could never get the ethernet shield working

Using Arduino Interfacing w/ Software on the Computer
1

i have been trying on and off for several years to get the ethernet shield working but to no avail.i can never figure out how to assign the MAC code and IP address to make it work
is their an idiots guide with foolproof instructions . i can eventually figure out most arduino stuff but never this one.
the mac code shown on the shield lable says , 90-A2-DA-00-6C-93 .so do i need to this or some other random sequence ? and what is the correct IP address ? when i checked my system i get a 192.168.4.1 ,so should i use this or something similar ?

2

The MAC can be anything that isn't already used. I just used somebody else's:

byte mac[] = {0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF, 0xFE, 0xED };

You might not need the IP, but I think you can find it through windows.

ipconfig.jpg

3

i think from what i read i cant use dots between the IP address numbers gota be commas so that may be my problem