Hey i want to connect my 360 to my pc with a ethernet cable and enable connection sharing so i can connect to live using my pc and my netgear dg834g router downstairs.

I tried simply connecting the xbox to the pc and running the tests but the DNS test keeps failing!!! I tried manually entering all the information that didnt work either.

Then i heard AOL causes a problem, dont know if its causing my DNS problem but apparently you have to do ICS on AOL in a special way, i have vista and so am confused as to what to do. If anyone could help me id be really grateful, thanks :)

Is your router blocking connections?

how do i know if it is and how do i check?

You have to check your router settings. Most routers require you to type in the IP address (may not technically be an IP but looks like it) for your router. The address differs by manufacturer so you might need to look it up online.

192.168.0.1. works for my D-Link.

Once you're looking at the settings you'll want to look for the port forwarding option. Most modern routers have a drop down menu that lets you select what programs you want to allow. Select Xbox Live and it should allow you online. If yours doesn't have a list of programs you'll need to manually type the port numbers in you want opened up. Don't know em off the top of my head but Google should help, or I'm sure someone will pop in that knows them.

Same as above but try http://www.portforward.com and that will show you everything you need to know about opening ports on your router for xbox live. It worked for me