Connecting xp to xbox 360 for internet. now it tells me nhat i have a strict nat setting dont know how to change.

What NAT is: NAT, or Network Address Translation, is a networking concept that, in part, allows your router to share a single IP address across multiple devices. Instead of your ISP assigning you an IP address for every single device that you want to use to connect to the Internet, NAT provides your ISP a more efficient way to assign a single IP address to your router. Your router will then generate its own set of IP addresses, which it will manage.


NAT issues can manifest them in many ways on Xbox LIVE. These issues are primarily caused by the way that routers talk to one other. Unfortunately, not all routers handle network traffic exactly the same way. Therefore, the routers do not "talk" to each other in the same way. When this occurs, you may experience some of the following symptoms:

• You may have problems trying to play a game together with a particular friend. You cannot join his game or he cannot join yours.
• You may not be able to hear a certain person within a game, but you can see that he is talking.
• You may not be able to accept a friend's game invite.

• NAT does not affect lag within game play. It affects only the ability to connect with other players
• If you do not have a router, so that you are connecting to Xbox LIVE by using a modem only, you should not experience NAT issues.
• If you are connecting from a corporate network or from a college dormitory, there is a good chance that you are behind a proxy or firewall. Therefore, you may run into NAT issues.

1. Enable UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) on your outer.
   
   UPnP is a standard that can help routers communicate effectively together (and may eliminate the need to try the following steps). If your router supports this setting, then you should enable this setting to see if it helps.
2. Enable port forwarding on your router.
   
   For specific information about port forwarding for some routers, visit the following Xbox Web site: http://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/nxe/xboxlive/getconnected/CompatibleNetworkEquipment/CompatibleNetworkingEquipment.aspx
   1. On the left side of the page, click Get Connected, and then click Xbox Live Compatible Network equipment.
   2. From the Choose a Topic drop-down menu in the center of the page, select How To.
   For more information about how to enable port forwarding on your router, see the documentation that came with the router and see the following Knowledge Base article: For more information about which ports are required to be open for Xbox LIVE, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 908874 Description of Firewall Ports for Xbox LIVE
3. Remove network devices
   • If you have multiple devices connecting through your router, such as an additional Xbox 360 console, a second router, a computer, a laptop, etc., try removing these devices so that only your Xbox 360 is connected. If this method provides you with an open NAT, this indicates that your router has compatibility issues handling multiple devices.
4. Examine computer firewall setting
   1. • If you connect to Xbox LIVE by using your computer (similar to the preceding illustration), check to see whether you are running personal firewall software. Programs such as Zone Alarm, Norton Internet Security, McAfee Security Center, Trend Micro. or BullGuard may be blocking access. If this is true, you may have to open specific ports to enable Xbox LIVE traffic to "flow through" the firewall. For more information about which ports are required to be open for Xbox LIVE, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 908874 Description of Firewall Ports for Xbox LIVE
   2. Configure a college or corporate network
      • If you are trying to connect to Xbox LIVE when you are on a college or corporate network, you will have to ask your network administrator to open the ports. For more information about which ports are required to be open for Xbox LIVE, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 908874 Description of Firewall Ports for Xbox LIVE
   3. Get an Xbox LIVE-compatible or Windows Vista-compatible router
      • Routers that are compatible with Xbox LIVE and with Windows Vista have been tested to make sure that you do not run into any NAT issues or have to perform any additional configuration.
        

There should be an option for AUTO settings. Make sure that is selected and it should fix your problem. If not, post here again and I'll help further.