adsl cant share?

and the network is run on ethernet connections

you only have 1 ip address with your account, it has nothing to do with windows. you need to run some form of nat, i would recomend a router, they can be had for less than 100 bucks. or you need to put two nics in one computer and run ics on it.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

i already have a hub, is that a router? All of the computers are connected directly to that hub. That is how our network works. Then the hub connects to the internet. Is a router another peice of equipment? I dont want to set up 2 nics in a computer because i dont want to leave any one computer on all day. So, even when the other computers are off, one should be able to access the internet. And when all computers are on, they should all be able to access the net. Here is what the network looks like (i am more artistic than technical):

comp1 ------------|
comp2 ---------> Hub ---> internet
comp3 ------------|



EDIT (IMPORTANT!!!): The "hub" that i use is an Alcatel Speed Touch Pro. According to Alcatel, the "Speed Touch Pro" has routing and optional firewall capabilities. Does that mean that i should be able to share my internet without getting new hardware?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by backflash001 on 09/08/02 11:21 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

the Alcatel ST Pro is a router. It has all the functionality you need to share the connection. It sounds like it's not configured correctly. Have you ever telnetted into the box to look at the config utility? Do you have a copy of the manual?

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

You should be able to configure the router from a web page on any of the attached networked pcs. turn on the dhcp server function in the routers config page and set all the pcs to get their ip addresses automatically. the router/modem will then assign them addresses and they should all then be able to access the internet and each other. since you're using a hybrid os structure ie you're running 98 on one and xp on another you should install the ipx protocol suite(on each machine) and bind it to their respective adapters.make sure you use a firewall.. ok your router is a firewall but maybe it would be simpler to disable it and install zonealarm on yours machines. its easy to configure and is free to download.
on each machine goto internet options in the control panel and under the connections tab set 'never dial a connecion'
make sure all the pcs belong to the same workgroup and that each pc is named...
hope this helps

This isn't an option because the "firewall" is NAT, and if you disable NAT you can't share the connection.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

sorry you're right,forget about what i said in that sentence. it was very late, dont know what i was thinking.. just install zone alarm.
the rest of what i said still applies.
if you need outside clients to access your machine/s(http, ftp, game servers etc) use the virtual server settings in the router's config pages to open the required ports.