[patrickp]

Are you connected to your modem via USB, LedZep? In that case, yes, you can connect the two PCs with a crossover cable. If you're connecting via ethernet, then you'll need another ethernet port (i.e. a card) on the main machine.

You may need to allow each PC in the other's firewall settings, and set up file sharing if you want access between the two machines - this is one of the great assets of networking, quite apart from being able to access the internet through more than one machine.

For accessing the internet on both machines, you will need to run the ICS (Internet connection Sharing) wizard, on both machines, I think (look for it in Help). I've always connected PCs with a router, so I can't tell you more than that.

The PC that's connected directly to the internet will, of course, have to be on for the other to access the internet.

A better solution would be, as David says, to use a router. It's a more satisfactory and effective way of networking and also means that you can dump the USB connection, which will be less reliable than ethernet, and also will not be able to provide the full connection when ntl upgrade your account to 10Mb (as they should do sometime this year).

A wired router can be bought quite cheaply; CF members have posted links elsewhere to good 4 port wired routers for round about the £20 mark. A couple of points: make sure the router you get has a 10/100Mb WAN port (the one that connects to the modem as, again, a 10Mb port won't be able to do justice to the forthcoming 10Mb upgrades. And use patch (straight through), not crossover, ethernet cables with a router.

Edit: remiss of me - welcome to the forum! ;-D