Networking Help

Hi All

I know this probably isn't a router/modem issue, but can somebody assist me
on networking 6 or 7 WinXP machines, which are using safecom USB wireless
adaptors to connect to a safecom 125mbs 4 port ADSL modem/router.

Because the print server part of it doesn't support my HP2550 printer, I've
plugged this USB printer into a WinXP machine and shared this printer
through this PC. This PC is actually hard wired to the router so all that
is fine, but I need to get the other PCs (laptops actually) to see this
printer.

They are all set on simple networking and I used the networking wizard to
set them up so that the printer is shared.

I then went to Add Printer on the machines, let it browse and prayed for it
to see the HP printer. I''m also setting up a shared docs on each machine,
but this is not vitally important. The printer sharing is paramount though.

I've just done the same 'setup a home/office network' wizard on each
machine, but the shared docs and printer seem to be intermittanly
'appearing' as I search on each machine.

For example, the first laptop I setup saw the shared docs on the 'printer'
pc, but not the printer. The 2nd laptop saw the printer, but not the shared
docs and so on. I just done understand the erratic behaviour of it. When I
restarted the 2nd laptop and left it a while it then showed the shared docs.

Is there a belts and braces way to get each machine to see the printer and
shared docs? Does anybody have a guide/checklist I could use?

When I finish the network wizard, it says that I could create a network disk
and so on, but I don't really need to do this do I?

Thanks

Laphan

Speculations;

You didn't specify the version but in case it is relevent, as I understand
it WinXP Home Edition is limited to 5 nodes on a LAN. Someone will correct
me I'm sure if I'm mistaken about that. Any 5 of your 7 computers could be
connected on the LAN at one time, the others able to connect only when
another node disconnects.

Another possibility is that the router's bandwidth isn't adequate to support
7 wireless connections. I've read some suggestion that 5 is a practical
limit for a wireless router. Same scenario as above except we don't know how
many simultaneous wireless connections are optimal for the router.



"Laphan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All
>
> I know this probably isn't a router/modem issue, but can somebody assist
> me
> on networking 6 or 7 WinXP machines, which are using safecom USB wireless
> adaptors to connect to a safecom 125mbs 4 port ADSL modem/router.
>
> Because the print server part of it doesn't support my HP2550 printer,
> I've
> plugged this USB printer into a WinXP machine and shared this printer
> through this PC. This PC is actually hard wired to the router so all that
> is fine, but I need to get the other PCs (laptops actually) to see this
> printer.
>
> They are all set on simple networking and I used the networking wizard to
> set them up so that the printer is shared.
>
> I then went to Add Printer on the machines, let it browse and prayed for
> it
> to see the HP printer. I''m also setting up a shared docs on each
> machine,
> but this is not vitally important. The printer sharing is paramount
> though.
>
> I've just done the same 'setup a home/office network' wizard on each
> machine, but the shared docs and printer seem to be intermittanly
> 'appearing' as I search on each machine.
>
> For example, the first laptop I setup saw the shared docs on the 'printer'
> pc, but not the printer. The 2nd laptop saw the printer, but not the
> shared
> docs and so on. I just done understand the erratic behaviour of it. When
> I
> restarted the 2nd laptop and left it a while it then showed the shared
> docs.
>
> Is there a belts and braces way to get each machine to see the printer and
> shared docs? Does anybody have a guide/checklist I could use?
>
> When I finish the network wizard, it says that I could create a network
> disk
> and so on, but I don't really need to do this do I?
>
> Thanks
>
> Laphan
>
>