Trying To Get Both Computers Networked

[xXx-Tricky-xXx]

Hey, I have a wireless router and my laptop is connected wirelessly while my desktop pc is connected directly to the router since it is on the same desk. The problem is, I am trying to get both computers connected so that I can drag files through one another as well as play games via lan. I tried reading a few of the network tutorials I could find but they completely confused me or did not work. I believe my laptop is finding the router network CHRIS-NETWORK and there are two workgroups but on my desktop pc I dont see any CHRIS-NETWORK just local area lan 2 which is the cable internet, and only one workgroup.

I basically am so confused I have no clue whats going on and any help would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks

 

[Bruce]

I think u r confusing lan, ssid and workgroups

basically the easiest way is to run the networking wizard on both making sure u use the same workgroup name for both

 

[shortstop20]

Both computers need to be in the same workgroup as mentioned. If they are connected to the same router, you've run the network setup wizard and you still cannot see the other computer then there's something else wrong.

Definitions

Workgroup: Computers that are in the same MICROSOFT network, completely irrelevant to a physical LAN.

LAN: A network with end users that are within a small geographic area and intent to share files with each other. That's a blunt explanation.

SSID: The actual name of the wireless signal that your router broadcasts when a computer with a wireless card tries to connect to it. COMPLETELY separate from a Microsoft workgroup and they are in no way intertwined. These two things can be the same name but it is by no means required.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Workgroup
----------

A Workgroup is a software identifier that PC's use. Every Windows PC has a Workgroup name. If you want two PC's to be on the same network, you set the workgroup name to the same value. By default, most Windows PC's have MSHOME as the default workgroup. You can change this to a more appropriate identifier, such as your name, HOME-NETWORK, etc. Just remember to set it to the same value on all PC's.

NetBIOS Name (Computer Name)
---------------------------------
The computer's individual identifier, it is how you find other computers on the network. For example, "ADAM-LAPTOP" is the name I set for my laptop (I'm Adam, I have a laptop). I set my desktop to "ADAM-DESKTOP" and when I want to connect to my desktop, I just type in //ADAM-DESKTOP from my laptop and I can access files on my desktop. Individual PC's are grouped under a workgroup (think of a workgroup as a folder, with all the PC's in the workgroup like files in that folder, that's how Windows groups PC's).

LAN
---
Local Area Network - it's the set of physical connections that link your computers. It can be wired (Ethernet), it can be wireless, it can have routers and switches, and it can contain a combination of all of these devices. As long as you have a single router at the top of your network, computers can all see each other even if some are connected wirelessly while others are plugged in with wires.

SSID
----
This is the name of your WIRELESS CONNECTION. It doesn't have anything to do with workgroups or computer names, it is simply the name that your router broadcasts to help you locate your wireless network. Your computer will see SSID's from all wireless access points around it, you pick the one that is your connection (you set the router's SSID in its settings page) and the computer will establish a connection with the router. This wireless connection, once established, behaves pretty much like a wired Ethernet connection, connecting to the router via its SSID is the equivalent of plugging in an Ethernet cord between the PC and the router.