Home Networking
Discussion
I have a desk top in Win98, Wifeys Laptop on Win2000 and my laptop on XP.
Both the laptops have wifi cards and they contect to a Draytec ADSL Router and the Desk top connects over ethernet.
All PC's can see the internet and collect email via the router. But I want to share a couple of files and the one printer I have connected to the desktop.
It did work when I had my office printer here a year or so ago, but now it doesnt and I cant remember what I need to do.
What thoughts?
Both the laptops have wifi cards and they contect to a Draytec ADSL Router and the Desk top connects over ethernet.
All PC's can see the internet and collect email via the router. But I want to share a couple of files and the one printer I have connected to the desktop.
It did work when I had my office printer here a year or so ago, but now it doesnt and I cant remember what I need to do.
What thoughts?
Vex - can you post a few more details?
What worked previously that no longer works (Are you referring to the shared printer or shared folders etc?)
Generally speaking, you are likely to have problems getting 3 different versions of Windows to talk to each other correctly esp. with the differences between Win 98 and Win 2k & XP - Is there any possibility of upgrading the desktop to XP or 2k?
Where do you want to store the shared files (Guess would be on the desktop PC?)
Give me some more details and I'll see what I can do for you.
What worked previously that no longer works (Are you referring to the shared printer or shared folders etc?)
Generally speaking, you are likely to have problems getting 3 different versions of Windows to talk to each other correctly esp. with the differences between Win 98 and Win 2k & XP - Is there any possibility of upgrading the desktop to XP or 2k?
Where do you want to store the shared files (Guess would be on the desktop PC?)
Give me some more details and I'll see what I can do for you.
When you share printers via XP and 2000, they both are capable of using the same printer drivers. Not so with '98. You may have to load the printer drivers manually in XP and 2000 and then access the printer...
...Personally, I would buy an inexpensive print server and throw it on your LAN.
ErnestM
...Personally, I would buy an inexpensive print server and throw it on your LAN.
ErnestM
I use an ancient Dell desktop as a general backup machine, have may scanner attached to it and an HP printer. It runs Win 98SE
I use it as the print server for an Ad-hoc wireless network of one Win 98SE notebook, one XP Home desktop and up to three XP Pro (ish) notebooks.
The Ad-hoc network can be a bit odd at times but does normally work. All machines can see the printer, just browsed for over the network. The only add ting is that the anciant Dell seems to mislay the spool program about every week to 10 days. So I just re-boot it.
As it's a home office based system it does not get a whole lot of volume throughput so there seems little point in going ott with print servers and so on at the moment.
In an emergency all the machines are set up so that the printer can be plugged in directly via USB.
Can you see the printer at all from the other machines?
You should be able to use the Add Printer wizard in the Control Panel (XP) and browse to where it is. Is the printer set up as SHARED? Does it have a share name? Does it have a password set?
If none of those points move you to a solution then not sure what it might be. Unless the printer is somehow not network compatible.
I use it as the print server for an Ad-hoc wireless network of one Win 98SE notebook, one XP Home desktop and up to three XP Pro (ish) notebooks.
The Ad-hoc network can be a bit odd at times but does normally work. All machines can see the printer, just browsed for over the network. The only add ting is that the anciant Dell seems to mislay the spool program about every week to 10 days. So I just re-boot it.
As it's a home office based system it does not get a whole lot of volume throughput so there seems little point in going ott with print servers and so on at the moment.
In an emergency all the machines are set up so that the printer can be plugged in directly via USB.
Can you see the printer at all from the other machines?
You should be able to use the Add Printer wizard in the Control Panel (XP) and browse to where it is. Is the printer set up as SHARED? Does it have a share name? Does it have a password set?
If none of those points move you to a solution then not sure what it might be. Unless the printer is somehow not network compatible.
Initially I only want to get shared printing back.
Nothing that I know of has changed on either machine since it worked, went to my office, then came back again.
One problem I have noted is that I can not even ping the other computer from the first.
Initially, what IP network settings do I need to have set?
Nothing that I know of has changed on either machine since it worked, went to my office, then came back again.
One problem I have noted is that I can not even ping the other computer from the first.
Initially, what IP network settings do I need to have set?
Is the machine that you took to the office the same one that you are attempting to share the printer from?
If so it is likely that your office network has changed the IP configuration on that machine which will prevent all your machines from seeing it.
Open up a command prompt on each machine in turn and type IPCONFIG /ALL and see what you get. The first 3 sets of numbers (Normally 192.168.0.xxx) needs to be identical on all machines (Not strictly speaking true, but makes life a LOT easier!) if one machine has anything different then that machine will have problems connecting to the rest of the network. There should also be a subnet mask listed which should be 255.255.255.0 on all machines.
Post your results and let us know which machine has what IP address and we should be able to give you further assistance.
If so it is likely that your office network has changed the IP configuration on that machine which will prevent all your machines from seeing it.
Open up a command prompt on each machine in turn and type IPCONFIG /ALL and see what you get. The first 3 sets of numbers (Normally 192.168.0.xxx) needs to be identical on all machines (Not strictly speaking true, but makes life a LOT easier!) if one machine has anything different then that machine will have problems connecting to the rest of the network. There should also be a subnet mask listed which should be 255.255.255.0 on all machines.
Post your results and let us know which machine has what IP address and we should be able to give you further assistance.
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