How do I hook up 2 cpus to 1 monitor, mouse, & keyboard?

[Donna Stefani]

I have my old puter which I'd like to set up as the one to covert all my movies & such & it's been sitting on my desk about as useful as an anchor for 2 years. I tried to network it but have so far been unsuccessful & finally gave up. Everyone says it's soooo easy, but I can't get it. The old monitor died, & there wasn't any room for it anyway, but I'd like to be able to access it using the same keyboard, mouse, & monitor.
I have a d-link DI-604 router with 4 ports.
The old puter is win98, the new winme, which I've been told is no problem.
I also have my notebook, which I've also tried to network with the desktop. The notebook is win98 & the desktop, as I said before, is winme. I have cable internet & can share a connection with the router, which I've been doing, but again, been unsuccessful in trying to network it. The only thing I've been able to do is transfer files thru aim, which works fine for those 2, as I have the seperate monitors & keyboards, but I know there's got to be a better way. I need HELP!!!!!!!!!

[jeex]

they sell switches and stuff for sharing monitor/keyboard/mouse/printer on ebay, but i think it would be cheaper and simpler if you just bought another monitor, keyboard & mouse for the other computer.. as for networking them all, with net & file sharing.. it is simple, but not enough for you. hire someone to do it for you.

[Donna Stefani]

As I stated in my first post, space is the problem, which is why I cannot get another keyboard, monitor, & mouse, which is why I'm trying to make alternative arrangements. I found this on ebay, is this really what I need seeing as it's so cheap? It all looks pretty easy if so.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3400659477&category=3668

And, if I knew someone who could set up the network for me, I would, however, I happen to be the most computer literate person I know. And, contrary to what it may look like in these posts, I'm not that bad & catch on pretty quickly, which is why I decided to ask for assistance here.
Donna

[jeex]

that looks like it should do the trick..

[Sord_Fish]

i dont have winme but does it not have a built in guide for setting up a network? because xp does (very helpful)

then after getting them networked just get a Remote admin program and control the old one over the network with the new one

[gmatov]

DonnaStefani,
Have you bought the KVM switch you linked to? I have a 4 position manual switch connecting 4 'puters to 1 each, KB, mouse, monitor. That unit looks as tho' it will do what you want, and the price is very good, considering that if you bought the same thing I have you would have to buy all the cables needed to connect each 'puter to the switch, in my case, 15 cables at the back of the switch, a mare's nest.
As for networking, have you got networking installed properly? If you're OK with installing Windows, it often will set up the protocols for networking if you make sure your cables are properly connected and re-install the OS. It will detect the other computer automatically. It can be a bear getting them to talk to each other, but, when I've been unable to do so, a re-install has almost always worked.
Are the Client, Protocols, and Adapters, as well as MS Print and File Sharing in the Network Properties? Also, Norton and the like, possibly, as well, your router will turn off file and print sharing, because it can be accessed over your cable connection. They must be enabled (read: Checked) in Network Properties. If you want to share files, the drive you want to access has to be set to "Shared", and password protected if you wish.
If you have any specific ??, I think my e-mail address is on this site somewhere. Feel free to ask. I usually have some time free.
George

[Donna Stefani]

Got the switch I linked to.
However, I didn't realize until I got the thing that my keyboard is usb & the switch has ps/2 connections for the mouse & keyboard.
So, then I order an adaptor for the keyboard to change my usb to ps/2.
It doesn't work. I called tech support & they say it won't work.
This makes no sense to me. Why have adapters if they won't work?
So, now I've ordered a new ps/2 keyboard. We'll see how far this gets me, what a pain!!!!!!!
I ended up plugging the keyboard directly into the old puter to fiddle a little & do some windows updates & such & a bizarre thing happened.
At some point I lost the ability to use the keyboard & I lost all sound. I don't know what I did to it & wasn't able to resolve it. I did a scanreg /restore in dos & tried going back to earlier times, several times, & was able to get the keyboard back but was never able to get the sound back. I removed all the sound items from the system box in the control panel & rebooted hoping that would fix it, but no luck. It found all the new hardware & installed all the drivers & such, but still no sound. I realize this isn't the place for this but I figured while I was here, what the heck, what could it hurt? Sometimes I hate these darn puters!

[gmatov]

Donna Stefani,
I've had computers in for repair with ME on them, and, if I recall, getting them to talk was rather easy. ME has a better wizard than 98. If you have the full suite of Norton Systemworks, you can open the Personal Firewall, Internet Zone Control, Wizard, and it should setup your machines for Networking. Remember, Norton may try to deactivate File and Printer Sahring, so you should "check" that in Networking. Another is to "Add" the Netcard IP Address of the other cards to theTrusted Zone. Start > Run > winipcfg, click the down arrow to get the IP address of your NIC cards, and enter it into the space provided in Norton, separated by spaces. It "should" tell you that the addresses have been added to your network, and they should be accessible.
I've had machines in that have lost the sound card. I don't know what you have, but some have had a checkbox in multimedia, volume control, which said "Enable Digital Audio", The cards weren't capable of it so nothing came out. After uncheck, the sound was restored. It may not help, but it's worth a try.
You're lucky, in a way. My KVM switch is old with large KB connector and serial mouses. All the newer machines require PS2 plugs, and, while KB adapters work, most mice won't work with adapters (my favorite small parts store won't even carry them ), so the 3 I have hooked to 1 monitor require separate mice, confusing at times.
I'm not a tech. People ask me to help, I help, I enjoy. If this doesn't work, sorry. More details might help, but ME isn't my forte, nor XP. I like 98 and 2k.
George