You could setup an "alternate configuration"; the 1st using the DHCP server, and if that could not be contacted, XP will use the alternate config..
just run ncpa.cpl, open the properties of the relevant connection, select the TCP/IP properties - here you'll find a "general" and an "alternate configuration" tab - fill 'em in both, the general having the DHCP/Internet server, the other the static.
Mind you: this will slow down the statup of the machine (of the network system actually) for a few seconds, whilst trying to contact the DHCP server.
Other option: use the ICS handling on your machines, or e.g. something like WinRoute (lite will do) - that is a dhcp server, and a proxy server (w/ support for a lot of PC apps).. in this way you'll only have 1 network config; ofcourse this means that the internet connected machine has to be turned on for other machines to access the internet.
Or - how are you connecting to the internet? when using normal RAS (DUN on W9x) handling, the new RAS connection should handle IP addresses, route tables and things just fine??
---
saybibi();
//john
#include <stddiscl.h>