Home network: 1 Wireless Vista, 2 wired XP

[cpkramers]

I just got a Dell Laptop for my wife, and I'm trying to get it to connect up to the network with my other two XP machines. The laptop is wireless-N, and the XP's are wired to a new D-Link DIR-655 router. The two XP machines work fine togther already, and I have good wireless internet on the Vista. What are the steps I need to take to get the Vista Laptop to play with the two XP's for printer and file sharing?

Thanks for your help.

 

[veedubfreak]

Not sure what kind of protection you are using on the wireless router, but i have mine set to only allow certain wireless mac addresses. You probably need to add the wireless mac address to the routers allow list (i have the same router).

 

[atomic tofu]

Windows XP: Set up a wireless network without a router
Windows XP: Set up a wireless network
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sometimes I'm realy lazy...but it's fun for you this way!

 

[cpkramers]

I'm really getting frustrated! I thought that my two XP machines were talking fine, but they are not. All I get is "mshome is not accessible". I've re-ran the network wizard on each of them multiple times. Turned off firewalls, but I can't get them to work. They were fine with my old Linksys wired router I had before the D-Link Dir-655. I'm getting desperate for help. Anyone have any advice just to get the two XP machines sharing again? Something to do with the D-link router maybe?

 

[veedubfreak]

Turn off both machines, the router, and your internet modem. Go take a walk, come back, turn the modem on first, wait a minute, turn the router on, wait a minute, then boot up each of the computers. I have had issues with my 655 where stuff didnt want to talk if it wasnt powered on properly the first time around.

 

[cpkramers]

Well, after getting away for a day I took another look. I thought I had Zone Alarm turned off... I unchecked it in msconfig startup, but I was wrong. I uninstalled Zone Alarm on both machines, and made sure Windows firewall was off, and bingo, everything works again. The Vista laptop now works on the home network as well. So, all is well. Thanks for your help, and I apologize for being a little slow

I guess soon I should maybe reinstall zone alarm again and get it configured properly to be protected.

Thanks again...

 

[KSoD]

Well the first problem i can see is that the network used on the XP machine's is mshome. This is not the case with Vista. It uses the network name of workgroup.

So you will have to rename the XP machines network to match that of Vista.

After that you failed to mention if your routers are all wireless. I see you say:

The Vista is connected to D-Link DIR-655. But you fail to mention what kind of router is connected to the XP machines? Can it do wireless?

So my suggestion will be to first get the network name all the same. Then to let us know if the router used on the XP machines can do wireless. If not you will have to run a wire from teh router with the XP machines to the D-Link DIR-655 that controls the Vista machine. Only then will you be able to share among all PC's.

 

[cpkramers]

Thanks for your help, but see post #6... all is well now. Sorry to have wasted your time.

 

[KSoD]

Oops sorry. Skimmed right over that post.