Wireless Network with just Router possible?

innisfree

We're trying to set this up at home, though none of us know anything about stuff like this, so any advice would be great.

Basically, we have a desktop pc, a laptop with a wireless card and a Netgear DG834G modem/router/access point/firewall.

We have the laptop connected to the router wirelessly, and the desktop through a cable ethernet wire. Both can get the internet fine from it, but what we want is for them to be able to see files and folders from eachothers computers.

I don't know if this is possible, but it seems so in theory. Since the router is counted as part of the network, no? and could be a bridging point for anything sent between the two computers. I can even ping the laptop from the desktop (but not the other way around for some reason).
Anything I try as far as 'home network setup' or browsing in the 'my network places' does nothing. Any wizards in XP (which they are both running) doesn't help.

Ideas?

voxpop

its possible, you can share out folders and drives on each windows computer and should be able to see them from the other windows machines - you have to make sure all the machines are on the same network

ie
ip address for machine 1 = 10.1.1.1
ip address for machine 2 = 10.1.1.2
ip address for machine 3 = 10.1.1.3

the subnet for the 3 machines should be 255.255.255.0

this means your 3 machines are on the 10.1.1.0 network


One thing to watch - make sure you have the firewalling software on your netgear router setup correctly - otherwise you could end up with shares that are visible to anyone on the internet!

innisfree

They do have different IP addresses, yep. the Router ends in xxx.xxx.0.1, the desktop 0.2 and the laptop 0.3

Firewall software is set up fine, yep, there's some mention of that beside an option that could expose network to internet.

Is it because I have set the TCP/IP settings to automatic for both IP address and DNS? The router instructions said to do so, so I haven't put a subnet address in anywhere manually. The router says the LAN is set up to 255.255.255.0

voxpop

sounds ok for shareing

on one maching right-click on a folder and choosing sharing - share out that folder

on another machine on the network - go to run and type

\\ip address of computer with shared folder\sharename

you should get to that machine

innisfree

I've done all the folder sharing thing, so that's ok.
As far as connecting to a shared folder... if on the laptop I saved a folder on the disk called 'shared' and so it was c:\shared, would I then on the desktop try and connect to \\IPaddress of laptop\shared ,or would the C drive come in the address somewhere? I've tried this before and it wouldn't work.

One thing I've noticed on the router stats page is that when it lists all the computers attached to it, it lists IP's ok, but only shows the Laptops name (that you see when you go to system properties). The desktop is shown up as 'unknown' even though it also has a name set up in the properties. The fact that it shows up with an IP address assigned to it though makes me wonder if it's all that big a problem.

innisfree

Got it working, cheers

vibe666

the other thing to watch out for is that both machines have passwords on the user accounts (can make things easier if they are both the same user/pass for both) or windows won't let them 'see' each other. it's quite a common mistake to overlook when you're first setting things up at home.

innisfree

Interesting, ok, because I have a password for my user name on this (the desktop) and the laptop can't see this computer. Though I succesfully just set up a shared folder on the laptop that this can see.
I'd really like this to work the other way around also because then we could share the printer.

jank

what OS id the laptop and PC

if one is a mac and the other is windows then is no can do (i think!)
but if they are both mac or windows then it should work make sure you have files set up for shareing once sharing is enabled

edit oops my bad their both xp

not sure if you can share a printer
i think the printer has to be set up to the network too (ie it cant be plugged in locally on a computer it has to be on the network!)

what your doing seems grand, its probably something very small you overlooked

try and troubleshoot one computer first and then work on the other

Capt'n Midnight

If both can get internet then your TCP/IP setup is ok - no need to change it.

Next XP has built in firewalls which cause lots of problems with sharing - and if you turn them off you get other types of problems - eg disable the firewall on bothe pc's for testing and then turn on again ASAP. This way you can rule it in / out.

Also you can connect to a machine by
Start - Run - \\192.168.0.1
(or appropiate IP address)
ie. you don't need names
then you can play with usernames / passwords.

LoLth

For the printer:

install it locally on one PC and once installed go to start>>control panel>>printers and faxes>> right click on the name of the printer and select properties from the list >> go to the sharing tab >> select the pritner to be shared (edit any permissions you want but by default it will allow all users).

on the other PC, go to start >> control panel >> printers >> double click ADD printer >> select Network Printer and continue the install.

This should allow both machines to Print AS LONG AS the pc directly connected to the printer is switched on.

innisfree

Thanks everyone.

I just realised it may be something to do with the Norton Firewall I have on this machine, so I'll play with that a bit.
The advice about the printer is true. I know that if I can get the laptop to see this computer, it'll be able to connect to the printer that's attached here through sharing it.

innisfree

It was the Norton firewall thingy. Everything works fine now.