Itsme

Sorry, I am about to show my stupidity...

I have a Linksys Router connected to RoadRunner.

I have the router connected to two computers, both running XP

I have run the Setting Up A Network Wizard on each computer.

This obviously has not created a Home Netowrk because when I am one computer I can not "see" the other computer.

In reading some instructions online it says I also have to load my Windows XP CD to set up the network. Both computers came with XP installed, and no extra disk of XP.

Does this mean I can not then set up a Home Network.

Help appreciated.

Thanks

Itsme

Boy, old age has really set in. I just found that I did get an XP disk with my desktop (4 years ago). Now I can use that to try and install the network.

Itsme

Well, I give up (for today anyway).

I ran the Network Wizard...it told me (when) to insert the XP CD.

I inserted the CD, selected "Set up a network" and it just restarted the Network Wizard routine.

All you do is go in a circle...no network is set-up that I see.

I am an electronic engineer, so you'd think I could do it. Well, either I'm too stupid, or the instructions are wrong, or both.

brainsmile

you have to make sure the network on both computers is named the same and that you are allowing for file sharing

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Markel

The cable modem should connect to the uplink/wan port of the router. Other computers plug into other ports on the router. Thinks work pretty straitforward from there. If you have a setup CD for the router, it will help you get into the configuration for the router.

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Itsme

I have been using the router with both computers for many years. It was only today that I thought I would actually officially network them so that I could share files and printers.

So, I have had the router configured that way. Do I now need to change the configuration of the router to be able to share files and printers?

Thanks.

brainsmile

you should set up logmein.com and then one of use could try to set it up for you remotely.

Jeffbx

Do you have a software firewall running on your PCs? If so, you'll have to explicitly allow the machines to see each other, or they'll just block the connection attempts.

Itsme

Thanks for the suggestion...

On my Windows Fireware exceptions list I have File and Pinter Sharing selected.

mcs328

I have the same problem. Like itsme I just never gotten around to getting it to work. Same workgroup name and sharing a printer that never actually gets shared.

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zero2dash

XP is more testy on setting up networks IME; dunno why. (Win2k was no-frills, hassle free for me.)

All you need to do is pretty much everything that everyone else has said:

1) Make sure both computers have "File & Printer Sharing" enabled in Windows Firewall as allowed exceptions.

2) Both computers have to be on the same named domain and both have to have different computer names on the network; to check this, go to the "Computer Name" tab under the System Properties (right click on My Computer and go to Properties). For example, if both are running XP Home, the domain will be named "MSHOME", and if you're running XP Pro, the domain will be named "WORKGROUP".

3) You'll have to then share folders/drives, so choose the drive/folder you want to share and then right click on it and view the properties. Go under Sharing, choose to share the folder; it'll warn you about sharing without running the setup wizard, to which you can click "enable it anyway". It will then put a hand icon under the drive/folder and be 'shared'.

***My experience has been that the Network Setup Wizard does more harm than good; I never run it now because the times I have ran it in the past, it has caused my network to stop working.*** (both wired and wireless networks)

4) The easiest way to view shared drives/folders is to go to My Network Places; if nothing pops up under there (sometimes they don't), choose to View Networked Computers and they should both pop up, then you can double click on the one you want to access and it will then list the shared drives/folders on that computer. Usually after you access a shared network drive/folder once, it'll put a shortcut under My Network Places.

mcs328

http://www.conniq.com/WinXPNetworkin...connection.htm

This might be helpful to some folks, just not me. I bought a crossover ethernet cable and I could not get it to work on two machines with XP. It's maddening.

I just ended up using an external HD which was much easier except the older computer that had XP Home edition only had USB 1.1 ports. That took 4 hours to copy files over. Took less than 10 minutes over usb2.0 to the new computer.