Home Networking with Windows XP

In the olden days - about ten years ago, when Windows 95 first materialised on your hard drive - creating a home network was a fearsome task reserved for the knowledgeable, courageous, or me (stupid)! That's no longer the case. Windows XP makes setting up a network easy (apparently). The toughest part of the deal is physically installing the hardware; the software side is a minor operation thanks to a complex system of wizards that do 'stuff' auto-magically.

But "Why do I need a new spangly network?" I hear you ask, I shall explain the benefits;

If you have more than one computer in your household, it's time to get those computers talking! Here's a few reasons why:

• Share printers, files, CD-ROM drives and other removable drives between the computers

• Share a single Internet connection between computers

• Play multiplayer games. And have wild LAN parties with fellow geeks

• Store only a single copy of large files, saving space on the other PCs hard drives.

You can network computers that run different operating systems, but you'll find the ideal networking setup for a Microsoft Windows LAN (Local Area Network) is with XP running on your most powerful machine(s) and either Windows 98SE or Windows Me running on the other computers. I don't recommend trying to include computers running Windows 95 or 98 First Edition in your network unless you are an experienced user, or stupid.

We shall now being moistmules 10 easy steps to total networking bliss;

So that we don't get any nasty surprises (like those included for your entertainment and pleasure in the Windows XP installer) here is a summary of those steps;

1. Take stock of your existing hardware.
2. If you wish to share an Internet connection using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), choose which computer will be your ICS host then setup a switch or hub. Or setup a router to connect to the Internet for you.
3. Decide what type of network technology you wish to use.
4. Make a list of the hardware you need for each computer.
5. Install the network adapters and modems (if required)
6. Physically cable the computers together.
7. Switch on all computers, printers and other peripherals.
8. Make sure the ICS host or router is connected to the Internet.
9. Run the Network Setup Wizard on the ICS host.
10. Run the Network Setup Wizard on the other computers on the network.


1. Take stock of your hardware

Note each computer's location and its hardware, including peripherals such as printers and modems. Yes, I understand this may sound like a waste of time, but believe me, it can become very confusing, and you don't want to look like an idiot by making a stupid mistake now do you? No! Well then, make notes, OK?! It would be sensible to keep a pen and paper to hand during this whole exercise.

2. Choose which computer will be your ICS host then setup a switch or hub. Or setup a router to connect to the Internet for you.

The ICS option;

ICS, or Internet Connection Sharing, allows one computer on your network to share its Internet connection to others within your LAN. It is highly, highly recommended that this computer has a good firewall. This procedure will inherently induce NAT, or Network Address Translation, and this means that the client machines in your network will not have an external IP address, they will only have internal ones and thus will be hidden from the outside world. This does not however eliminate the need for a firewall. (Google 'NAT' for more information)
Now choose an ICS host, it must have an Internet connection, this will be referred to as either your ICS host computer, host, or network server.
If connecting more that two machines together, (i.e. three or more machines) then you will require a switch or hub. Hubs are cheaper, but not recommended for lots of machines, or when traffic is heavy because they don't discriminate, they forward all received information to all machines on the network, and if a machine doesn't want the information, it is dropped. Thus bandwidth can drop quickly with a few machines all working together, and collisions occur frequently. Hubs are not suitable for LAN parties, instead get a switch. A switch will remember the IP of each computer on each of its ports, thus information is transferred only to the machine intended. This is much more efficient. Again, quality is a factor, but you can't really go wrong with switches and hubs, just don't get ripped off!!!

The Router option;

In this modern age of ours, Routers come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, this means you also get rubbish ones, and good ones. When you go shopping, choose a good one. Buying one off eBay for £5 (~9 USD) will not bode well. I did it. It dies sporadically with no warning. So, get a good one, if in doubt of what is good and what is bad, ask in the forums.

A router actually acts like the above mentioned ICS host, but is self-contained and can be left on 24/7 without using excessive amounts of power. Most routers are firewalled and of course make use of NAT.

Once you have a router, follow the (brace yourself) USER GUIDE!!!!!!!!! The user guide will tell you exactly how to set it up. So follow it. Ok?! Contact your ISP for Internet connection settings and dial out numbers.
Routers will usually contain in-built switches for connecting several machines.

3. Decide what type of network technology you wish to use.

The most common choices are Ethernet and wireless LANs. For an Ethernet LAN you will need to install a Network Interface Card (or NIC) in each computer and run cabling between the computers. If you don't like the idea of opening your computer to install a network card, look for a USB adapter instead. As I said earlier, depending on the size of your network, you may also need a network hub or router to provide interconnection between PC's on the LAN. Two PCs can get away with just using an RJ-45 crossover cable; three or more computers require a hub or switch.

If you opt for a wireless LAN, you'll also need a Wireless NIC for each PC (there are versions which use USB adapters as well). The big benefit for home environments is that a wireless LAN does away with the need for cabling. On the down side, though, wireless LANs tend to be slower, less robust and much more expensive than traditional Ethernet LANs. In particular, wireless LANs do not always live up to their stated working range, and you may find factors such as your home's construction and design and/or interference from other devices affecting your wireless LANs performance. You may need to add an expensive Access Point to extend the range of the LAN and, even so, it may not suffice. Wireless LANs must also be secured with WEP encryption, many forget to do this and end up with highly insecure networks. The bottom line is, if you decide to go the wireless route, make sure the store will refund your money if the LAN will not provide
reliable performance within the specified range. And remember to READ THE USER GUIDE!

4. Make a list of the hardware you need for each computer.

Make a list of the hardware you need for each computer, not forgetting any cabling, and buy it. If you're a little dazzled by the choices and configurations, consider purchasing a networking kit. These kits contain all you need to set up a two or three PC network. Hardware which features the Windows XP Logo, indicating it is fully compatible with XP, is often more expensive. Personally I feel this is a big money making scam. But the choice is yours. Again, forum members will always be happy to advise.

5. Install the adapters

Install the network adapters and install your modem on the ICS host computer. Or, for those with routers, configure it now if you haven't already done so. Consult User Guides of NICs and other equipment to save you from looking like a fool!

6. Cable the computers

Physically cable the computers (hubs, routers, and switches) together. Of course, you won't need to do this if you've chosen to go the wireless route.

If you're installing an Ethernet network and have a lot of cabling work to do, you may prefer to get a professional to come in and do this work for you. It won't be cheap, but you can be sure you get the job done correctly and hopefully with minimal damage done to walls, ceilings and floors, I speak from experience again! Again, ask for advice on which cables are required, you can't really go wrong, but I'm sure somebody will, somewhere.

7. Switch it all on

Durrrrrrr...

If any of it is already on, switch it off first, then turn on the host, or router first. Allow this to get an Internet connection, then turn on all the clients in turn.
To avoid any shocking experiences, keep your fingers out of those sockets! Also, if you have a router, switch, or hub, don't forget to watch the pretty lights!!!!!

8. Connect the ICS host

Go to the ICS host computer and make sure it is connected to the Internet. Or, ensure the router is connected to the Internet.

9. Run the Network Setup Wizard on the ICS host

And now the fun begins...

To run the Windows XP Network Setup Wizard on the ICS host, click Start --> Control Panel --> Network And Internet Connections --> Setup or Change Your Home or Small Office Network. Follow the instructions in each screen and press Next to continue. (This is the much talked about painless wizard, in case you hadn't noticed)



The Network Setup Wizard will guide you through:

• Configuring your network adapters (NICs).

• Configuring your computers to share a single Internet connection.

• Naming each computer (Each computer requires a name to identify it on the network).

• Sharing the "Shared Files" folder. Any files in this folder will be accessible to all computers on the network.

• Sharing printers.

• Installing the Internet Connection Firewall to guard you from some common online attacks

10. Run the Network Setup Wizard on all computers

To do so:

1. Insert the Windows XP CD in the first computer's drive.
2. When the XP Welcome Menu appears, click Perform Additional Tasks.
3. Click Setup Home Or Small Office Networking and follow the prompts.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 on each computer on your network.

Make sure you maintain an active Internet connection on your host computer as you proceed through this process.

moistmule tip:

If you don't have a CD-ROM drive on one of the network computers, you can run the Network Setup Wizard from a floppy disk:
1. While running the "Network Setup Wizard" on the host computer, select the option to copy the Network Setup Wizard to a floppy disk.
2. Once you've completed setup on the ICS host, take the floppy to the next computer and insert it in the drive.
3. Double-click My Computer.
4. Double-click 3½ Floppy (A: ).
5. Double-click netsetup.exe.


And that's it! (we hope) This leads us directly onto Troubleshooting:

Troubleshooting

With you using Microsoft Windows and all, you WILL encounter problems, so try this troubleshooter:
http://www.michna.com/kb/wxnet.htm

One common problem is the inability to see other shares. It seems that it can take a few moments for shares to propagate through the network and for cached folders to properly refresh. Also, firewalls will often block access to network devices or files, and incoming requests. Remember to configure these so that internal connections are allowed.

Using your Network

Once you have your network up and running, you can easily access other computers on the network via "My Network Places" (click Start -> My Network Places).
Use the Task Pane in My Network Places to adjust network settings and access computers on the network.



The Task Pane in My Network Places lets you view your network connections and view each of the computers in your workgroup (the workgroup consists of all computers on a network which share the same workgroup name - by default, XP gives all computers on your home network the workgroup name MSHOME, although you can change this if you wish). When you initially open "My Network Places", you'll see icons for the "Shared Files" folder of each of the active network computers.

Sharing a printer

With your home network installed, your PC suddenly gains all the advantages of the other PC's on the network. If you've been lusting after your sister's colour photo printer, you can now print directly to it from your own machine. Provided, that is, your sister decides to share her printer. (You might offer to let her share your laser printer in return - sharing works both ways.)

To share a printer, on the computer which is directly connected to the printer:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers And Other Hardware -> Printers And Faxes. (Note: These steps will be a little different if you're sharing a printer on a PC running a version of Windows other than XP. For example, under Windows Me, you click Start -> Settings -> Printers.)
2. Click the printer you wish to share.
3. Click Share This Printer in the Task Pane.
4. In the printer's Properties dialog, click the Sharing tab.
5. Click Share Name and OK.

Sharing a printer is a single-click operation, honest.



Once a printer has been shared you can access it from other computers
on the network. To do so:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers And Other Hardware.
2. Click Add A Printer.
3. In the Add New Printer wizard, when asked whether the printer is a local or network printer, select "network printer".
4. In the next screen, select the option to "Browse For A Printer" and click Next.
5. Select the appropriate printer from the list and continue with the wizard.

Sharing files and folders

Sharing a folder is even easier than sharing a printer:

1. Open a folder (such as My Documents), click Make A New Folder in the Task Pane and name your new folder.
2. With the new folder highlighted, click "Share This Folder".
3. In the Sharing tab of the Properties dialog box, select "Share This Folder On The Network".
4. Provide a descriptive name for the folder. This name should make it easy for others on the network to recognise the folder; it doesn't have to be the same as the folder name you selected in step 1.
5. You can let other people on the network view and edit your files or view them only. If you want to protect your files from tampering, remove the tick from "Allow Other Users To Change My Files".

There are a variety of ways to access a shared folder. Here's one way:

1. Click Start -> My Network Places -> View Workgroup Computers.
2. Click the computer whose files you wish to access and then click the shared folder.

You can create shortcuts to shared folders to make them easier to access.

moistmule tip:

Be wary of sharing files and printers if you have an always-on Internet connection. Doing so can make your files vulnerable to outside access. If you do enable sharing, make sure you use password protection, that you don't share the root (C:\) folder of any computer on the network, and that you install and use a strong firewall.

And that concludes our guide to Windows XP Home Networking! Remember Google Search can be found at www.google.com and the forum is here to answer your questions!

Excellent work moistmule, i think we shall be seeing this as a new Sticky very soon!

... and so it is done.

That's a great piece of work Moisty...someday I would like to write down a guide to building an FTP using IIS...if I can ever get mine working that way!!

hehe!

Thanks everyone

Moisty, everyone loves your networking guide, so I'll help you out a little.

Even with the wizards some filesharing problems tend to arise when networking XP Home and XP Pro installations together. This is a good place to include a link to the solution.

Permission Problems Between XP Home and XP Pro

Hope I haven't barged in where I don't belong.

Actually, I used your guide just now Thanks!

I salute to that, but im using different os could you help? i really was still on the process of learning w/ this and i hope theres also guide for ubuntu user here (my boss assigned me to learn and familiarize w/this...)

This guide is for Windows XP only. However, start a new thread in OS section with your queries and our knowledgeable members will be more than happy to help.