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Down To Earth Networking Help and Tips for The Home Networking User

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Set Up Windows XP Networking - Peer to Peer Home Network

Windows XP Networking is perfect in today's home where there is typically more than one computer. You might also have other hardware devices such as printers, scanners, or cameras. With all of these computers and devices, you would naturally want to start sharing files, folders, and your Internet connection. Windows XP Networking Make it easy!

A home or small office network is a way for you to use other computers or equipment without actually being at those computers. You can work on photos and files with other family members or co-workers while surfing the Internet at the same time.

Using Windows XP Networking , there are numerous ways to connect computers or create a network. For homes and small offices, the most common model is peer-to-peer networking.

A peer-to-peer network, also called a workgroup, is commonly used for home and small business networks. In general, a peer-to-peer network is most appropriate for arrangements where there are less than ten computers located in the same general area. The computers in a workgroup are considered peers because they are all equal and share resources among each other without requiring a server. We'll start off with the simplest of the connections, one computer connected to another computer. For this example we are assuming that you are running Windows XP. (We will walk through other operating systems later.)

Successfully setting up your home or small office network is a two-part process:

1. Install and configure the appropriate hardware on each computer. Some hardware might require additional configuration to access the Internet, but we will cover that at a later time. Both computers will require Ethernet/LAN ports ports. If your computer does not have an Ethernet port, you will need to purchase an Ethernet/LAN card like those shown below. The first one is used inside a Desktop Computer. The one next to it is used inside Laptop computers. Both have an Ethernet RJ-45 jack to plug an Ethernet cable into.

2. Run the Network Setup Wizard on each computer in your home or small office network.

• To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections. Under Common Tasks, click Network Setup Wizard. (See figure below to see where this is located.)

• The Windows XP Networking Setup Wizard is only supported on computers using Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP Professional.

The Network Setup Wizard

When you double click on the Network Setup Wizard icon, you will be walked through a series of questions that will enable you to create connections.

1. Click the Next button on the Welcome Screen to begin the Wizard.

2. If you haven't reviewed the checklist, feel free to click on the blue link provided. Once you have followed the steps on the screen, you can click next. Realize that if you don't have a connection to the Internet, that the Wizard will continue to set up the connection between your two computers.

3. This page asks how you connect to the Internet. If the computer you are on is the one that connects to the internet through a Modem/DSL/Cable connection, then choose the first selection. If you are connecting to the computer that is connected to the Internet, then choose the second. If you have no Internet connections, then choose the third radio button.

4. If you are connected to the Internet, then the Windows XP Networking Wizard will ask which one of your Network connections is connected to the Internet. It will typically choose one for you. Unless you know it is something different, leave the default setting on this page.

5. Since one of your connections is connected to the Internet, you might have to choose which of the remaining connections will connect up to the other computer. In this case, it would be the Ethernet connection shown here. Your connections may vary. Click next once you have chosen the connection to the other computer.

6. Next, the Windows XP Networking Wizard will ask you for a name that describes your computer on the Network. This is important as it will allow you to identify the appropriate computer you wish to share files with or interact with. The Computer description is optional, however the Computer name is not. Make sure you give the computer a name that makes sense. Either the owner's name, the location (such as Kitchen, Office, Bedroom), or purpose (such as Internet, PC with Printer).

7. You will want to have a name for your workgroup because you will be prompted for in while setting up Windows XP Networking. Even though you might only be connecting two computers, you will need a workgroup name. The default is MSHOME, but you can change it to any 15 character name. Letters and numbers only. Click next when you have finished.

8. Now you can set up whether you would like to share files between the computers or not. With Windows XP Networking, you can also decide to share a printer that is connected to one of the computers. This makes it much easier to utilize one printer between multiple computers. Make sure that you select the "Turn on file and printer sharing" radio button. Then click next.

Once you have run the Windows XP Networking Setup Wizard and run the program on the computers, you will be able to plug the crossover cable between the two computers. To share files you will need to place them in the Shared Documents folder. You click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop to locate the folder. It looks like this: