Ok so I have a Dell desktop PC at home. We're hooked up to AOL Broadband. I have just bought myself a laptop (yes, I am treating myself ) and I want to use the Broadband with it too. This one..I think!

Now I'm not allowed Wireless at home. My mum said it's a flat out no (she's paranoid about someone hooking up to it etc. I have tried to explain that you use passwords but she is having none of it!) but I want to be able to use the internet on both computers at the same time.

I went round to a store (not mentioning names) and they have sold me an ethernet (?) cable and he said it's just a case pf plugging it into the desktop and then into the lappy. Surely this is too easy? I just can't see ohw it will allow me to connect to the net when the laptop doesn't even have a broadband modem.

Please can someone give me some advice?

Thank you in advance.

You'll need to get a router. They range from $13 to $60 in the US, from Geeks.com.
All that's necessary is to hook your DSL modem RJ45 (the one from your current computer to the modem) to the internet connector of the router, and connect each computer to the other connectors, also RJ45 Ethernet connectors. Usually there are four.
The router will then assign each computer an individual address not associated with your IP address. Keeping it simple, your computer tells the router you want to connect to the net, the router does so, and when the comm is established, your IP thinks it's talking to your computer, but it is actually talking to the router and the router is talking to your computer. Each of the computers has its own LAN (Local Area Network) address, and these don't interfere with each other, so all can be using the same IP at the same time (sort of).
Routers also add a layer of security, since your computer address is not the same as the net address of the router, so a hacker has to break into the router first, then get to your computer. If you keep a decent firewall on, such as Comodo (free) or Zonealarm (also free), and use some malware programs to clean up the tracking cookies, such as Adaware (also free), you can keep your computers quite safe. Using a different browser will also help (Opera is a good one, quite secure and also free), Seamonkey (free), or Firefox (free). These three have also been ported to Linux, if you use Linux. Internet Explorer has many vulnerabilities and it's pretty easy to get some nasty crap through IE, if security is a primary concern.
Wireless can be made quite secure, although it does provide entry points to your LAN and thereby your computers. If at all possible, stay with the hard wired LAN.
Hope this helps.

RabidCat's answer is correct, and gives you the possibility of having additional computers linked up in the future. However, for the time being, it is not strictly necessary.

I'm assuming here that your AOL broadband modem connects to your computer via a USB cable. If it uses a UTP network cable, then you DO need the router mentioned by RabidCat.

The cable you got from you store will be a "crossover ethernet" cable, designed to allow two computers (including laptops) to connect together using their network sockets. At this point, you could - for example - use the laptop to look at files on the PC, and vica versa.

However, the PC will also have the option for "internet sharing". Once this is turned on, it takes the broadband connection on its USB port, and "shares" it to it's network card... and hence to your laptop.

It's a bit fiddly to set up, and not as convenient as having a router. (If only because the PC has to be turned on if you want to use internet on the laptop).

Let us know how you get on

Meow Purr.

Yep. I'm just a little paranoid, and I like having that extra layer (NAT) between me and the hackers. I also have a hardware firewall. Some people think I'm a little nuts, but in all my years on the net, I've only had one attack, which was easy to deal with, and the trojans and other malware that come about are blocked off so all I need to do is clean up.
Paranoid. Yep. But reasonably safe.