jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

Ok sit down with a cup of tea for this one.

At home I have a desktop pc running xp home with all latest updates etc which has wireless access to a modem/wireless router.
I have just got a laptop which has got xp pro on it again with all updates and I will be getting a wireless pcmia or whatever they are so I can also use this to connect to the router wirelessly

My question is can I set up the desktop and laptop so that they can see each other and share files etc, and also share a printer (the printer is connected via usb to the desktop)
If so would this mean that they would be connected wirelessly directly (without the router) to each other, or can it be done through the router so to speak.

At the moment the machines have ip addresses of say 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2, (laptop currently connected by network cable until i get my wireless card for it) these are allocated from the router

Will the 2 machines connect to each other through the router or will it connect directly to the other machine?
If the 2 machines connect directly wirelessly without the router I imagine xp will allocate different ip address (usually in the 169.*.*.* range) so therefore this would then stop my internet access right?

If they can connect directly through the router, would there be any kind of configuration changes that I need to make to the routers settings?

Hope its clear
Thanks for any help

mike1210

you can do it either way, computer to computer using ad-hoc method, or via the router. the router will assign addresses (typically 192.168.xxx.xxx) to the computers. Id go for the router option and share files that way. More diverse and both PC's can access the net without the other one having to be on.. From the sound of it, this is your current config anyway so stick with that.

make sure computers on the same workgroup (they should be unless its been changed)

to share the printer:

connect from one computer to the computer that has the printer connected using start > run > type in \\computername

this should display the printer (provided its been shared), right click on the printer and click connect

mattbeef

Go via the router it will solve all sorts of problems later on if you get another machine or want to add something else to the network

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

cheers lads, will have a play about tonight then

Gillp95

As Mike said,

The same goes for sharing files. Create a share on the main computer, then connect to that share from the other computer via start, run, \\computername
This will bring up the shared printer and any folders you have shared out as well.
Create a share using windows explorer. Right click on the folder you want to share, then just select the share option from the dropdown list.