In this situation, you can't use a hub.
If you have DHCP on your winXP and your Linux, you will get an IP conflict.
Two computers can not share the same IP.
The easiest setup for a home network is:
Cable Modem <---> Linux <---> winXP
Or
Cable Modem <---> Linux <---> Hub <---> winXP
In both cases, the Linux computer has two network cards
and is acting as a router and firewall.
To set up, take a look at this thread.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=82005