Network services and protocols are bound to your network adapter. If you have multiple protocols installed or if your network uses multiple protocols, you can configure the bindings and optimize performance. For example, if you have TCP/IP and IPX/SPX installed on your computer and TCP/IP is the primary protocol used on the network, TCP/IP should be the protocol listed first in the binding order. Otherwise, your computer will always attempt to use IPX/SPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange) before TCP/IP.

You can change the binding order in WinXP. Open the Network Connections applet (click Start, Control Panel, and double-click Network Connections), and select the Advanced Settings option in the Advanced menu. Under the Adapters and Bindings tab, select the appropriate network connections from the list of available connections and use the arrows buttons to change the order of the protocols bound to the installed services. Click OK to apply your changes.