file and printer sharing

23 Sep 2006 6:48 PM

carl w

How do I enable file and printer sharing and conecting wired and coputers
together?

23 Sep 2006 9:05 PM

Malke

carl w wrote:

> How do I enable file and printer sharing and conecting wired and
> coputers together?

It doesn't matter that some computers connect wirelessly and some
connect wired. You just need to set up your local area network (lan)
and sharing. You didn't provide any information about what operating
systems you are running, but here are some general instructions (and
links) for XP SP2:

Run the Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable
File & Printer Sharing, and reboot. 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 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
substitute your correct subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:

a. 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.

b. 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.

Then 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.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Additional useful links:

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm (Home)
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_filesharing/index.htm
(Pro)
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/myths.htm
http://www.ezlan.net/index.html
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/using-network-setup-wizard-in-windows.html

Wireless - Basic Configuration -
http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html
Wireless - Basic Security - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.html
Tom's Hardware Wireless Security FAQs
http://www.tomsnetworking.com/2006/06/30/wireless_faq_security/index.html

Malke

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Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
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