Serious networking help needed

I am in serious need of networking help. I'm sorry if this is long but I'll try to get everything in for better chances of good help. I have tried many places and forums and not one has been able to help as of yet. I know absolutely nothing about networking so I hope I give enough information that someone might be able to help me out.

I will start with what equipment I have to work with. Computer 1: running Windows Server 2003 ( birthday gift ) and tcp/ip for the workgroup named HOME. Computer 2: running Windows 2000 Server SP4 and netbeui (originally tcp/ip but we were told to use netbeui because we couldn't see the computer on the network) for the workgroup named HOME. The reason netbeui is not on my system is, well basically it isn't anywhere on my CD to install it and I've received many opinions that I shouldn't use it on this new system and it isn't supported. Placing the Win2k Server back onto tcp/ip, we cannot get either computer to see itself or the other on the network. All we get is an error message (after a really long wait--almost 2 minutes sometimes) stating that "the list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available"

Now onto the rest of the equipment. We have an ISP that gives us 3 ips with our account. Per their instructions, we got a hub so both can get onto the internet. The hub they sold us is a Linksys 5-port Workgroup Hub. They told us to just plug in the cable modem and our computers and they would both have our own ip address and could work independently without 'splitting' our up/down time. Everything works wonderfully there, so no complaints. Now that is about all the help they gave us. They offer no help own setting up a home network

OK, on to the point of my question. I want a simple home network so these 2 computers can access each other mainly for files. There is no real issue about computer security between them because they are sitting right next to each other (mine & my husbands) and we know that we don't have viruses to give each other. The security issue would lie on how/if internet uses can access our computers, that obviously I don't want to allow. My hopes are that this is possible to do with the hub and keep it so we both can have our own ip addy and keep the full capabilities of our ISP. The only advice I've received on this is to either get a router or use netbeui. The latter I can't because I can't install it on the Win2k3 system and the router I cannot afford at this time.

I am looking for anything that will help me get up & going, whether it be a solution to using the hub or setting up a domain instead of using a workgroup or whatever. I don't know if it helps, but I also have a 3rd network adapter not installed on either computer just in case we needed it. I am getting extremely frustrated with trying to get this network setup and sending files over yahoo is getting annoying since it connects and sends so slow.

In summary: I would love to get 2 computers basically almost full access to each other while each working the internet & programs completely independently (i.e. no scripts so if one is shut off the other doesn't work, which was also another recent opinion). Thanks to anyone who takes the time to sort through my ramblings here and tries to help

First thing, since both your computers are directly connected to the internet please make sure you have current antivirus, that your windows updates are always current, and that you're running firewall software in both computers.

I assume the two IP's you're using are in the same subnet, and if so all you need to do is to put both computers in the same workgroup and run the networking wizard to set up the sharing.

Umm, having been using an internet since late 1980's I am very well aware of the dangers that are out there. Yes they are both very very secure from the internet so yes of course I do have firewalls and antivirus running...that is not the issue. The issue is they are both in the same workgroup, have unique names in the workgroup, and are in the same subnet yet neither can see the other or even itself on the network.

Can you ping one from the other by IP?