Hi Suzanne,
Well one thing is for sure, its not the drivers that are causing the issue, however I dont know what the status of the network adapter is when the kids aren't able to connect to the net? Does it say disconnected, network cable unplugged or anything like that? Im also presuming you are using a straight crossover cable to connect the two PCs rather than a hub?
I used to have the same setup myself and experienced the same issues. All I can say is to ensure that the TCP/IP settings are not set to obtain an IP address automatically, set them to something like 192.168.2.1 for your PC that connects to the net and 192.168.2.2 for the kids PC. But please make sure this is done on the network card itself rather than the connection your using. Also ensure that you switch on the PC that has the internet first, let it load up, THEN switch on the kids PC to give you the best chance of getting it hooked up first time round.
If you need any more help either post back on here or email deviousdemon@hotmail.co.uk and I will help you as much as poss. Cheers
Urban Kaos
November 2007