come in many colors so the comment "You are also probably hooked up to it via a thick yellow cord (wired access is called Ethernet)" is misleading as the cable could be pretty much any color.

3) The statement "The main computer is always WIRED, not wireless, and any other computer in the house can be hooked up WIRED or WIRELESSLY" is flat out wrong. You can have all computers connect wirelessly if you choose. The reason some people choose to run cables to their main computer is that a wired connection is inherently more reliable and also more secure than a wireless connection. It's also usually pretty easy to locate the router near the main computer making a short cable run a minor issue.

4) His/her info on wireless network security is very very vague, there is much more to it than that. There are several different ways you can configure your wireless network including WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc. Before you choose a configuration you need to know what your router and network card will handle. You can read up on wireless security here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access

A good basic article on home networking can be found here:
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/homenetworking/l/blhomeadvisor.htm

If you want in depth technical advice I suggest posting in the networking forums over at www.techguy.org. excellent forums and the people there really know their stuff.