Davidh2497 wrote:
> I am having trouble setting up a network. I have 4 computers and a
> wireless router(wrt54g linksys). I can get internet on all computers
> with this but cannot get files and printers to share. I have run
> network wizard and wireless network wizard and followed directions to
> the letter.
This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. When you ran
the Network Setup Wizard (you don't need to run the Wireless Network
Setup Wizard), it turned on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't
running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm
Protection" (like Norton 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're
fine. If you have third-party firewall software, configure it to allow
the Local Area Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my
firewalls with an IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254.
Obviously you would substitute your correct subnet.
If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:
a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.
b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.
Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it
matters in your situation.
Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder.
If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User