3 wireless devices- no LAN?

I need some help. I recently bought a Blitzz, wireless USB adapter for my
laptop and a wireless router. Through my laptop I can connect through
"Wireless Connection 2," and "Wireless Connection" seems to work, even though
I don't know what I am connecting to. But the "Local Area Connection" says
that a network cable is unplugged. I have no idea what this is about, but
all I want to do is to be able to connect to my other computer to access
files, and to share the printer. I have run the Home Networking wisard many
times on both computers, but it doesn't seem to do anything but create a
network bridge. Can someone please help me connect to my other computer?
Thanks!!

"Erika" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:556623CF-D3CE-4F37-807E-(E-Mail Removed)...
> I need some help. I recently bought a Blitzz, wireless USB adapter for my
> laptop and a wireless router. Through my laptop I can connect through
> "Wireless Connection 2," and "Wireless Connection" seems to work, even
though
> I don't know what I am connecting to.

So ---- do you get internet access with these connections ?

> But the "Local Area Connection" says
> that a network cable is unplugged.

Is that on the laptop or the desktop or both ?

I have no idea what this is about, but
> all I want to do is to be able to connect to my other computer to access
> files, and to share the printer. I have run the Home Networking wisard
many
> times on both computers, but it doesn't seem to do anything but create a
> network bridge. Can someone please help me connect to my other computer?
> Thanks!!

I think we might need abit more info .


Does your setup go like this ?

laptop with wireless usb in it.
Wireless router with wired ports too, one of which is connected to
Desktop with internal wired network card ?

Or is it

Laptop with wireless usb.
wireless router
Desktop with wireless usb / wireless network card too ?

network bridges are only necessary if you've got more than one network
adapter that you're using - card, usb, whatever - in the same machine. If
you've only got one that you want to use and the home networking wizard
bridges these other adpaters (which it will do by default as I understand
it) then the network may not fuction and you'll get the "unplugged" message.
Sounds like you might be having more than one adapter in your machines that
windows wizard thinks should be networked and bridged together- and of
course if you don't know this and have no cables plugged into these sockets,
the network won't function (because a bridge means all the adapters "daisy
chain" together and therefore must all be working for the whole thing to
work) and it'll correctly say "unplugged".

For example, I've got a laptop with infrared built in and a wired network
socket built in but I don't use them for networking - I just want to use my
wireless card for that. But when I run the network wizard, it will bridge
all these (unused and disabled) items of hardware if I don't tell it not to
because it recognises them as possible candidates for network access. It
doesn't know you don't want to use 'em unless you tell it. You have to tell
it not to use the other stuff when it says "your computer has multiple
network adapters" and that it can bridge these if you want it to. You then
get the option to "let windows determine which networks adapters are for
your network" and it tells you it's reccomended to let windows choose this
for you - it's isn't in this case (cos it will bridge the whole lot and you
don't want that). Or you get the option to choose your own network adapter
to use - you should click that radio button, then on the next screen choose
the appopriate adapter for your machine (the wireless one for your lappy and
whatever one it is you're using for your desktop, obviously). Then let it do
it's thing.

I am remember those wizard prompts from memory so they might not be those
exact words that it will use but you should get the idea.



Does that sound as if it might be relevant to you ? If it is and I'm not
making it clear (often I don't !) then just holler. If it doesn't sound like
it's relevant to you then perhaps we need abit more info to go on to help
you.

Also, as it stand at the moment, do you see any other computers in your
network ? Which OS are you running ? XP I suspect ? If you go to "my network
places" do you see anything - and then if you go over to the left and click
"view workgroup computers" do you see anything there or nothing at all ?


Rachael

Sorry, I know I can't explain things very well. I sort of get what you are
saying but I am a but confused. My wireless connection and wireless
connection 2 are connecting to the internet. The only problem is that my
other comupter is not on network places, and I cannot print on my printer
that is connected to to it. Running the Networking wizard, just bridged the
connections and doesn't do anything else. That's basically it. Is there an
easy solution to this? I have a wireless router connected to my PC, and a USB
adapter connected to my laptop.

"Erika" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:C7EAE7C2-0FE8-4958-8C41-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Sorry, I know I can't explain things very well. I sort of get what you
are
> saying but I am a but confused. My wireless connection and wireless
> connection 2 are connecting to the internet.

The only problem is that my
> other comupter is not on network places, and I cannot print on my printer
> that is connected to to it. Running the Networking wizard, just bridged
the
> connections and doesn't do anything else. That's basically it. Is there
an
> easy solution to this?

Yup - we just have to know what the problem is in order to fix it. :-) If
you can answer my all questions I'm sure soon enough it will all become
clear. All the things I metnion in the questions could be the problem so we
have to know them all.

I have a wireless router connected to my PC, and a USB
> adapter connected to my laptop.

Ok , first of all, what version of windows are you running on the latop and
the desktop ?

If you go to control panel and network connections on the laptop, what
icons are listed and do any of them have a red x against them ? And the same
for the deskop. If there is a network bridge in there, on which computer is
it and what does it say it is bridging if you right clcik on it and get the
properties ?

If you go to "view network computers" (not "network places" - in xp "view
network computers" is down on the left hand side in network places) your
other pc isn't in there, right ? Is this in both desktop and laptop - i.e.
in latop you can't see desktop and in desktop you can't see laptop ?

This sounds like the computers are not in the same "workgroup". They have to
be in order to see each other. Or it sounds like you might have a firewall
running on one of them which is preventing them from seeing each other. Do
you have something like zone alarm installed ? Or another firewall ? On
which pc ? Though I suspect cos you have a "connection unplugged" message
it's because of that.

Which machine says "network connection unplugged" ?

Lots of questions but bear with me !


Rachael

Thanks so much for your help! I am running Windows XP on both computer.
In the control panel and network connection on the laptop the icons are:

- Wireless Connection
- Wireless Connection 2
- Local Area Connection (this is the only one with the red X and says that a
Network Cable is unplugged)

The icons on the desktop are:
- Local Area Connection

No computer has a network bridge.

Yes, in the laptop, under network computers my desktop is not there, and the
same with my desktop, the laptop is not there.

Yes I have Zone Alam installed!! Could that be it?

Thanks again!
-Erika