Wireless connection to PC

Being a newbie to wireless connection, I want to connect to my PC to use
printing, etc. How??? Advantages??? Remember I'm completely a newbie to
this. A detailed explanation is necessary. Thanks
--
Kathy

Could you be a little more specific.

Do you want to connect wirelessly to ???? A printer, another computer,
the internet, ???? What hardware do you have now? How old is it? Are you
planning to buy some new???

"Kathy" <> wrote in message
news:7B4D0F74-DFB3-4F01-BB9B-...
> Being a newbie to wireless connection, I want to connect to my PC to use
> printing, etc. How??? Advantages??? Remember I'm completely a newbie to
> this. A detailed explanation is necessary. Thanks
> --
> Kathy


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

I don't understand the question. Are you already connected to a wireless
network and want access to a printer on another computer?
"Kathy" <> wrote in message
news:7B4D0F74-DFB3-4F01-BB9B-...
> Being a newbie to wireless connection, I want to connect to my PC to use
> printing, etc. How??? Advantages??? Remember I'm completely a newbie to
> this. A detailed explanation is necessary. Thanks
> --
> Kathy

Kathy wrote:
> Being a newbie to wireless connection, I want to connect to my PC to use
> printing, etc. How??? Advantages??? Remember I'm completely a newbie to
> this. A detailed explanation is necessary. Thanks


Okay Kathy, no such thing as a detailed explanation without some
detailed knowledge of the equipment but here goes...

You have a PC at home with internet and printer and would like to
connect to it with (Probably) a laptop that has "Wireless" built in,
right? If not was it close?

What kind of internet do you have, what is the existing PC running (eg
XP Home or Pro, Vista? Linux) and do you have a wireless card in it or
do you have a Wireless router?

What is the laptop (other machine) running and does it have a wireless
connection (built in or card) already.

The best option if my guess is correct is for you to buy a cheap
wireless router that also does "Wired" so assuming you have cable or DSL
internet you could just plug that in between the existing PC and modem
and be back up and running with little trouble (But you WILL have to
follow some instructions that come with the router)

Then we deal with setting up the wireless link between the laptop (or
whatever) and the wireless part of the router. You may find this in the
instructions too.

You could do this without the router, effectively using the existing PC
as a router, but it won't save you much if any money and is harder to
set up.

Sorry, didn't give enough info. I have a wireless laptop running Vista Home
Premium and a PC running XP. What I would like to do is tie together these
two computers so that I can access (from the laptop) the files, printer, etc.
currently on the PC. The PC is connected to a high speed modem, the laptop
is wireless. I am running Frontier internet. Hope this gives enough info,
if not, please let me know and thanks for excusing my inexperience and
helping me.
--
Kathy


"Joseph Meehan" wrote:

> Could you be a little more specific.
>
> Do you want to connect wirelessly to ???? A printer, another computer,
> the internet, ???? What hardware do you have now? How old is it? Are you
> planning to buy some new???
>
> "Kathy" <> wrote in message
> news:7B4D0F74-DFB3-4F01-BB9B-...
> > Being a newbie to wireless connection, I want to connect to my PC to use
> > printing, etc. How??? Advantages??? Remember I'm completely a newbie to
> > this. A detailed explanation is necessary. Thanks
> > --
> > Kathy
>
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
>
> Dia 's Muire duit
>
>
>
>

Kathy wrote:
> Sorry, didn't give enough info. I have a wireless laptop running Vista Home
> Premium and a PC running XP. What I would like to do is tie together these
> two computers so that I can access (from the laptop) the files, printer, etc.
> currently on the PC. The PC is connected to a high speed modem, the laptop
> is wireless. I am running Frontier internet. Hope this gives enough info,
> if not, please let me know and thanks for excusing my inexperience and
> helping me.

So if the laptop is able to get to the Internet, you have some sort of a
router or combination modem/router. Now all you need to do is set up
your file/printer sharing on the Local Area Network (LAN). This is not
difficult to do if you approach it calmly and methodically. Here are
general networking steps:

Excellent, thorough, yet easy to understand article about File/Printer
Sharing in Vista. Includes details about sharing printers as well as
files and folders:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb727037.aspx

For XP, start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see
caveat in Item A below).

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
system does not permit it. Read through the general networking tips
below and if you still are having difficulties, MVP Hans-Georg Michna
has an excellent small network troubleshooter here:

http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Taking the time to go through his troubleshooter will usually pinpoint
the source of the problem(s).

Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:

A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
(LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
"gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
"Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.

B. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup
didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in
the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control
Panel, Computer Name tab.

C. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

D. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

1. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

2. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
in your situation.

I think it is a good idea to create the identical user
accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it
isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.

E. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder. See the first link above for details about
Vista sharing.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Malke wrote:
> Kathy wrote:
>> Sorry, didn't give enough info. I have a wireless laptop running
>> Vista Home Premium and a PC running XP. What I would like to do is
>> tie together these two computers so that I can access (from the
>> laptop) the files, printer, etc. currently on the PC. The PC is
>> connected to a high speed modem, the laptop is wireless. I am running
>> Frontier internet. Hope this gives enough info, if not, please let me
>> know and thanks for excusing my inexperience and helping me.

I don't think she has a router Malke, I read it differently, I thought I
posted about this but no longer see my original post so who knows.

Kathy - if I guess right then you need "Something" wireless between the
laptop and the PC - the easiest way but not the only way is to buy a
cheap router that has both wired and wireless ports, and decent computer
/ office dealer should have this, they are not usually too expensive.

The router instructions must be followed re installation of any software
and connections to the PC and they are not always the same for each make.

The router will become a kind of "Hub" for your small network and both
the PC and Laptop will reach the internet through the router - it will
be your "Gateway" to the wide area network (WAN) that is the internet.
The machines will become part of you local area network (LAN).

To prevent passing strangers using your wireless connection you will
need to set up some kind of security policy and password on your Laptop.
Again the router manual should help here, your windows wireless
settings should be fairly obvious once you get the router running.
Everything else you (Should) need has already been said but do not
hesitate to ask if you get stuck, if you have serious router trouble
remember you can always plug the PC and modem together as they are now
to get back to the internet.

OK I went on the PC and I went through the Setup Wizard and then went to my
laptop and did everything as indicated in the website you recommended. When
I go to the printers, I see the printer and it says its ready, but when I try
to print something all I get is an error. I used the website you recommended
and hopefully did everything correct, but not having any luck printing.
--
Kathy


"Malke" wrote:

> Kathy wrote:
> > Sorry, didn't give enough info. I have a wireless laptop running Vista Home
> > Premium and a PC running XP. What I would like to do is tie together these
> > two computers so that I can access (from the laptop) the files, printer, etc.
> > currently on the PC. The PC is connected to a high speed modem, the laptop
> > is wireless. I am running Frontier internet. Hope this gives enough info,
> > if not, please let me know and thanks for excusing my inexperience and
> > helping me.
>
> So if the laptop is able to get to the Internet, you have some sort of a
> router or combination modem/router. Now all you need to do is set up
> your file/printer sharing on the Local Area Network (LAN). This is not
> difficult to do if you approach it calmly and methodically. Here are
> general networking steps:
>
> Excellent, thorough, yet easy to understand article about File/Printer
> Sharing in Vista. Includes details about sharing printers as well as
> files and folders:
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb727037.aspx
>
> For XP, start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see
> caveat in Item A below).
>
> Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
> caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
> firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
> firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
> all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
> system does not permit it. Read through the general networking tips
> below and if you still are having difficulties, MVP Hans-Georg Michna
> has an excellent small network troubleshooter here:
>
> http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
>
> Taking the time to go through his troubleshooter will usually pinpoint
> the source of the problem(s).
>
> Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:
>
> A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
> (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
> File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
> Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
> "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
> aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
> "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
> firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
> configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
> 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
> subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.
>
> B. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup
> didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in
> the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control
> Panel, Computer Name tab.
>
> C. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you
> wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
> user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
> this link work for both XP and Vista:
>
> Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm
>
> D. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:
>
> 1. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
> Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
> accounts/passwords on all computers.
>
> 2. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
> Simple File Sharing enabled.
>
> Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
> that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
> resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
> in your situation.
>
> I think it is a good idea to create the identical user
> accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it
> isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.
>
> E. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
> home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
> folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
> Shared Documents folder. See the first link above for details about
> Vista sharing.
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>

I don't know if my earlier question went through, don't see it on the post.
I went through the Setup wizard on the PC and laptop and believe did
everything correct as indicated in the website you suggested. However when I
try to print all I get is an error message.
--
Kathy


"Malke" wrote:

> Kathy wrote:
> > Sorry, didn't give enough info. I have a wireless laptop running Vista Home
> > Premium and a PC running XP. What I would like to do is tie together these
> > two computers so that I can access (from the laptop) the files, printer, etc.
> > currently on the PC. The PC is connected to a high speed modem, the laptop
> > is wireless. I am running Frontier internet. Hope this gives enough info,
> > if not, please let me know and thanks for excusing my inexperience and
> > helping me.
>
> So if the laptop is able to get to the Internet, you have some sort of a
> router or combination modem/router. Now all you need to do is set up
> your file/printer sharing on the Local Area Network (LAN). This is not
> difficult to do if you approach it calmly and methodically. Here are
> general networking steps:
>
> Excellent, thorough, yet easy to understand article about File/Printer
> Sharing in Vista. Includes details about sharing printers as well as
> files and folders:
> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb727037.aspx
>
> For XP, start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see
> caveat in Item A below).
>
> Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
> caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
> firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
> firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
> all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
> system does not permit it. Read through the general networking tips
> below and if you still are having difficulties, MVP Hans-Georg Michna
> has an excellent small network troubleshooter here:
>
> http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
>
> Taking the time to go through his troubleshooter will usually pinpoint
> the source of the problem(s).
>
> Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:
>
> A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
> (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
> File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
> Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
> "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
> aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
> "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
> firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
> configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
> 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
> subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.
>
> B. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup
> didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in
> the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control
> Panel, Computer Name tab.
>
> C. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you
> wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
> user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
> this link work for both XP and Vista:
>
> Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm
>
> D. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:
>
> 1. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
> Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
> accounts/passwords on all computers.
>
> 2. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
> Simple File Sharing enabled.
>
> Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
> that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
> resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
> in your situation.
>
> I think it is a good idea to create the identical user
> accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it
> isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.
>
> E. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
> home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
> folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
> Shared Documents folder. See the first link above for details about
> Vista sharing.
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>