ok

i have dumped my BT Home Hub router and went back to an old 205 voyager, this is wired to the pc

i`m thinking i will need a cat5 cable from the router to the Xbox in the living room?

or can i use some kind of wireless shenanigans from the pc to the xbox?

cant be arsed to pull up the carpets to wire a cable, although i do actually prefer wired connections, what is needed after that, just the "LIVE" software?
do i really need a hard drive?

 

A hard drive is a prefereable route to go down - you will be limiting yourself if you don't get one. That said, they are not absolutely necessary - in that you don't need one to play games online.

Connecting up to the PC using ICS is a workable solution, but, obviously you will have to have your PC powered up everytime you go on live. 360's (and xbox for that matter) dont particularly like it - if you turn off the xbox while the pc is still on and then turn the xbox back on it wont connect to live until you reboot the PC.

Personally I would get a router, be it wired or wireless - far less hassle, you aren't reliant on the PC being on to play on LIVE.

 

PS. If you do decide to go from PC to Xbox, you will need to make sure the Cat5 cable is a crossover cable

 

the PC is on 24/7 so that is not a problem, am i right in thinking i can also use the XBOX to stream music from the pc when connected this way?

the current router only has 2 connections, usb or Ethernet, and i don't really want to use the USB to connect to the pc as i know its a bit crap and i think having an extra long usb lead from one room to the other will be asking for even more trouble?