You need your outside line going into your modem, an ethernet cable connecting your modem to your router inthe special ethernet plug, not the others. Another cable should connect the router to a computer. You might have to use another ethernet, or you might could connect it with a USB cable.

Now, if you'll remember to always boot them up Modem-> Router-> wait a few minutes Computer, you should have intarwebz access to the main computer. If you turn your computer on before the modem and router are ready, intarwebz will not work.

Now, for your laptop, you'll need a wireless access card. These fit in a little slot on the side of your laptop. If you have a desktop you want to connect wirelessly, you can buy a usb version of the access card.

They ought to come with instructions and any software needed to run them, but odds are that if you're running windows XP it might do it on its own.