In the previous installment of this article, you learned how to set up your network connection with an IP address to connect to the Internet. Two methods were described, depending on your ISP.

In some cases, your ISP may ask for the MAC address of your network adapter. The MAC address is an identification number that is used to identify your network adapter. Part of the MAC address identifies a specific hardware vendor and the remaining part identifies a specific network adapter. If your ISP requests this number from you, you can locate it by following these steps:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories and then Command Prompt. Alternatively, type cmd in the search field on the Start Menu and press Enter.
2. Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.
3. The output of the command will tell you the MAC address associated with your network adapter (although you may have to do a little scrolling).
4. Locate the line labeled Physical Address. The number appearing after it will be the MAC address - the number your ISP requires.

Along with the providing your MAC address, some ISP may require you to change your computer name to one that they provide. To change the computer name in Vista, follow these steps:

1. Log onto Vista using an Administrator account.
2. Click Start and right-click Computer.
3. Select Properties.
4. Under Computer Name, Domain, and Workgroup, click Change Settings.
5. On the Computer Name tab, click the Change button.
6. Enter the computer name supplied by your ISP.
7. If necessary, click More and enter the domain name provided by your ISP.

Again, once you complete these steps you will want to test drive the configuration your Internet connect.

[tags]vista, windows, vista tips[/tags]