[remaja]

I would like to ask for the steps to set up a wireless LAN.

I want to share my printer and files among my three computers in the house.

I have bought a wireless router got myself an ISP, installed and adapter on each computer (except my laptop)

I am using aztech hardware for my router and adapters. all three computers are running on windows XP SP2, with Comodo firewall running.

the problems come when I want to get them interact with each other how do I come to that?. I tried the windows wizard to set up a home wireless network but it didn't work out.

what should I do?
thanks.

 

[UNIKSERV]

You need to provide the brand and model of the router and the wireless adapters for specifics but generally you can follow these steps --> http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx

Joe

 

[remaja]

I am using aztech dsl 600ew router with aaztech wireless adapter (USB) wl230

I do have a problem probably with signal (my poor guess)

my house is two storey. my router is downstairs and one of my comp is upstairs the signal is low but I get decent speed.
there are times when I can never find connectivity (it shows not connected on my taskbar).

I'll just loose my connection in a sudden and even after hours, I still can't find the signal.

to regain the connectivity, I have to disable and enable my connection again. and with luck the internet connection returns.

this only happens with this particular computer though as other computers are downstairs. would this be one of the reasons to my failure in setting up the LAN?

 

[remaja]

It seems that I have been through the steps stated by the Microsoft website. Initially, I can access the internet (with ignorance to the post above) but not other computers

 

[UNIKSERV]

It actually sounds like you might be getting some interference. Have you recently installed something electric like a phone, air conditioner,etc?

I think that if your mouse has a ball that it's probably male.

Joe

 

[remaja]

LOL... that's a good one. nope it has a hole at the bottom...

my room is air conditioned, should I try to bring up my wireless router? to my room and give it a try?
or should I go out and get a homeplug? I saw the ad for a homeplug by Aztech when I bought my router.

 

[UNIKSERV]

I would try turning off the air conditioner and connecting to the wireless connection and if that works I'd turn on the air conditioning to see if you get knocked off. If you don't get knocked off then your air conditioning is probably not the problem. If you have a cordless phone I'd try making a call while connected to the wireless connection to see if you get knocked off though if it was the phone it would be weird to get knocked off for 2 hours. Finally I'd try changing the channel of my wireless connection to 1 for awhile then 11 to see if your problem gets better. Troubleshooting can go on for awhile so it really depends how much work you want to put into it and the problem may or may not get fixed.

I've seen homeplugs implemented with limited success but for the most part I don't recommend them unless you don't have any other option. Your connection speed is very slow and they're difficult to troubleshoot. Maybe give the stuff above a try and we'll see if you need to get a homeplug at all.
Good luck.

Joe

 

[TerryNet]

For your loss of connection, pay close attention to UNIKSERV's post #7.

For computers that can access the internet through your router, following is one way to set up file and printer sharing.

Run the Network Setup wizard (found in Control Panel of XP). Tell it each of your computers connects to the internet via "residential gateway" and that you want to enable file and printer sharing. Create a disk at the end only if you have a Windows PC other than XP or 2k Pro.

Windows XP firewall (if SP2) will be properly configured by the wizard. You must uninstall or properly configure any 3rd party firewalls on each machine. Unique computer names and same workgroup, of course.

The Shared Documents folder is automatically shared. Any other folders (or drives) or printers you want to share, just right click on them and sharing ... . When sharing a printer, accept the offer to load other drivers if your other PCs have different Operating System(s).

When you first go into My Network Places there will be nothing there. The first time you click on 'View Workgroup computers' will probably result in great disappointment. It takes awhile (20 minutes or so) before all the computers in the workgroup get up-to-date and accurate lists of the other computers. Often you can speed up this process via Search for other computers.

When computers show up in My Network Places, double click on one to see its shares. If that includes a printer, you can right click on the printer to connect to it.

 

[remaja]

thank you terry net.
how do I know which of my computer is the residential gateway? what is a residential gateway by the way. sorry for the dumb question.

 

[TerryNet]

"Residential gateway" means what most of us call a router or a modem/router combo.

If you have no router, or have only a dial-up connection, you can set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on one computer so that other computers can share the connection. When you do that the computer with the internet connection acts like a router.

 

[remaja]

I am still trouble shooting the problem.

new computer
I can see them but I can't touch them. in the workgroup window.
every time I click on their computer to view what's inside I get an error message saying that I don't have permission to access them.

laptop
my laptop can't view anything except for itself

old computer
can't view anything but itself waited for some time.

all computers are set to access a residential gateway and not the one being accessed in the networking wizard. (the first question in the wizard)
I go by the workgroup of tan. all are set correctly.
I did not configure the comodo firewall though because I don't know how. hope to get more information to that. my router do not have a firewall as claimed by the sales person it doesn't have a hardware firewall.

my signal problem is solved. many thanks to both of you.

 

[remaja]

I just found out something stranger.

I can still see my laptop even though it's off. after I click on refresh that is. yet I still can't access it

 

[TerryNet]

Your router's Network Address Translation (NAT) feature works as a hardware firewall. It is a barrier between the internet and your Local Area Network (your computers). It will not hinder access among your computers.

On the other hand, any software firewall on a computer will block access until you disable it (this doesn't always work), uninstall it or properly configure it.

My Network Places takes a little getting used to. It does NOT update immediately--it depends on the Computer Browser service. After any network/workgroup change (such as deleting a shared file, sharing a new file, removing a computer, adding a computer) it can take as much as 15-20 minutes before My Network Places is updated.

So, inquiring minds want to know. What was the disconnect problem/fix????

 

[remaja]

Sorry for the long reply. there has been some problems with my ISP due to earthquake in Taiwan.

I would be glad to know how to configure my firewall to allow the network through. how do I do that?