Help needed connecting 2 pc's

[vidster]

I want to connect my laptop and my tower system so i can use my printer from the laptop.
I know nothing about networking so i will need easy to follow instruction from you fine people on the forum .

Both pc's are connected to a wireless router. BT Voyager 2100.
The laptop is running xp pro and the tower is running xp home.

I tried using the network setup wizard but it all went over my head and i ended up with no internet access and a sytem restore .

Any more info needed just ask.

[snowmonkey]

BT Voyager 2100 is a 802.11g Wireless ADSL Router so that means you have internet access on both of them, right ? having the router there make the networking quite simple.
First: Make sure both computers are in the same work group.
(to check that: right click on My Computer-> property-> Computer Name->Change Button)

Then from the same TAB "Computer Name" click on Network ID and Run the Network Wizzard.....

Then go to "Start" ->Setting-> Printer and Fax -> right click on your printer name and go to property -> Sharing-> select a name for your printer.... OK and Exit out, then go to your other system (Laptop) and search the network Places-> it will find the Desktop computer , double click on it and you will see a shared printer, double click on the printer and that will install the driver for you, It may sound complected but it is not

I hope that helps

cheers

[vidster]

I sort of did everything you said snowmonkey.
I ended up running 3 wizards on the laptop. It was'nt my fault!, windows passed me from one to the other .
Now when i look in Network places i get 3 wizards and 'Entire network'.
I click on entire network and then click on Microsoft windows network. This is where i see my workgroup. When i click on my workgroup, i get a message saying i don't have permission?.

Please help!! This is driving me Miss Daisy!

[cuteperv]

Dude first I need to know which equipments you have first. Cause we have 3 networking standard and each of them are different. Pick the 1 that you currently using then follow with it
Standard 1: wireless to wireles
standard 2: wireless to a router, then router to ethernet
standard 3: ethernet to ethernet.

I think ur using the wrong standard here. Since your router is a wireless router, you only need to connect your tower to the internet by using an ethernet cord plug directly into that wireless router. Then through that wireless router, connect your laptop to it by whichever wireless standard ur using.
In order for your laptop to talk to your tower by passing through that wireless router, simply do a networking wizzard in Windows XP. Before you do this, make sure you do the following
1) Turn of all firewall
2) turn of all antivirus
3) If ur using SP2, disable all XP SP2 firewall

Now do the following:
1) Start menu/control panel/network connection
2) double click on network set up wizzard.
3) a screen comes up, click next, next again. Now this screen is confusing. XP asks u how u network your laptop, i suppose you have an integrated LAN NIC on ur laptop. Ignore it, click on the wireless card one, then check the box says "ignore disconnected ..." CLick next
4) On this screen, choose the option where it says this computer connect through another computer in order to go to the internet. click that. click next
5) Click next
6) The next several screens u can do it yourself.

After u finish all of the steps. Do the same thing on the desktop.
If you do it right,you will see that XP enable an Internet Gateway called Internet Connection Sharing in control panel/network connection.
Now ur laptop n desktop can talk to each other.

[vidster]

Right then, i think more detail is needed.

I followed snowmonkey's advice up to the (Then from the same TAB "Computer Name" click on Network ID and Run the Network Wizzard).
This is where i hit problem 1. The Network ID wizard is not there, no problem. I went to 'Connect to' in the start menu and ran the network setup wizard from there.
Everything is going 'hunky dory' again until i get to (search the network Places-> it will find the Desktop computer). When i click on network places i am greeted with only 'Network setup wizard'/'Wireless network setup wizard'/'Add network place' and 'Entire network'.
When i search Entire network i find my workgroup under Microsoft Windows Network but then i get a popup saying i may not have permission and that the network path was not found? .

cuteperv: Thanks for replying. My desktop is also wireless so i am unable to connect it to the router with an eathernet cable.
I am about to try your method now (without the eathernet cable) but if i have no joy with it i will perform a system restore on both pc's to get rid of all the changes i have made and then come back.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

[vidster]

I've / You've done it!!.

Thank's guys. A combination of your two reply's worked a treat.

Now i need to figure out how to get my firewall to allow me to connect to the desktop. Any ideas?.
I looked in all the logs but it does'nt really mean that much to me. I am using Sygate personal firewall and AVG antivirus.

[vidster]

It is definately my firewall but i do not know how to set it to allow my laptop to connect.

When i try printing a document i get a popup saying "The RPC server is unavailable".
I know it is because i have checked it!. When i turn the firewall off everything works fine?.

Any ideas?

[cuteperv]

You don't need to connect your laptop with an ethernet cable. Here is teh chart to ease the math:
Laptop: Connect to wireless router by using wireless card.
Desktop: Connect to wireless router by using ethernet cable.

Make sure that in your wireless router, you ONLY enable infrastructure mode, and not adhoc mode. By using infrastructure, it is the only way for you to share printing. You can share the rest, but not printing.
If you use Zone Alarm I can show you how to set up zone alarm so that it permits your laptop and desktop talks to each other.

[vidster]

Hiya cuteperv .

I don't have anything connected with an eathernet cable. The router came with 2 wireless cards so there never was a need for an eathernet cable.
Either way, it's all up and running now and i've even figured out how to set the firewall up right!.

Thanks again for the advice , see ya around the forum.
Vidster.....

[cuteperv]

if i'm not mistaken, you ask to share the printer. But as far as i have read, no way you can share the printer without using infrastructure mode, if u connect 2 computers using wireless cards, ur using adhoc mode. tell me if i'm wrong dude.

[vidster]

Networking is way above my head so i have no idea what is what. All i know is i followed yours and snowmonkeys advice and now i can share the printer?.