Admin Tips
- Windows Server 2008/2003/2000/XP/NT Administrator Knowledge Base
  - Windows XP
    - Admin Tips
      - Network
        Using XP as a router

Section(s): Network
Published on Mar 29, 2006.
Last Modified on Mar 29, 2006.
Last Modified by Mitch Tulloch.
Rated 4.1 out of 5 based on 43 votes.

A cheap and easy way of using an XP box as a router.

A cheap and easy way of adding a router to your network is to use a surplus PC with Windows XP Professional installed on it. Just install an additional network card in the box and then configure the registry setting below and Presto! Your XP box becomes able to route (forward) IP packets from one interface to another.

Open Regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

Find the following registry value:

IPEnableRouter

Set this value to 1 to enable IP routing on the box.

After doing this, reboot the machine. You may also need to disable Windows Firewall on the machine.

About Mitch Tulloch

Mitch Tulloch is a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, networking, and security. He has been repeatedly awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status by Microsoft for his outstanding contributions in supporting users who deploy and use Microsoft platforms, products and solutions. Mitch has published over two hundred articles on different IT websites and magazines, and he has written or contributed to almost two dozen books and is lead author for the Windows 7 Resource Kit from Microsoft Press. For more information, see www.mtit.com .