Getting laptop to share desktop files, HELP!

Can someone tell me step by step in simple terms how to get my laptop to access my desktop files using a wireless network. I am running Windows XP on both, the desktop is wired to a Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router which is inturn wired to the internet. I have sucessfully got the laptop to access the internet wirelessly via the router but for the life of me can't get it to see the desktop. Both computers have the same group name. As I say are there any sites or guides giving a complete start to finish guide on how to do this. Thanks

 

Try turning off simple file sharing. It is located in Windows Explorer on the tools menu under folder options. On the View tab it is the last checkbox. Clear it. Hit apply.






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Wouldnt it be turn it on? [ ]

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THere is a home network wizard that you can use if you go to my network places from the start menu. File sharing must be turned on to use. Make sure that the ip address of your router, which in linksys routers usually is 192.168.1.1. is entered as the default gateway in your tcp/ip properties. Workgroup name must be same. You must then right click on drives or folders that you want to share. You can tell shared drives by the hand which appears under the icon for that drive or folder.
In some ways I found it eaiser to turn DHCP off it router and use static ip addresses for your computers. You give each one a address within the range of the router ( for example 192.168.1.20 and 192.168.1.30. ) For one you know the IP address of those computers so you can work around firewalls by listing those as trusted computers.
Make sure that you secure your network by using WEP or one of the other protocols
Post if you have any more questions. I have 2 desktops (1 wired to router, 1 wireless) a laptop, and a color laser networked primter on my home network.

 

here is a site with a lot of good information
http://www.wown.com/

linksys also has information on their support website concerning this matter

 

Thanks Gampy, will try those suggestions. Have turned sharing on on my desktop hardrive. When I run network setup wizard on the desktop it just says unable to complete the setup wizard whas encountered an error, run again with different settings or try manually. When I try to run the network setup from the laptop (wireless connection) it says unable to complete network under workgroup name, check other computers (ie desktop)administration authorization (or words similar). Where I'm getting confused is that the desktop routes out to the Linksys router via a built in internal LAN card. Does the desktop consider this a hard wired network or a wireless one ie. where does the desktop stop? ie what sort of network setup am I looking at? Confused, I am

 

it sounds like you have a combination wired, wireless network which is fine, one of my desktop computers if using the built in gigabit lan . Try this go into properties of the network adapter, it probably appears as LAN connection. look at TCP/IP properties. Make sure the Routers address is in the gateway portion of the second radio button. This should also be true of the wireless adapters TCP/ip settings.
Go to start => Run => type cmd and hit enter. should get DOS window type ipconfig and hit enter. Should get info on ip address and gateway. write it down. do this on both computers. going back to that DOS line type ping and the ip address of the other computer. For example ping 192.168.1.1 that will determine if one computer can see the other on the network. try router IP address first. If you do not get timeouts they are seeing each other.
let me know how you make out

 

Binky,

There's a few things you can try:

1. Make sure you enable File & Printer Sharing on your Desktop (Network Properties of your card, should be enabled by default)
2. Share a Folder or Drive if you want (right click drive or folder in My Computer and enable sharing)
3. Disable XP's firewall
4. Findout the IP address of your desktop (Start -> Run -> CMD & click OK, type IPCONFIG)
5. From your notebook, open My Computer and on the Address bar on top, type \192.168.2.100 (wor whatever your desktops IP address is), this should list the available shared folders/drives

6.This should give you read only permissions on the shares on your desktop. If you want to be able to transfer files back & forth, you need to enable the right amount of permissions or you can just enable Full Control for Everyone (reduced security).

Alternatively, without perfomring setps 2 or 6, when you reach step 5, just type \192.168.2.100c$ (or whatever your desktops IP address is) and hit Enter. This will give you Administrative access to the entire C drive. This means that you can read/write and delete anything you want on your desktop. You just have to be very careful as you can delete something you don't want to by accident and you could be screwed.

-Vb-

 

also make sure both computers have different computer names. the workgroup must be exactly the same(case sensitive) But both computers should have different names ( for example desktop , laptop) These can be changed but hitting windows key and break key at same time which will bring up computer properties and selecting the computer name tab. If you can ping the other computer you can hit start => run type cmd and hit enter at the prompt type //computername where computer name if the name of the other networked computer. You should see a explorer window open up with the shared folders or drives on that computer. If you get that far you can go to windows explorer select tools - map network drive hoit browse, select which drive/folder you want to map. This will show those drives in my computer or windows explorer every time you start up. Just remember the other computer has to be on to access those drives

 

gampy, your instructions are a little bit incorrect with the syntax, etc. To view the shared folders on another computer, you would simply go to Start->run and type "\computername"

(gampy, you said to go to the command line, then //computername which would not work...fyi \computername from command line won't work either).

-----------------------------------
Scott

Network Guru Extraordinaire

 

Did you try turning off simple file sharing? I had the exact same problem when running XP on my desktop. Internet worked fine, but everytime I tried to map a network drive or connect to a printer it would say "Network Path Not Found", whether it was shared or not. After I turned it off, I had no problems. Good Luck.






I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

Guys, I appreciate your suggestions but no luck so far, the desktop and laptop CANNOT ping one another. If I go to networks and then view workgroups on the desktop, I then select the Laptop icon and it is not accessible, the network path is not found.

To recap the situation is this. The RJ45 port from the LAN card out of the back of desktop connected to Linksys wireless router which is in turn connected to the broadband internet, I think that the Linksys shows up on both the desktop and the laptop as 1394 Net Adapter2 (ie. it seen in series on both of the computers other adapters, the LAN card in the case of the desktop and the wireless card for the laptop)

The laptop happily accesses the internet via the wireless link to the Linksys BUT desktop and laptop CANNOT see one another via the Linksys router

 

No checkbox to turn on/off simple file sharing on my Windows XP but thanks anyway

 

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304040







I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

Thanks Zazonz, I'm not being thick but the option to allow "simple file sharing" doesn't appear. I have enabled file sharing for the main hard drive. Any ideas why the simple file sharing box/option isn't there?

 

No idea. It has been there every time I've looked for it.






I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

XP Home only has simple file sharing

-----------------------------------
Scott

Network Guru Extraordinaire

 

Problem solved, I turned off Zone Alarm firewall and worked straight away no problems. Thanks for your help and suggestions, in the end it was something as frustratingly simple as a firewall. I put the wireless adapter and the router in the firewalls Trusted Zones

 

Hello,
I have the same problem as binky43. My default gateway (linksys router) is 192.168.1.1. Laptop is 192.168.1.100 and desktop is 192.168.1.101. From laptop I can ping to the desktop but I cannot ping to itself using ping 192.168.1.100 (the same problem with desktop when using ping 192.168.1.101). But when I use ping 127.0.0.1, it's Ok for both laptop and desktop.
Can anyone give a way to solve this?
Thank you

 

Open "My Network Places". On left side under "Other Places" click "Desktop". On left side under "Files and Folder Tasks" click "Share this folder". Under "Network Sharing and Security" make sure "Share this folder on the network" is clicked. You're done !!

 

I do not recommend running without a firewall. You need to add a firewall rule to allow traffic on your subnet. This way you can still have your FW up.