Adhoc wireless network help

Ok I have tried for many many months to get a simple wireless adhoc (computer to computer) network sharing the one internet connection. I spend a good maybe 4 hours on it and give up.
Basically I have a Vista machine wich I use the net on, and I want to set up a network on my missus XP computer to share the internet. You think I can set it up?? NO WAY! It's most likely because I am not sure what I am doing. Networking is something I know very little on. Both our laptops have integrated wireless. I run the wizards etc but it drives me crazy and I cant get it to work.
My question, is their a simple easy to follow guide for a complete nob???? Thanks guys!

 

Here is a great description by a Flipfire: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4055067&postcount=8

 

Part of your problem is that you're making it much harder for yourself than you need to. You shouldn't even be thinking about an ad-hoc connection. You don't need it for both systems to access the internet and/or share files unless you don't have all the equipment required for an infrastructure network setup (Modem/Router).

You should also know that there's nothing ever simple about ad-hoc setups, especially when dealing with different OS's. They're meant to be temporary setups, and the systems in question need to be within 30 feet of each other. If you have anything causing interference (and there are a ton of things that can interfere with a 2.4ghz signal) you're beating a dead horse anyway.

Unless you're absolutely committed to an ad-hoc connection, forget about it and setup a simple infrastructure based network. You've got the modem and integrated adapters - all you need is a wireless router and you're set.

What you'll need is for your Modem to be connected to the 'net, your router to be connected to your Modem, and both systems independently connected to your router to solve your problem. Once both systems are independently connected to your router wirelessly, then you can think about file/printer sharing between systems. Do the simple stuff first.

Depending on your wife's laptop, since it's an XP system it may use the Intel wireless setup program rather than the Windows Network setup program. If you're trying to use Windows and your notebooks are set to use the Intel manager, you can keep trying until HFO and nothing will happen. If this is happening, you should've seen a message to the effect telling you that you can't use the Windows Network setup, or that you have to choose between the 2.

There's an easier solution also if you have problems getting the adapters to connect, and one I normally recommend to clients anyway as a backup solution for integrated adapters. Despite the fact that a given integrated adapter might be compliant with the wireless standard as your router, the fact is that network hardware companies don't build their systems the same, so you won't get the same performance from an integrated adapter as you would with an adapter that's made by your router manufacturer. Also, companies like Linksys have setup managers with their adapters that make it easy for you to connect to their hardware.

For example, even though my Intel 4965agn adapter works well, I still use either a Linksys USB adapter or a gaming/media adapter (it's faster and plugs into your Ethernet connection) rather than the Intel unit since they respond and work better with my Linksys Dual Band router.

Stop beating yourself up - networking ain't rocket science. I know because I used to work with them. Forget ad-hoc networking, get yourself a router and try it with your integrated adapters. If they don't cut it, then consider getting a USB or PCMCIA adapter (if you have a slot) that is compatible with your router.

Regardless of what you do, you should look at the Network tutorials on the Linksys site. They're well done videos and explain basic networking in simple terms anyone can understand. It'll help if you know how things are supposed to work before you try and make them work the way their supposed to.

You can view the Linksys tutorials here: http://tinyurl.com/6elqus