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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> wireless computer help please
        
(Message started by: invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 4:21pm)

Title: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 4:21pm

hi, i decided to buy myself a new laptop in the jan sales... and my mrs's daughter got one for xmas too... so from being a single desktop home, we are now 3 computer home. ;D

So to help everyone out, i bought a wireless router, and thats wheere my problems started....

I have managed to configure all the computers to use the internet, no problems. So i thought i would nave a go at file sharing, and thats where my problems start!

I have disabled windows firewall on all 3 comps, as directed, but i cant see the other computers, when i search for them?

Does anyone know of a website that does an idiots guide, or are there any experts here?

All help is appreciated, and file sharing is new to me, however, i have had some "helpful" suggestions from some friends, which have put me round in circles... so im sorry to say this, if you dont know.. please dont answer, for the sake of my sanity!! i have been doing this for 2 days now!! >:(

thanks,

donnie

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by martin_rowe on Jan 5^th, 2006, 4:45pm

All units must have network cards in and be switched on, as far as I know.

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by kskjon on Jan 5^th, 2006, 4:57pm

windows xp?

have you done the networking wizard on all computers?

This article wasn't half bad:
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

But I did find some wrong statements (although nothing serious, for most people).

The part that hidden shares are hidden for everybody, isn't true. They're only hidden from windows computers :-)
And you don't need to map them as a network drive to access them, typing \\computername\hiddensharename$ will do the trick.
(but as I said, this is nothing the regular user would need to be concerned about ;-))

Edit:

It would also be a good idea to make sure that all computers are in the same workgroup.

To set or change workgroup/domain names in Windows XP, right-click on My Computer or open the System icon in Control Panel, then choose the Computer Name tab and finally, click the Change... button to access the workgroup/domain name fields.

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by Octavian_P on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:05pm

Also for the computers to connect and share files be sure that they have the same IP class like 192.168.1.1 the next should have 192.168.1.2 and so on untill 192.168.1.255. If one has something la 80.96.128.5 it will not see the rest. Also all the computers must share the same workgrup (it is something like MSHOME or WORKGROUP).

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by kskjon on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:08pm

on 01/05/06 at 16:21:07, invernessguy wrote:

I have managed to configure all the computers to use the internet, no problems.

I think that pretty much proves that all computers are in the same IP range and on the same subnet ;-)

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:13pm

thanks guys, the problem i seem to be having, is this..

I can see all computers are connected wirelessly to the router, by going into the router settings 192.168.0.1

when i try to ping the other computers, it times out, so i have probably not set up the network properly.. any ideas?

I have enabled tcp/ip on all, disabled all the firewalls, renamed all the computers with the same network name, and named them all individually...

what else do i have to do?

donnie

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:15pm

all have the same workgroup name,

router 192.168.0.1

laptop1 192.168.0.2

desktop 192.168.0.3

laptop2 192.168.0.4

it should be straightforward, but its not?

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:18pm

both laptops are running xp home, and the desktop, (that i want to share the files from) is xp pro

all are wirelessly connected,and all have got excellent signal strength

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by Octavian_P on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:32pm

Can you ping the router form any of the computers ?

PS: what brand of router do you have ?

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:35pm

all 3 computers can ping the router

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 5:36pm

sorry, its a netgear dg834gt

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by kskjon on Jan 5^th, 2006, 6:27pm

on 01/05/06 at 17:13:17, invernessguy wrote:

when i try to ping the other computers, it times out

That usually happens when a firewall is filtering the connection, but you have disabled all firewalls you say.

As long as all the computers are set up to use dhcp (automatically assign ip blablabla), and the router is set up to be a dhcp server, the ip/subnet-problem shouldn't be a concern either.

Is DHCP enabled in the router and on the computers?
If yes, are you SURE windows firewall is disabled on all computers? ;-)
Are there any other firewall-software installed? Norton Internet Security/Zone Alarm/McAfee (whatever they call their firewall)/and so on?
Many antivirus-softwares has a firewall bundled.

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 5^th, 2006, 6:41pm

thanks for your thoughts, i have now succeeded in getting one laptop to talk to another... everything pings everything else, but still have a problem with seeing the desktop in network connections... where all the music and files i want to share are!!

anyway, i have to leave it now, i must go to work!

thanks for all the help so far, im sure i can sort it out with a bit more jiggling

any more thoughts will be appreciated, i will post again when i get time tomorrow

thanks,

donnie

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by Eric_R on Jan 9^th, 2006, 3:28pm

IG,
Have you changed the folder properties to 'Share' ?

Go to My Computer on the computer that has the files to share. Click on C:\
Then click through the folders until you get to the folder that has the files to share with others.
Then right-button click and click on Sharing/Security on the drop down box.
Click the Sharing button on and name the Folder - keep the same name is easier.
Then click Apply and you should see the folder name now has a hand icon underneath the folder icon, showing that it is shared.
Repeat this for any other folders you want to share with other computers.

BTW, you shouldn't need to turn off the firewall on any of the systems in order to connect. It's best to turn these on, otherwise you'll be very vulnerable to attack. Switch the Firewall back on all the computers.
Run the Lan Wizard on the main computer, prepare the setup disk (using a floppy or USB memory stick) and run this setup disk on the other laptops, powerdown all of them and up again and it should connect ok.

HTH

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by Octavian_P on Jan 9^th, 2006, 3:50pm

Also if you use wirless networking be sure to enable WEP encryption or WEP-PSK just to keep "not wanted 300 meters range neibghors" out

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by hepburn on Jan 9^th, 2006, 10:57pm

Not forgetting mac address filtering as another way of preventing unwanted visitors from using your resources!

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by leftofcentre on Jan 10^th, 2006, 10:11pm

Now that you have a Laptop mate you will be getting an OBD 2 soon? :P

Title: Re: wireless computer help please
Post by invernessguy on Jan 12^th, 2006, 8:21pm

thanks for all your help guys, i have been away for a few days... first of al, i still have not got it sorted out yet.. i wont have time to play with it all till after the weekend.

Yes andy, i intend to get obd sorted out soon. not just for the scorpio, but all cars if possible. I will message you when i get it all sorted out,

donie