"Setting up and FTP w/a Cable Network..."

Rumor has it that I have to set my IP to STATIC first, if this is true, how do I do this, and how will that effect my network?

the only way to set your cable connection as static is to pay for a static ip from your ISP.

However you can still set up a ftp server and connect to it as long as you know your ip address.

start - run - command or cmd - ipconfig or winipcfg.

Mike

Since most cable modem connections change their ip addresses periodically (mine does it every 24hrs) you have to go back an check the ip address before you try to connect to the machine (as people have already noted). But I've found a service that allows you to a run a small utility that checks your current ip address and allows you to use their domain name to access.

Check out http://www.tzo.com. It is fee based but very inexpensive. The basic fee is only $25 a year or something. I run an FTP and Web site off of it and it works great. Once you've signed up you are assign your own domain name like this: <yourname>.tzo.com. You can always refer to your machine using that name. If your ip's change, TZO will automatically be notified and updated. I've been using it for over a year with no problems.

Rocko
p.s. I am not affileated in any way with TZO, I'm just a satisfied customer.