Help for Wireless Networking?

[Kindanew]

I posted this on the Networking FAQ forum also, but it seems more appropriate here.

I am trying to connect my company-owned laptop (I have admin rights) to my home desktop for file and print sharing, but have not been successful. I am using:

Desktop: Windows XP Home
Laptop: Windows 2000
Router: Linksys Wireless-B Broadband

I have had the router up and running for about a year, but so far have only used it for internet access (both computers). However, I have some large files that I want to transfer from the laptop to the desktop. I have tried the Wizzards on both PC's, but I still have not had success in making the connection.

Suggestions?

 

[bla!!]

You can't use windows filesharing over the internet without first creating a direct connection between the two computers.

You could set up a VPN server to directly connect the two computers, but that takes a bit of work. When I need to transfer some files, I just use AIM's built in file sharing.

 

[Retro]

Ok heres some instructions for setting up file sharing,

Seeing as you have been sharing an internet connection it suggests that both of your computers are networked and therefore communicating with each other. On your desktop PC you will need to create a shared folder. So if you open up My Documents and right click and go to New > Folder. Give this folder an appropriate name and then right click on it and go to properties. Click on the Sharing tab and check the box which says share this folder on the network and give it a share name for example "myshareddocs". Then you need to identify the name of your dektop PC on the network. Go to My Computer > Control Panel > System > Computer Name tab. Here will be you computers name on the network for example "computer1".

Now thats the Desktop side of things done, go to My Computer on your laptop and then tools > map network drive. Pick a drive letter and then in the folder name type \\computer1\myshareddocs. Where computer1 is the name of your desktop pc and myshareddocs is the name of the desktop folder. Click finish and hopefully a new drive will have appeared in the My computer folder. Now just drag and drop your files into this drive and you'll be able to access them from your Desktop.

Printers can be added by going to My Computer > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes. Then go to file > add printer and follow the on screen instructions making sure you check to add a network printer rather than a local printer.

You can check to make sure computers are communicating by opening up MSDOS and typing "ping 192.168.2.1" - where the ip address is that of the desktop or laptop. If you do not know your ip address, go to MSDOS and type "ipconfig" and it will list it for you.

Hope this helps,

Retro.