Another Newbie Question - Broadband and Network set up

Thanks for helping with my questions last week for my boyfriend!

Onto this week's quiz...

This is for my own network setup, but I'm new to all of this so any pointers
would be appreciated. Is the following possible?

I'd like 1 and 2 to share files, printer, scanner etc. (but not with 3) - and
all 3 to share Freeserve ADSL broadband connection:

1. Desktop (main PC with XP pro)

2. Laptop (XP home)

3. Desktop (Windows 98 I think - might be 95 though)

Is it possible to wire 1 and 3, but have 2 as wireless? I realise this is a
really simple question, but I'm really at the basic end of networking!

I saw some links in one of the groups for "Ebuyer ADSL 4 Port 11mbps Wireless
Router" - would this do the job? Or anything else you'd recommend?

If you can excuse my blatant ignorance and help, then thanks very much )

Laura

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 21:04:40 +0100, "Laura P"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>I'd like 1 and 2 to share files, printer, scanner etc. (but not with 3) - and
>all 3 to share Freeserve ADSL broadband connection:

only install MS Networking stuff on 1 and 2 and use password
protection on shared services to keep 3 out

>1. Desktop (main PC with XP pro)
>2. Laptop (XP home)
>3. Desktop (Windows 98 I think - might be 95 though)
>
>Is it possible to wire 1 and 3, but have 2 as wireless? I realise this is a
>really simple question, but I'm really at the basic end of networking!

wired and wireless networks are all part of the same ethernet
connection so yes

>I saw some links in one of the groups for "Ebuyer ADSL 4 Port 11mbps Wireless
>Router" - would this do the job? Or anything else you'd recommend?

it'll do it, or any other combined ADSL modem/router/wireless device
like a Belkin or Netgear "all in one"

Phil
--
spamcop.net address commissioned 18/06/04
Come on down !

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 21:04:40 +0100, "Laura P"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>This is for my own network setup, but I'm new to all of this so any pointers
>would be appreciated. Is the following possible?
>
>I'd like 1 and 2 to share files, printer, scanner etc. (but not with 3) - and
>all 3 to share Freeserve ADSL broadband connection:
>
>1. Desktop (main PC with XP pro)
>
>2. Laptop (XP home)
>
>3. Desktop (Windows 98 I think - might be 95 though)
>
>Is it possible to wire 1 and 3, but have 2 as wireless? I realise this is a
>really simple question, but I'm really at the basic end of networking!
>
>I saw some links in one of the groups for "Ebuyer ADSL 4 Port 11mbps Wireless
>Router" - would this do the job? Or anything else you'd recommend?
>
>If you can excuse my blatant ignorance and help, then thanks very much )

No worries about the "ignorance" as everyone has to start somewhere
and I've not had a wireless set up that long either.

It does seem like the wireless ADSL router is going to be the answer
for you. I personally prefer to stay away from non-branded items, but
I am sure they are perfectly capable and the one you mention appears
to have good ratings from people that have bought it.

If you want to connect 2 and 1 I would suggest treating 1 as a server.
XP Pro is perfectly capable of creating user accounts with varying
permission, setting up network shares etc. My own set up is very like
this. My laptop has all the relevent software installed but none of
my files - they are all stored on the "server". When I use the laptop
on the network I merely work from the server - it also makes backups
much easier to perform. You would need to remember to copy the files
locally if you taking the laptop away though.

Of course the server would need to be switched on for you access files
on it, but the internet would always be available. You can also get a
little LAN print adaptor to plug into a cabled ethernet port on the
switch and print to the printer via that - the advantage being that
this also will then bypass the server.

If you want to use this approach it is best to set up proper security
on the shared files (especially as you do not want box 3 to have
access to any network shares). To do this you would need to disable
simple file sharing in XP-P. In Windows Explorer, go to tools, folder
options, view tab, use simple file sharing - make sure this is NOT
ticked. You should now have full access to the security of files and
folders by right clicking on them (there should now be a "security"
tab). Have a play around, it is mostly fairly obvious what to do but
for anything which is less obvious you can always ask here :-)

As long as the Win98 [3] machine is not figured with the correct
security parameters to access the server machine [1] it will not be
able to share its resources. Make sure, however, that the laptop [2]
IS configured with a matching username and password so it CAN access
the server [1].

This may sound complicated but it is a very powerful way of dealing
with your requirements. You can customise your permissions to the Nth
degree allowing other users to have as much or as little control as
you see fit to give them.

"Simon Pleasants" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 21:04:40 +0100, "Laura P"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >This is for my own network setup, but I'm new to all of this so any
pointers
> >would be appreciated. Is the following possible?
> >
> >I'd like 1 and 2 to share files, printer, scanner etc. (but not with 3) -
and
> >all 3 to share Freeserve ADSL broadband connection:
> >
> >1. Desktop (main PC with XP pro)
> >
> >2. Laptop (XP home)
> >
> >3. Desktop (Windows 98 I think - might be 95 though)

You're fortunate that 1 has XP Pro and not XP Home. For some reason known
only to themselves, Microsoft removed the concept of share-level security
from XP Home, when it was in Win 9x. With Win 9x you could share a device
(drive or printer) but assign a password to it - you could even have one
password that only allowed read access and another that allowed read+write.
You can't do this with XP Home: if you share a drive, it's accessible to
everyone: the only control you have is that you can allow everyone
read+write or everyone read-only access. It's a crying shame that the
share-level security feature of XP Pro wasn't included in XP Home, with just
user-level being confined to XP Pro.

Thanks for the replies - they all help )

Laura