I need some help with setting up a simple network.

[effpeetee]

I have a Dell XPS420 desktop with Vista Ultimate and Dell laptop with Vista Home Premium. I want to set them up as a network. I have tried, but I must be missing something (other than brain cells):D as I do not have any success.

Any help or directions to a source will be gratefully received.

Frank

[JamieR]

What have you tried? What is your network environment? Do you have a router with DHCP? How are you connecting to the internet?

We need to know a bit more about your environment and the actual problem before any suggestions can be given.

Cheers
J

[borntoslow]

How are you trying to Network them? VPN? Just sticking network cable into a Hub\Router? Wireless? etc etc

More info please.

[effpeetee]

Yes I was rather brief. I have the main desktop directly connected to the router by ethernet cable, and the laptop connected by wireless to the router. Basically I need to talk between the com;uters and to the 8 megabit broadband and to use the printer from both computers. The printer is connected to the PC USB. Both computers connect to the internet without a problem. I have tried nothing this time round. Previously my attempts have left garbage efforts on the computer. As I have just had to re-install Vista on my Desktop, I decided to find out how to do it, before I messed up again.

It is a blind spot in my computing knowledge. What is DHCP and VPN?

Frank.

[tagnu]

Frank,
DHCP server is that server which assigns IP addresses dynamically to computers on a network (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). In a home environment, we can find one in a router.

Wikipedia has a detailed article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Host_Configuration_Protocol).

Hope that helps :)

[borntoslow]

Almost all routers support DHCP.
A VPN is baisically a secured network which utilises the internet. Many companys use it to have networks say 1 in london and 1 in New York networked if that makes any sense... I am amazed that english is my first lanuage.

What you are trying to set up is a LAN which does not need the internet to function properly.

A few tips on home networks follows...

1)Firstly use the vista network wizard (easy to use) to setup the network and make sure that you select the same choices for both the computers.

2)When you have done that see if your computers can communicate by opening DOS.
start > run > cmd
this will open cmd and type the following in cmd.
ipconfig /all an you should see something like below. i have deleted my numbers for security.

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . :
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : THIS ONE USULAY
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . :
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . :

after you have done this take note of the 2 ip addresses from your computers. On a home network the default should be something like 192.168.0.1 (router) 192.168.0.2 (1 computer) 192.168.0.3 (second computer) It may vary depending on your router make\model.

On one of your computers open cmd again and type...

ping 192.168.0.2 (the computer you are not usings IP)

it will send 4 packets and if all send and you have no loss then you know the 2 computers can see each other and "talk"


You need to the set up your shared documents using the wizard. walla. Hope this helps.


P.S i know from experiance that vista has some problems with printer sharing. not sure if there has been a fix or not yet i suggest you use the microsfot forum.

If that still does not work get back to us and we can try something else.

[effpeetee]

Thank you tagnu and borntoslow. I will put these into practise just as soon as my son comes off the laptop. He's busy on the internet, trying to save all his investments from the banking crisis. What a way to run a country>

Frank

[borntoslow]

Now that i cant help with lol =D

[effpeetee]

I have used the wizard??? to set up the network. Desktop can access the laptop but not the other way. Used Mem.stick to transfer data. Printer not accessable to laptop. Just going to try the manual way.

EDIT: Just tried the command line procedure. OK from Desktop to laptop, from Laptop to desktop, all packets lost.

How can I remove all the abortive attempts from the computers.

Frank

[Apostropartheid]

You're probably going to have to open up certain areas of the Windows Firewall manually. I had to do that with my Vista desktop when I upgraded from an old P4 system. Luckily, it does actually tell you what you're opening up.

[effpeetee]

You're probably going to have to open up certain areas of the Windows Firewall manually. I had to do that with my Vista desktop when I upgraded from an old P4 system. Luckily, it does actually tell you what you're opening up.
I have switched off every firewall and anti-virus prog. Nothing works.
I still have been unable to remove the present erroneous set-up.

Throw me a lifebelt someone. Put me out of my long-standing misery.

Frank

[borntoslow]

Maybe try setting up both computers with networking cable. When you have that sorted it will be easy enough to move to wireless.

[borntoslow]

ok, lets roll step by step for a wireless network.

1) Load media and network sharing wizard
2) Click on the sharing and descovery button (or tab) using my work XP computer at the moment so bare with me if i get the names of stuff wrong.
3) Then click change
4) Click share my media (vista default is set to private)
5) follow the step on what you want to share????????

Hope this help with the wireless side of your network.

[effpeetee]

I am wondering whether it is possible to set up the web with the Desktop using ethernet and the Laptop using wireless. I did this successfully when using XP, but perhaps Vista does not support this.:eek:

Frank

[borntoslow]

Vista does support this, infact the made great improvements on there wireless capabilities from XP to Vista. have you tried going through the steps i detailed above?

[effpeetee]

Vista does support this, infact the made great improvements on there wireless capabilities from XP to Vista. have you tried going through the steps i detailed above?
Yes, I have done all you suggest. The ping test was OK one way round but not the other. See previous post.
I really need to erase the present setup and start again. But I cannot find how.

Frustrated Frank

[borntoslow]

You can go into network connections, right click the connections that you have made and click delete. Thats is the simplist way.

[effpeetee]

Thank you borntoslow. I could not delete from this location, I could only modify which was enough. The printer was not working because it was failing to download the driver. Installing the driver on the laptop sorted that out and now all is well.

Thanks for staying with me.

Frank

[borntoslow]

So is that you up and running?

Congrats mate, nothing worse than a network that does not work =D

[effpeetee]

Since changing to 64 bit, my network is now "Up the creek without a paddle":D

Any ideas, magic spells or whatever. It's the printer that is the main trouble. I cant print from remote laptop.

Frank

[borntoslow]

lol ok here we go again

Have you been through all the previous steps listed above?

My first guess would be you dont have the suitable drivers now for the printer???

New OS new drivers...

[effpeetee]

lol ok here we go again

Have you been through all the previous steps listed above?

My first guess would be you dont have the suitable drivers now for the printer???

New OS new drivers...
No. I wish it was that easy. I have downloaded and replaced the printer driver with Vista 64 bit one from Canon. I have of course gone through the procedures again and again without success. The basic network is OK. Just the printer is now the problem.
EDIT
Wonders will never cease. The printer has now started working from the Laptop.
Don't know why! I have altered nothing. .
I DO believe in fairies

Frank

[borntoslow]

Good to here Frank,

I suggest you leave a glass of milk and a cookie out each night to keep the fairies happy.

Congrats on getting it working

[tagnu]

Good to here Frank,

I suggest you leave a glass of milk and a cookie out each night to keep the fairies happy.

Congrats on getting it working

You mean in front of the door ?

ps: Frank what's your address :D

[borntoslow]

London is not that big, just have a little walk around and see if there are any glasses of milk and cookies there :)

[effpeetee]

Thanks to you all for your help and encouragement.
All's well that ends well

ps: Frank what's your address .

I can see Clapham Junction train station from my office window. Less than 200 metres from my house (http://exitfegs.co.uk/CJ2.html).

Frank.

[tagnu]

Clapham Junction, ah.. I can see you (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Clapham+Junction,+england&sll=39.821194,-75.777855&sspn=0.122615,0.30899&ie=UTF8&ll=51.466414,-0.168657&spn=0.01179,0.038624&z=15&iwloc=addr).

[borntoslow]

for a resolved thread this is certainly generating a lot of chatter.

Good to see we are not just all tech geeks and have, at best, a little sense of humor.

[effpeetee]

Clapham Junction, ah.. I can see you (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Clapham+Junction,+england&sll=39.821194,-75.777855&sspn=0.122615,0.30899&ie=UTF8&ll=51.466414,-0.168657&spn=0.01179,0.038624&z=15&iwloc=addr).
The big laugh is that it is not in Clapham. It is a couple of miles away in Wandsworth.

Frank.

[effpeetee]

London is not that big, just have a little walk around and see if there are any glasses of milk and cookies there :)
London's population was 7,172,000 on the latest Census Day of April 2001. - Frank

It's grown fast since then.

I think that we had better call a halt to this thread now.

Things are more like they are now than they ever were before. - Dwight D. Eisenhower.

[tagnu]

Okay, let us call a halt to this thread :) right borntoslow :p