router?

[Shab]

kinda ot but I've got a question on routers
if you hook up comps to a cable router will they be totally seperate from
each other?
like if one gets a virus will it affect the other one? want them to be
totally seperate from each other
TIA

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Hi, usually the computers set up this way will be on a home network and a
virus could spread to from one machine to the other if it is coded to spread
accross networks.

My recomendation with people running such a configuration is to protect both
pc with both a firewall program (free or paid) and a good antivirus
software.

XP does have a built in firewall that could help you to some extend but my
advice will be to use a 3rd party one for this.

If you install the XP firewall on both computer's LAN connections, it
will effectively isolate them from each other (which is not what most
people want, but it's what the XP 'ICF' firewall does).

 

[CZ]

A router is a glorified wire... It'll send the info to all
the computers, but only the one that actually needs it
will grab it.


Andrew:

A hub is a "glorified wire" that "sends the info to all the computers".
A router is a device that routes packets between two subnets per a routing
table.
What most end users refer to as a router (i.e., LinkSys router) is usually a
combo unit consisting of a router and a switch.
A switch will only send unicasts to the specific switch port that has the
host with the known destination MAC/IEEE address of the packet.
A switch will send all broadcasts and "unknown address" unicasts to all
switch ports.