Want to share files/printer

[dullard]

Is there a simple guide to setting up a network of Win XP computers? I've gotten it to work many times, but usually after days of trial and error and countless frustrations. The worst part is when you can see the workgroup and click on it but have to wait 5 minutes to know if it worked or not. That makes the trial and error frustrating.

At work, they have 5 computers with Win XP Home (SP2). They are all connected by a Cisco 8-port workgroup switch and the switch has a DSL connection to the outside world. All five computers can browse the internet without problem. Sharing files and printers however is proving difficult. Am I hitting a limit of Win XP Home? If so, would installing XP Pro on some of them help?

All computers are on the same workgroup, all have a drive selected to share files, all have file\printer sharing enabled in the firewall. Yet only a few computers can see each other and none can see the workgroup (the ever popular "you might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administorator of htis server to find out if you have access permission. The newtork path was not found" error after clicking on the network path. Where do I start?

 

[amdskip]

I would not be using xp home in a work environment.

http://www.ezlan.net/Installing.html

 

[dullard]

I realize that you wouldn't be doing that. But unless I fork over hundreds of dollars of my own cash, it is what we have. I've seen that link but it is so cluttered with useless information, horrible colors, pictures which no longer exist on their servers, and links that don't seem to answer the questions that I came here.

 

[amdskip]

Are you sure they are not using a router or do you receive 5 ip's from your ISP? I would set them all up in the same workgroup and install netbeui ( http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start=2&...kb%3Ben-us%3B301041%26sd%3Dtech&e=7370 ) and go from there.

 

[dullard]

Thanks for the input.

Everything is set-up to automatically detect settings. When I go to the Local Area Connection, the IP addresses all vary by one digit. Thus I assume their ISP provides 5 different addresses in their base rate.

I installed NetBEUI and got some progress. Some computers can see others, but it appears random of which computer can see the others. For example, computer A might be able to see computer B and C, while computer B might be able to see computer A, D, and E, etc.

 

[imported_JFG]

are they all on the same subnet? What happens if you try to connect by \\machine\share ?

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: JFG
are they all on the same subnet? What happens if you try to connect by \\machine\share ?

They all have the same subnet mask and the same default gateway. The only difference is their IP differs by one digit in the last column.

What do you mean by connect by \\machine\share?

 

[vi edit]

In an office that small here is what *I* would do.

1) Statically assign IP's to each PC
2) I'm assuming you have one "main" printer that everyone uses. If so, I would purchase a cheap print server for that printer and put it on the network with a static IP.
3) All computers would connect to the printer via IP through the print server
4) for file sharing of the computers, I would reference each PC by IP address instead of trying to browse through Network Neighborhood and looking at workgroups.
To seach for computers by IP address, right click on "My network places" and choose "search for comptuers". In the box type in the static IP address of the machine you want to connect to. When it finds that machine, double click on it to "open" the computer and see what share is available. I'd map the share as a network drive and just use it that way.

Workgroups can get really quirky and just stop working and then start working all of the sudden for no real reason. Referencing by IP address seems to work better.

This is just an easy way to set things up in a small office. With only 5 PC's it's not that hard to manage the static IP list.

EDIT: Also, you have to know how the router is set up from the ISP. Is it handing public IP's from the ISP, or is it doing NAT and handing out priviate IP's from a DHCP pool? Preferably I would have the ISP set up the internet router so that it is running NAT and handing out private addresses.

In each computer you would set up the IP settings like follows:

IP address: 192.168.0.2
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.1 (the lan IP of the router)

DNS 1: given to you from the ISP
DNS 2: given to you from the ISP

 

[imported_JFG]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: JFG
are they all on the same subnet? What happens if you try to connect by \\machine\share ?

They all have the same subnet mask and the same default gateway. The only difference is their IP differs by one digit in the last column.

What do you mean by connect by \\machine\share?

can you access shares thru UNC ?