WIFI home network help please

Hi all.

First can I say that I am really green at all this... But got to learn
somewhere.

I have an ADSL Wireless Router setup at home. A cable runs from that
to the ADSL socket at home and another runs to the back of the desktop
PC. A PC card sits in a laptop and connects wirelessly.

The whole thing works so far... Both machines can use the internet
regardless of the other.

What I would like to be able to do now is setup some way of sharing
files across the two machines without recourse to dumping on the
internet and then pulling back.

The desktop runs Windows XP Home (SP2), the other runs Windows 2000
SP3. I would like to avoid playing about with the laptop too much as
when I tried to change anything previously I lost the ability to log
into our works network - a major problem...

Currently both machines seem oblivious to each others existence.

Where do I begin.

I know I can set up sharing certain folders on Windows XP and have
actually enabled file sharing on the folder Shared Documents.

How do I address this folder from Windows 2000.

I really am a beginner so keep it simple please!

Thanks for any help.


Ahmose

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 10:02:10 +0000, Ahmose <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>What I would like to be able to do now is setup some way of sharing
>files across the two machines without recourse to dumping on the
>internet and then pulling back.

>
>I really am a beginner so keep it simple please!

Try this quick way - click on Start - Control Panel - System then go
to the Computer Name tab, note the name of both your computers.

Then go Start - Search and click on Computers or People and select
'Computer on Network.

In the search field pit the name of the 'other' computer, press search
and if the name of your second computer comes up just use it like an
explorer window; ie just click on it.

Geoff Lane

>>
>>I really am a beginner so keep it simple please!
>
>Try this quick way - click on Start - Control Panel - System then go
>to the Computer Name tab, note the name of both your computers.
>
>Then go Start - Search and click on Computers or People and select
>'Computer on Network.
>
>In the search field pit the name of the 'other' computer, press search
>and if the name of your second computer comes up just use it like an
>explorer window; ie just click on it.

Tried that and neither machine knows/can find the other.

They are setup on different workgroups/domains (not sure what this
means) - one is called LAPTOP and has a domain of monopoly whilst the
desktop is called DESKTOP and has a workgroup of HOME, not sure if
this makes any difference - but gut feeling is it does!

Any other ideas please? The router has a built-in firewall too, could
this be a problem?

LAPTOP is the one I really want to avoid messing up, I just want to
transfer a few files every now and again. What about FTPing?

Thanks again...

Ahmose

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 14:56:22 +0000, Ahmose <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:


>>In the search field pit the name of the 'other' computer, press search
>>and if the name of your second computer comes up just use it like an
>>explorer window; ie just click on it.
>
>Tried that and neither machine knows/can find the other.
>
>They are setup on different workgroups/domains (not sure what this
>means) - one is called LAPTOP and has a domain of monopoly whilst the
>desktop is called DESKTOP and has a workgroup of HOME, not sure if
>this makes any difference - but gut feeling is it does!
>
>Any other ideas please? The router has a built-in firewall too, could
>this be a problem?

That only monitors traffic in and out of the internet, to the best of
my knowledge it doesn't touch internal network traffic. A software
firewall like ZoneAlarm does though.
>
>LAPTOP is the one I really want to avoid messing up, I just want to
>transfer a few files every now and again. What about FTPing?

Change then the desktop's workgroup to monopoly.

Give that another try, by the way, the network sometimes takes a few
minutes to see each other so leave both computers on for a while then
give another try.

Geoff Lane

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 14:56:22 +0000, Ahmose <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>>>
>>>I really am a beginner so keep it simple please!

>>In the search field pit the name of the 'other' computer, press search
>>and if the name of your second computer comes up just use it like an
>>explorer window; ie just click on it.
>
>Tried that and neither machine knows/can find the other.

Ahmose,

try clicking on Start, My Network Places then select view workgroup
computers from the left side.

That should show you both of your computers; but change both
workgroups to the same.

Geoff Lane

Changed the name on the desktop and followed your instructions.

Now able to share and see files - Thanks Geoff....

I still have much to learn.
Ahmose

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 17:12:05 +0000, Ahmose <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Changed the name on the desktop and followed your instructions.
>
>Now able to share and see files - Thanks Geoff....
>
>I still have much to learn.
>Ahmose

Ah, networking, it's a continuous learning curve.

Sometimes when you are new and things don't go right you think you've
done something wrong but it is just the network playing up.

This is a useful group so keep reading the posts.

Geoff Lane