Prev: wireless connection full strength but cant access internet
Next: Home network problem
From: Ablang on 1 Jan 2010 19:55
http://computershopper.com/networking/howto/network-your-computers

Help & How-To
Weekend Project:
Network Your Computers
By Denny Atkin

You can share files with other computers in your home via e-mail or by
carting your data around on a USB flash drive, but it's inconvenient,
especially when you want to share a folder containing a couple of
hundred vacation photos that are each several megabytes in size. By
networking your PCs together, however, you can share entire folders of
files, directly access files on another PC, or drag and drop files
between computers.



Choose your connection hardware
Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router
Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router

Depending on whether you're connecting desktops or laptops, and how
close they'll be, you can opt for a wired or wireless connection.
Wired connections offer the best speed—up to 1 gigabit of data per
second—and the least expensive setup. Wireless (or Wi-Fi) connections
are slower (rated at 54 to 300 megabits per second, depending on
whether you're using an 802.11g or 802.11n network), cost slightly
more to set up, and require you to configure security correctly to
protect your network. With a wireless network, you can roam around the
house with your laptop, or connect two desktops without stringing
wires across the carpet.

Whichever connection you choose, you'll want a router. You don't
absolutely have to have one—you can connect two PCs directly by using
a special "crossover" Ethernet cable—but a router makes network setup
much easier by handling technical details such as assigning the
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that networked computers use to
communicate with each other. Routers also let you use the network to
share an Internet connection, and many add hardware firewalls, which
help protect your PCs against Internet hacks. Even if you plan to use
a wired connection, the price difference is small enough that you
might consider a wireless router to give you more flexibility in the
future. The Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G is a popular router that's
commonly available for less than $50; it features four wired ports and
802.11g wireless connectivity.
In addition to a router, you'll need an Ethernet (or Cat-5) cable for
each computer you plan on connecting to the router. Nearly all modern
desktops and laptops include a built-in wired Ethernet adapter, so
you're unlikely to need a network card for a wired connection. For a
wireless connection, most laptops have a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, and
desktop owners can find inexpensive internal PCI cards or external USB
Wi-Fi adapters. Choose a router that uses the same Wi-Fi standard
(usually 802.11g or the faster 802.11n) for ease of connection and
best performance.

Connect your computers

For each computer you connect to the router using a wired connection,
turn off the PC, plug the Cat-5 cable into the Ethernet port on the
back, and plug the other end of the cable into the back of the router
(typically, into a port marked "LAN"). If you're also connecting a
cable or DSL modem to the router, plug its Cat-5 cable into the port
on the router marked "WAN."

Setting up wireless connections is a bit more complex; you'll need to
follow the instructions included with your router and your wireless
network card for specifics. In a nutshell, when you set up the
router's wireless feature, you'll choose a name for your wireless
network, called a Service Set Identifier (SSID). You'll also want to
enable encryption to keep your files private and prevent neighbors
from borrowing your bandwidth. Unless you're using older network
hardware that doesn't support these standards, choose Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA) or WPA-2, as they're much more secure than the older
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) standard. Once the router is set up,
you can browse for your new wireless network on your PC, usually by
right-clicking the network icon in the Windows Taskbar and choosing
"Connect to a network."
Activate file sharing
Make sure the Computer Name is one you can easily remember and type,
and that the Workgroup name is identical on all your computers.
Make sure the Computer Name is one you can easily remember and type,
and that the Workgroup name is identical on all your computers.

After performing step 2, your computers should be connected to the
network, but we still need to activate file sharing in Windows.

To share files between computers, you'll need to know the network
"name" for each of your computers. To view the names, click Start,
then right-click Computer (or My Computer in Windows XP). In Vista,
you'll see the Computer Name listed in the System control panel window
that pops up. (In XP, click the Computer Name tab.) You can change the
name from this window if you wish; you might want to change it to
something more memorable if it was originally set by your computer
manufacturer. Also, take note of the Workgroup name—it must be the
same on both computers. If not, use the Change Settings option and set
the Workgroup name to be identical on both PCs.

In Windows Vista, click the Start button, then click Network on the
Start menu. If file sharing isn't active yet, you'll see a bar at the
top of the window that reads "Network discovery and file sharing are
turned off. Network computers and devices are not visible. Click to
change..." Click this. You'll be asked, "Do you want to turn on
network discovery and file sharing for all public networks?" Choose
"No, make the network I'm connected to a private network" to password-
protect your files from unauthorized users. (Choosing "Yes" will open
your files up to anyone on the network.) Note that any user who wants
to access your files will need an account login and password for your
PC.

If you're still using Windows XP, open the Control Panel and double-
click the Network Setup Wizard. Answer the questions appropriately for
your setup, and when you reach the File and Printer Sharing options,
click "Turn on file and printer sharing." Complete the setup process
to activate file sharing.
Choose folders to share
Advanced Sharing lets you create a Share name, making it much easier
to find your folders on the network than with Vista's standard sharing
scheme.
Advanced Sharing lets you create a Share name, making it much easier
to find your folders on the network than with Vista's standard sharing
scheme.

Now that file and printer sharing are active, you're ready to choose
which folders you want to share with other PCs. You can make a new
folder as a repository for shared files, or share existing folders on
the network. Be careful not to share folders containing system files
or information that hasn't been backed up, particularly if you're
letting another user write to that folder.

Windows Vista introduced a new "simplified" folder-sharing scheme
designed to be easier to set up. But it's actually more complicated to
use, since it does away with the ability to create a Share Name—a
nickname for your shared folder that lets you navigate directly to it.
If you share a folder (that's nested within other folders) using
Vista's new sharing method, you end up having to navigate through
multiple levels of folders to access your files. So, we're going to
skip the "Share..." option and use Advanced Sharing instead, which
offers the more convenient XP-style Share Names.

You can give individual users the right to change shared folder
contents, while leaving the folder read-only for others.
You can give individual users the right to change shared folder
contents, while leaving the folder read-only for others.
You can give individual users the right to change shared folder
contents, while leaving the folder read-only for others.

To share a folder in Vista, right-click the folder and choose
"Properties." Click the Sharing tab > Advanced Sharing. Click "Share
this folder," and then enter a Share Name (the folder nickname
mentioned above). By default, others will be able to read—but not
change or add—files in the folder. If you want to allow write access
to the folder, click Permissions > Change to allow others to change
files in the folder, and click "Full Control" to allow all file
operations over the network. You can also assign different permissions
to different users by clicking the "Add..." button and entering the
login name of the user whose rights you want to set. Click OK to
finish. In XP, right-click the folder you want to share, choose
"Sharing and Security," and then check "Share this folder on the
network." Enter a Share Name, then check "Allow network users to
change my files" if you want to allow other users to change the files
in the folder. Click OK to share the folder.
Access your shared files
Click Network in the start menu to see all of the computers and
devices on your network; then click the PC that contains the files you
want to access.
Click Network in the start menu to see all of the computers and
devices on your network; then click the PC that contains the files you
want to access.
Clicking a computer name will let you view the shared folders on that
PC.
Clicking a computer name will let you view the shared folders on that
PC.
Once you open a network folder, you can open or copy files directly
from it.
Once you open a network folder, you can open or copy files directly
from it.

To view your shared folders in Windows Vista, click the Start button,
then click Network. You'll see a list of all of the computers and
other devices on your network. Double-click the computer containing
the folder you want to access, and you'll see a list of all of the
shared folders on it. (If it's your first time accessing folders on
that PC, you'll be prompted to enter your user name and password
first.) Double-click the folder you want to access, and it will open.
Now you can drag files to and from the folder, or launch them directly
over the network.

In Windows XP, click the Start menu, and choose My Network Places to
view shared folders. XP, however, isn't as reliable as Vista at
showing shared folders, and they may not be present, particularly the
first time you check. If this is the case, click the Start button,
click "Run," and then enter the name of the computer you want to
access, preceded by a pair of backslashes (\\mediapc, for example, if
the name is "mediapc"). Click OK, enter your username and password on
that computer if you're prompted, and you should now see a list of
shared folders.

To simplify future access to often-used shared folders, you can drag
the folder to your desktop, which will create a shortcut icon you can
use to quickly access the folder.
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: wireless connection full strength but cant access internet
Next: Home network problem