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share my printer between 2 computers and surf with 2 computers atsame time - PCbanter

Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help.

Quote: : Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router.

Do not be apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up). The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include wireless capability or not.

Because wireless routers for home use are relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router even if you don't initially intend to use that capability. If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs, you can use that to have a wired network.

A wired network will be faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling cables.

Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN ports.

A wired configuration would be as follows: modem -- short UTP cable -- router's WAN port router LAN port 1 -- UTP cable to upstairs -- desktop router LAN port 2 -- UTP cable to laptop router LAN port 3 -- available router LAN port 4 -- available If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that there is a wireless adapter in the computer.

The laptop may have one built in;

Otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter.

If you go wireless, check to ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA) encryption.

If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is. The above configuration permits Internet sharing.

In order to share resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is required.

If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the upstairs PC is turned on and active.

If you want to be able to print regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be connected directly to the network.

This requires either (a) a network-ready printer or (b) a print server. In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router. This connection may be wireless or wired.

If wired, you will either need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the other side to the upstairs PC and the printer. Software setup of the network is straightforward.

There are many websites.

Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but I believe all of the links should still be good): http://www.practicallynetworked.com/ http://www.practicallynetworked.com/..._protocols.htm http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...ilesharing.htm (Home) http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...ring/index.htm (Pro) http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/myths.htm http://www.ezlan.net/index.html - Jack, MVP http://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm - Bob Lin, MVP http://www.howtonetworking.com/Troub...cessibale0.htm http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/ http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/0...n-windows.html And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice: Here are general network troubleshooting steps.

Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are.

It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing. 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. For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter.

It may also be useful with Vista. http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm 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.

For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab. C.

Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines.

You do not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;

The accounts/passwords just need to exist and match 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 OptionsView 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. 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. -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

On Jun 21, 10:01 pm, Quote: : Quote: : Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router.

Do not be apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up). The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include wireless capability or not.

Because wireless routers for home use are relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router even if you don't initially intend to use that capability. If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs, you can use that to have a wired network.

A wired network will be faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling cables.

Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN ports.

A wired configuration would be as follows: modem -- short UTP cable -- router's WAN port router LAN port 1 -- UTP cable to upstairs -- desktop router LAN port 2 -- UTP cable to laptop router LAN port 3 -- available router LAN port 4 -- available If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that there is a wireless adapter in the computer.

The laptop may have one built in;

Otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter.

If you go wireless, check to ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA) encryption.

If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is. The above configuration permits Internet sharing.

In order to share resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is required.

If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the upstairs PC is turned on and active.

If you want to be able to print regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be connected directly to the network.

This requires either (a) a network-ready printer or (b) a print server. In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router. This connection may be wireless or wired.

If wired, you will either need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the other side to the upstairs PC and the printer. Software setup of the network is straightforward.

There are many websites.

Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but I believe all of the links should still be good): http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...et/index.html- Jack, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm- Bob Lin, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/Troubleshooting/notaccessibale0.htmhttp://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-network-setup-wizard-in-w... And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice: Here are general network troubleshooting steps.

Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are.

It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing. 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. For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter.

It may also be useful with Vista. http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm 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.

For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab. C.

Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines.

You do not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;

The accounts/passwords just need to exist and match 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 OptionsView 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. 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. -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_.../compessay.htm Wow, thanks a lot for your detailed explanations.

I'm affraid I'm going to need a lot of aspirines too if I want my own small network!-) I thought I would just need a cable going from my printer to some magical small box and that's it...

Some mess I've got myself into...

On Jun 21, 10:01 pm, Quote: : Quote: : Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router.

Do not be apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up). The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include wireless capability or not.

Because wireless routers for home use are relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router even if you don't initially intend to use that capability. If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs, you can use that to have a wired network.

A wired network will be faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling cables.

Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN ports.

A wired configuration would be as follows: modem -- short UTP cable -- router's WAN port router LAN port 1 -- UTP cable to upstairs -- desktop router LAN port 2 -- UTP cable to laptop router LAN port 3 -- available router LAN port 4 -- available If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that there is a wireless adapter in the computer.

The laptop may have one built in;

Otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter.

If you go wireless, check to ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA) encryption.

If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is. The above configuration permits Internet sharing.

In order to share resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is required.

If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the upstairs PC is turned on and active.

If you want to be able to print regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be connected directly to the network.

This requires either (a) a network-ready printer or (b) a print server. In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router. This connection may be wireless or wired.

If wired, you will either need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the other side to the upstairs PC and the printer. Software setup of the network is straightforward.

There are many websites.

Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but I believe all of the links should still be good): http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...et/index.html- Jack, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm- Bob Lin, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/Troubleshooting/notaccessibale0.htmhttp://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-network-setup-wizard-in-w... And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice: Here are general network troubleshooting steps.

Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are.

It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing. 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. For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter.

It may also be useful with Vista. http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm 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.

For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab. C.

Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines.

You do not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;

The accounts/passwords just need to exist and match 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 OptionsView 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. 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. -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_.../compessay.htm I've read your post over and over again, including websites and youtube videos and I think I'm starting to get the basics.

So from what I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong), let's assume following setup: Downstairs, from my modem with a short UTP cable to the wireless router and then connect the already installed UTP cable that links upstairs with downstairs on one end to the router and the other end to a switch.

From the switch upstairs I then go with a short UTP cable to the pc and another short UTP cable to a usb print server.

I connect my printer's usb cable to the other end of the print server. Downstairs, since my laptop has wireless, I could connect to the router wirelessly.

So wireless with my laptop for surfing and hard cable for my gaming pc for best quality and speed. In summary, the components that I need: -wireless router -switch -2 short UTP cables -print server Questions: - Does a switch need a power cable for AC? - Anything to watch out for when buying a usb print server? - How can I check my laptop for WPA2 encryption? - I understand linksys N-series is a popular router.

Which one would you recommend in terms of price/quality and user friendliness? Thanks, Alex

Quote: : On Jun 21, 10:01 pm, Quote: : Quote: : Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router.

Do not be apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up). The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include wireless capability or not.

Because wireless routers for home use are relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router even if you don't initially intend to use that capability. If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs, you can use that to have a wired network.

A wired network will be faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling cables.

Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN ports.

A wired configuration would be as follows: modem -- short UTP cable -- router's WAN port router LAN port 1 -- UTP cable to upstairs -- desktop router LAN port 2 -- UTP cable to laptop router LAN port 3 -- available router LAN port 4 -- available If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that there is a wireless adapter in the computer.

The laptop may have one built in;

Otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter.

If you go wireless, check to ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA) encryption.

If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is. The above configuration permits Internet sharing.

In order to share resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is required.

If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the upstairs PC is turned on and active.

If you want to be able to print regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be connected directly to the network.

This requires either (a) a network-ready printer or (b) a print server. In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router. This connection may be wireless or wired.

If wired, you will either need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the other side to the upstairs PC and the printer. Software setup of the network is straightforward.

There are many websites.

Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but I believe all of the links should still be good): http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...et/index.html- Jack, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm- Bob Lin, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/Troubleshooting/notaccessibale0.htmhttp://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-network-setup-wizard-in-w... And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice: Here are general network troubleshooting steps.

Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are.

It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing. 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. For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter.

It may also be useful with Vista. http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm 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.

For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab. C.

Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines.

You do not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;

The accounts/passwords just need to exist and match 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 OptionsView 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. 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. -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_.../compessay.htm I've read your post over and over again, including websites and youtube videos and I think I'm starting to get the basics.

So from what I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong), let's assume following setup: Downstairs, from my modem with a short UTP cable to the wireless router and then connect the already installed UTP cable that links upstairs with downstairs on one end to the router and the other end to a switch.

From the switch upstairs I then go with a short UTP cable to the pc and another short UTP cable to a usb print server.

I connect my printer's usb cable to the other end of the print server. Downstairs, since my laptop has wireless, I could connect to the router wirelessly.

So wireless with my laptop for surfing and hard cable for my gaming pc for best quality and speed. In summary, the components that I need: -wireless router -switch -2 short UTP cables -print server Questions: - Does a switch need a power cable for AC? - Anything to watch out for when buying a usb print server? - How can I check my laptop for WPA2 encryption? - I understand linksys N-series is a popular router.

Which one would you recommend in terms of price/quality and user friendliness? Thanks, Alex You have the concept correct. A switch will require an AC power outlet. Some (many?

Most?) entry level print servers will not support bi-directional communication.

Sometimes, this means only that you won't get warnings about low ink, paper jams, and the like, but if a printer *requires* a bi-directional connection, it may not work properly with one of these print servers.

For one manufacturer's view of this, see page 39 of the manual for the Linksys PSU4, which happens to combine a USB print server and a 4-port switch in one box.

Http://tinyurl.com/5wubom If you are thinking about a Linksys product, I suggest that you ask in the relevant Linksys forum concerning compatibility between your printer and Linksys products: http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/bo..._Print_Servers Linksys users congregate at www.linksysinfo.org . Other manufacturers have similar forums, and www.dslreports.com is another good source of information for a variety of hardware vendors. Or email customer support for a few print server makers and ask them if their product completely supports your printer. If you have XP SP3, you have the Windows update for supporting WPA2.

If you only have SP2, download and install KB 893357 if it doesn't already appear in the list of Updates in Add/Remove Software http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893357/en-us As to whether your hardware supports WPA2, either check with your laptop's manufacturer (there may be a driver update for your wireless adapter if it didn't originally support WPA2) or see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...ssecurity.mspx You should know that 802.11n is still in draft stage, where it has been for quite some time.

That the spec ultimately may change has not stopped vendors from selling 802.11n products or from "certifying" them for interoperability.

However, you pays your money and you takes your chances. As for brands, you'll probably get as many opinions as there are brands. I have had good luck with Linksys WRT54G series products.

I don't have an 802.11n router, but Barb Bowman, a well-respected MVP who writes extensively on networks, has said good things in this newsgroup about D-Link DIR-655 -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

On Jun 25, 3:10 am, Quote: : On Jun 21, 10:01 pm, Quote: : Quote: : Hello all, People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my situation: I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c printer which is upstairs too.

Downstairs I have a notebook with windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem. What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another shorter UTP cable to the modem.

For printing I go upstairs with my notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my notebook.

I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking issues. To summarise, I would like to: 1a.

Avoid swapping cables all the time 1.

Share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from the other). 2.

Be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome. What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this?

I read about switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what the difference is, let go how to set it up.

Important thing to add: I like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my firewall). Thanks a lot in advance for your help. The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router.

Do not be apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up). The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include wireless capability or not.

Because wireless routers for home use are relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router even if you don't initially intend to use that capability. If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs, you can use that to have a wired network.

A wired network will be faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling cables.

Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN ports.

A wired configuration would be as follows: modem -- short UTP cable -- router's WAN port router LAN port 1 -- UTP cable to upstairs -- desktop router LAN port 2 -- UTP cable to laptop router LAN port 3 -- available router LAN port 4 -- available If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that there is a wireless adapter in the computer.

The laptop may have one built in;

Otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter.

If you go wireless, check to ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA) encryption.

If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is. The above configuration permits Internet sharing.

In order to share resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is required.

If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the upstairs PC is turned on and active.

If you want to be able to print regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be connected directly to the network.

This requires either (a) a network-ready printer or (b) a print server. In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router. This connection may be wireless or wired.

If wired, you will either need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the other side to the upstairs PC and the printer. Software setup of the network is straightforward.

There are many websites.

Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but I believe all of the links should still be good): http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...orked.c...Jack , MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm-Bob Lin, MVPhttp://www.howtonetworking.com/Troubleshooting/notaccessibale0.htmhtt And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice: Here are general network troubleshooting steps.

Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are.

It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing. 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. For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter.

It may also be useful with Vista. http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm 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.

For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab. C.

Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines.

You do not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;

The accounts/passwords just need to exist and match 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 OptionsView 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. 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. -- Lem -- MS-MVP To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_...tp://history.n ... I've read your post over and over again, including websites and youtube videos and I think I'm starting to get the basics.

So from what I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong), let's assume following setup: Downstairs, from my modem with a short UTP cable to the wireless router and then connect the already installed UTP cable that links upstairs with downstairs on one end to the router and the other end to a switch.

From the switch upstairs I then go with a short UTP cable to the pc and another short UTP cable to a usb print server.

I connect my printer's usb cable to the other end of the print server. Downstairs, since my laptop has wireless, I could connect to the router wirelessly.

So wireless with my laptop for surfing and hard cable for my gaming pc for best quality and speed. In summary, the components that I need: -wireless router -switch -2 short UTP cables -print server Questions: - Does a switch need a power cable for AC? - Anything to watch out for when buying a usb print server? - How can I check my laptop for WPA2 encryption? - I understand linksys N-series is a popular router.

Which one would you recommend in terms of price/quality and user friendliness? Thanks, Alex Anyone? Thanks




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