help with home network

[Hotrodgirl]

I know there are lots of posts on this subject, but nothing I do works and now I seemed to have screwed up something else.

I am trying to network 2 computers, one desktop and one laptop. I have a cable modem to connect to the internet. My laptop is brand new and has a wireless network adapter, my desktop has a wired adapter. I bought a wireless router that has a place to plug in my wired desktop. The desktop is running XP professional and the laptop is XP home edition.

I was able to get both computers to connect to the internet, but I wasn't able to share files or printers between the two. Under workgroup computers I could see my laptop from the desktop, but couldn't see my desktop from the laptop.

I read somewhere that I needed to set up a dial up connection from the laptop to connect to my desktop, so I tried to do that, and now I can't even get on the internet with my laptop. It says the wireless network is connected 100%, but when I open Explorer it says "the webpage you are trying to view is not available offline...."

Now what?

 

[alexaedita]

Hey, I've got the simular problem here...

Sony Vaio-Desktop running through a ADSL line, that connects to the Netgear Wireless Router. I don't have any ADSL Modems, DSL wire goes right from the wall , to my Wireless Router, router connects to Desktop....and here we go, it transmits the signals to all wireless loptops in my house.
Problem is-how to be able to access another computers harddrive, or print somethins out, or just pull the file from one computer to another? Indeed, i tried to follow XP manuals about network...but it didin't get me far. A least you had something in your Workgroup...not me. Basically , all I want, to access my desktop from my loptop, and backwords.
I've tried Remote desktop, it seemed to be trying to connect, but gives me some kind of mistake message in the end. I tried to turn off all firewalls: Internal XP, and Outpost, on both computers-didn't help. I've managed to get to my desktop and loptop access each other through Remote Assistance,but that is not what i need here. Is there a way to hava a full accessing ability, to the home computers,through wireless router and wireless internet?

 

[SovietX]

Try setting up a network on both systems, the laptop and the desktop, thats how i was able to view them on both my computers

 

[Hotrodgirl]

I tried that and it didn't seem to work. Like alexaedita said, when I try to view my workgroup computers from my laptop it thinks about it for a while, then I get an error message that says I don't have permission or something like that.

 

[Win2kpatcher]

Does the desktop have Service Pack 2 installed? If so the firewall may be turned on which would cause this. As for not connecting to the internet from the laptop its hard to tell without seeing what settings were changed. I would just restore back to right before you made the changes and the internet was working..

 

[Crysalis]

Do you have a shared file yet? Pick a file or printer to share and that should do it... happened with me yesterday. All i had to do was to manuall share a folder and now everything works like a charm!

EDIT: You didn't need to make a dial-up connection - that has nothing to do with your network.

 

[Hotrodgirl]

-I do have service pack 2 installed, but I turned off the firewall.
-I did make a shared file, but my laptop can't access it.
-I didn't think I needed a dial-up connection, but hey, I've been trying everything I have read about.

 

[Hotrodgirl]

Well, I figured it out. I kind of forgot that I had 2 firewalls running on my desktop. I disabled the windows one, but not the other...oops. Thanks everyone.

 

[alexaedita]

Crysalis, Thanks for great advice , to share some folders...
Also I had "Server" service disabled in my Services.
Windows firewall has to have an exception "Printer and File Sharing", any other firewalls can be configured to manage your network.

My problem has been solved. Desktop recognizes loptop, and backwords. Thank you everybody!

 

[Crysalis]

Glad to be of service!