>Does any one know of a router/switch that will network two (winMe)
>computers and share a dial up internet connection.  I too have the SMC
>Barricade 7004ABR  but have not been able to get it to successfully
>maintain an internet connection for more than about 4 hours.

I know one always hates to hear this but the 7004ABR "works for me."

But seriously, I have read other very similar complaints about the
7004ABR. Some have tied it to a certain firmware upgrade. (But when
you revert to the original firmware, the problem does not go away.)

I bought one for a customer and it works flawlessly. I was concerned
for awhile, though, but it seemed that some folks got ABRs that
worked fine while others didn't.

I have a Belkin switch. It works. I won't say it's the best switch,
but it does work for simple sharing.

Another alternative is to install a second NIC in one ME machine and
use ICS or another sharing software router/gateway like SyGate or
WinProxy. I used Sygate for a couple of years.

For what it's worth, do you know what's actually failing? Have you tested this?

For instance, once everything goes dead, are you still able to
retrieve a MAC address from your NIC? Can you ping the TCP/IP
localstack (127.0.0.1)? Can you ping the switch? Can you ping beyond
the switch?

What brings it all back? Rebooting the PC? Rebooting ONE PC?
Rebooting the switch? Rebooting the dsl/cable modem?

Does the connect stay up without incident if you're NOT connected to
the switch? What about tweaking TCP settings?

Cheers,

Mike Whalen
--

              The NOSPIN Group is now offering Free PC Tech
                     support at our newest website:
                          http://freepctech.com