Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle

Matt writes, "I'm trying to connect my Xbox 360 to my computer using the Zune software that Microsoft told me to download. I am having trouble finding out how to physically connect my Xbox 360 to my computer. When I try to use my Ethernet cord directly from my Xbox 360 to my computer without using a router it keeps telling me my IP address has failed. Am I using the wrong cord or do I need absolutely need a router?"

You need a crossover cable to directly connect the Xbox 360 to a PC without a router or hub between the two devices. This isn't an ideal scenario for a variety of reasons, most importantly that you can't connect to the Internet from either your PC or Xbox 360 while connect the two in a wired configuration like this.

For the same price as the crossover cable, you could easily pick up a router and connect both your Xbox 360 and PC to the Internet while also streaming music from your PC to your Xbox 360. The router has the added benefit of adding an additional layer of protection for your home network.