The Archive
Assuming you've installed the network cards, hub, drivers, and wiring: You need to configure Windows' networking software. Windows installs a default set of components automatically. Depending on which version of Windows you're using, you may need to add, remove, or change some Windows components. To inspect your current configuration and adjust it if necessary, open Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Inspect the following components, in this order, on each machine in your network:
When you've finished configuring all networking components, the Network dialog box should look something like the one shown here.
On a network that uses the TCP/IP protocol, configuring each machine's IP address is a crucial step. The IP address is a unique identifier that consists of four numbers, each between 0 and 255, separated by dots.
IP addresses serve the same function on a network as Zip codes do to the postal service. Each packet of information sent across the network is encoded with the IP address of the sender and the receiver, to ensure that it reaches its destination safely.
On the Internet, IP addresses have to be registered with a naming agency such as Network Solutions. Registering the IP address establishes, for example, that www.microsoft.com is at 207.46.130.14. (The fact that a Web server is always at the same unique IP address allows any computer to reliably reach it from the Internet.)
On your home network, however, you don't need to use registered IP addresses, because you're not going to allow the entire world to access your network. Instead, you can use IP addresses from a range of numbers set aside for use on private networks. You must make sure that each address from within these ranges is unique on your network, but you don't need to worry if other people on the Internet are using those same addresses, because your networks will never communicate directly with one another. These address ranges are as follows:
In addition, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 reserve a block of addresses in the range 169.254.x.x for private use.
Why should you care about these numbers? If you use Windows 98 or Windows 2000, you don't need to. When you first set up TCP/IP, each machine automatically assigns itself a unique address that is compatible with other computers on the network. This feature is called AutoNet, and as the name implies it automatically sets up these crucial networking components. Likewise, if you turn on the Internet Connection Sharing feature on a Windows 98 or Windows 2000 machine, it will handle the details of assigning IP addresses to all other computers on the network, regardless of which Windows version they use.
If your network includes any Windows 95 machines, however, and you aren't using ICS, you have to manually assign IP addresses. Open the Network Control Panel on each machine, double-click the TCP/IP entry for the network card, and click the IP Address tab. Check the Specify an IP Address box and enter the following values for the first machine: IP Address 192.168.1.1, Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0. On the second machine, repeat the process using the next available IP address, 192.168.1.2 (leave the Subnet Mask field at 255.255.255.0). Continue assigning IP addresses to additional machines on your network.
After you've finished this step, reboot each machine and move on.
Here's one of the easier steps in the process. For you to share resources (such as files and folders) between computers, each computer must have a unique name. To see and change this name, open the Network Control Panel and click the Identification tab.
You can use just about anything for a computer name, but in general I recommend that you follow some simple rules
Also, fill in the Workgroup field for each computer on the network, using the same name for each one. Don't use the default WORKGROUP name; try to use something more imaginative, like your family name or the name of your neighborhood. When you're finished, the results should look something like this:
Strictly speaking, you can do this step anytime, but now is a good time to set up shared resources such as folders and printers. After rebooting to make sure all changes in your network configuration are effective, go to each machine in turn and begin the process of setting up sharing:
To share a folder or drive, right-click on the folder or drive icon and choose Sharing from the Start menu. Click the Shared As button and enter the name you want other network users to see when they browse the Network Neighborhood. If you're sharing a folder full of MP3 files, for example, you might call the share MUSIC. That way, other family members can connect to your computer, double-click the MUSIC icon, and begin rocking out.
You can use passwords to restrict access to shared files over the network. By setting a read-only password, you can allow other people to open files, but not change them. When you set a full-control password, anyone who enters the correct password can change files in the shared location. In the example here, I've set both types of access. Anyone who tries to access the shared folder will have different rights depending on which password they enter.
To share a printer, open the Printers folder and follow the same steps.
If you've followed the steps to this point, you should have a fully functioning network at this point. You should see green lights at each point in the hub where a network cable is connected. If you don't, check the power to the hub and check the cables going to each network card.
Next, open the Network Neighborhood on each computer and browse through the computers you see there. Double-click on a computer icon to see the available shares for that computer. If you don't see anything in the Network Neighborhood, you still may be able to connect to other computers. Click the Start button, choose Run, and enter the name of another computer on the network, preceded by two slashes. If you're at a computer called BLUE and you want to reach RED, type the command \\RED and press Enter.
If you still can't connect, check to see whether you have a functioning TCP/IP connection and that both numbers have IP addresses in the same range and on the same subnet. To do so in Windows95/98/ME, click the Start button, click Run, and enter the command WINIPCFG (Windows2000 IPCONFIG). This opens a window that displays a wealth of information about your IP connection.
