Connecting to a wired network

• 1
  An Ethernet cable looks like a large telephone cable.Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Connect an Ethernet cable to the network card on the back of your PC or laptop. The Ethernet cable looks like a large telephone cable and has a clip that holds it in place.
  
  
• 2
  A network hub can connect many devices to the one network.Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Plug the other end of your Ethernet cable into the network hub or other compute your would like to connect to.
  
  
• 3). Turn on your computer and naviagate to "Control Panel" followed by "Network and Internet," where you will be able to connect to the network.
  
  

Connect to a wireless network

• 1). Insert a USB or PCI Express network card into your computer and turn it on. To install a USB network card, plug the network card into one of the USB ports on your computer. To install a PCI Express network card you need to open the side of your computer first. Make sure you ground yourself to avoid causing damage to components from static electricity and unclasp the bar holding the PCI Express cards in. Slide your new card into a spare slot, replace the bar and close the computer.
  
  
• 2). Install the software that came with the hardware. To install the network card insert the installation disc into your computer and double click on the setup option for that disc on Windows Explorer. Click "Install Network Card" and select which of your hard drives you would like to install the software on. Once the network card is installed, the setup software will ask you to restart your computer.
  
  
• 3). Restart your computer, then go to "Control Panel," then "Network and Internet," where you can click "Connect to a Network."
  
  
• 4). Select the wireless network you wish to join.
  
  
• 5). If the network has security encryption you will be asked to enter the password for the wireless network. Once you have done this you, will be connected to the network.