[Narrew]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Thanks guys, I take it is a lost cause with XP.

No, it is not a lost cause, actually it is fairly easy compared to the older MSFT OS's. I have read all the suggestions on how to get it done, and frankly they are confusing as heck. I will try to simplify it, and I do have a 3 computer XP Home network running through my internet router with my printer also.

Just an overview, my cable goes to my Modem, then to my MSI Router/Gateway, this has 4 ports and is 802.11G wireless compatible (Linksys has been a big player for home networking). These type of devices should have a small manual and instruction on how to access (via the network) it's internal settings.

I have 3 computers running as I said, XP Home connected to the router. I also have my printer so all my computers can use the printer as a networked printer, now I don't have to have a computer on to print from one of the other computers.

The thing about XP is that it tries to do EVERYTHING for you, it wants to be the big guy on the network, so basically the first computer that gets turned tries to become "the server" (for you NT folks the PDC), ie looking up computer names and assigning IP addresses, so first we need to stop that.

To do that, you need to physically assign an IP address to each computer, each one needs to be unique, but don't worry for your home network this is easy to do. Open your control panel, open the network connections, you should have an existing connection already there (like Local Area Network Connection 1 or some such), right click on that and choose properties. Then select TCP/IP and select properties. Select "Use the following IP Address". Then you will put 192.168.1.100 (for your first computer and .101 for the next computer, .102 for the next computer, ect...). Click in the subnet mask, it should put numbers there automatically, if not it will be 255.255.255.0 then in the default gateway you will put this number 192.168.1.1 (this is the number that your router will use, all computers need to have this number to know where to look).

For now leave the Obtain DNS server address on auto. There is a way to get it from your router. Those numbers rarely change, so if you have some trouble, you can log into your router (you can find them usually in something like System Status, it will list all the numbers, as long as it is on and connected to the cable modem) and copy the preferred and alt DNS numbers down then add them later.

The next thing you have to do is check on what Work Group each comp is on. Go to the control panel, open system and click on the Computer Name tab, down a bit is Work Group (mine is MSHOME) but it can be anything else as long as every computer is in the same work group, there is a change button to make the change.

Next you need to access your router, that I can not walk you through, just give you ideas from what I have had to do. You will go to your browser and type in the IP address your manual says to use, it usually asks for a password that you change later. Once in, you will want to change the IP address of the router to 192.168.1.1 usually found in a LAN area then Set IP address, the default address should be there from the manual. That should do it, you could go as far as (set how many computers can access your router through the DNS setup, if you use 3 computers, your range will be 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.102) but it is not necessary needed since your on the same sub net now and the IP addresses of each XP machine is manually set.

Ok, you done all that, and you look in Windows Explorer then, open the My Network Places, then Entire Network, then Microsoft Windows Network, then MSHOME (or what ever you set) and tada you see the other computers, BUT cant access them, why because of sharing. Sharing is not an easy thing in XP, but I think over all that is good. What I have set up is one folder on each computer that I use as a catchall, from there I can move anywhere I want in system, you might think it is clunky, but better than sharing everything. From there you can do what ever you want. Also, it seems that the common drives/folders accessed will be listed below My Network Places so you dont have to drill down the way you did the first time to find the computers ect...

Take it step by step and you will do fine, just make sure you have the router manual handy ect...It is the only way you can get in and change the default settings.

Good Luck, and may XP Home be with you *snickers