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Hi! At this point, I'm just checking back when asked a question. When my life gets less hectic, I'll start browsing to find questions to answer. But please ask; I will answer within 24 hours.advice
I just got a new laptop for an early christmas present, it has windows XP home on it, and I want to hook up the lap top to my old computer Windows ME so I can transfer some files and use the printer when needed, also I want to use the internet from the old computer it is a DSL internet and we have a broadband router which should let me receive a connection. My question is how do I make a home network (including the cabling system) from my old computer to my new laptop?
There are two steps to making a home network. The hardware and the software.
Hardware wise, you have two choices. You can use Ethernet or Wireless. If it's an option, I'd spend the little extra for wireless - especially with all the places that are putting in free wireless internet access (coffee shops, airports, colleges).
If you want to go with Ethernet, you will need to make sure that both computers have network cards. You can check the desktop by seeing if there is something that looks like a phone jack, but too big for a phone plug on the back. You will also need a crossover cable (not a patch cable - they look the same, but a patch cable requires an additional device between the computers). It does not matter which end of the crossover cable goes into which computer. There should be a light (hopefully labeled lnk or link) near where you plug the ethernet wire into the desktop computer. When both computers are turned on, and the hardware is working, it will light up. If you can't get the "link light" to turn on, don't bother with the software part. Just come back and ask for more help. :)
Once you get the hardware set up (and it shouldn't matter if it's Ethernet or wireless), run the home networking wizard on the computer with windows XP. It will ask you a handful of questions. If your not sure of the answers, let me know where you get stuck and we'll figure it out. It will ask you if you have any other computers to set up near the end. Say yes and insert a floppy disk. It will write an executable onto the floppy disk. Put the floppy into the older computer, and run the program. It will launch a wizard very much like the one you just used on the other computer. Answer the questions the same and you should be good to go.
You will also need to enable/install file and print sharing on both computers, and share the folders you want access to. This is getting long, but please ask if you need a walk-through of that too.
(Rating: 5) thanks! yea we have a broadband router so i am gonna get the cables to attach to that, the thing is my laptop doesnt have a floppy disk drive it has a cd driver with a burner soo i dono how that will work.