XP Home to XP Pro Network issue

Hello everyone. I have a bit of a problem, I recently received a computer from a friend of mine running XP Pro, I want to network it to my current computer that runs XP Home. The XP Home computer is the better one as far as processor speed and Ram and what not.
I have the xphome computer receiving a usb 2.0 wireless internet signal from my apple airport wireless router,

What I want to do is network the xp pro computer through its ethernet card with my xp home computer, so I plugged it all in, ran the network setup wizard on both and here's where the trouble starts.
When I setup the xp home system to share its internet connection, it has an error and says it could not configure please do it manually or run the set up wizard again with different settings. The xp pro system runs through the wizard just fine and appears ready and willing.
They both have the name workgroup name ( i was told by my freind that was all that would be necessary. they are also both running SP2

Does anyone have any idea what i need to do? Please let me know if you need any other info. help would be great cause I don't think I'll be able to rest untill i get this done. Thanks

 

help

Anybody have any ideas?

 

ISDMan

Do you have static ip adresses on the Home and Pro machines or router assigned? It is possible that the ip addressing is not correct between the machines or the Pro machine and router. Worth a look.

Bill

 

Here is a good place to start http://forums.practicallynetworked.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Also if you are using a software firewall either turn them off/ uninstall or make sure the IP Range is trusted.

SP2 Firewall got to exceptions and make sure file and print sharing is checked among anything else you see listed and need.

Check the Folder Options in Control Panel. In Pro and see if simple filesharing is enabled that is what Home uses. Pro likes passwords Home isn't as picky.

 

Thanks for the help

Thanks for the help, although i am still having problems....I am not using a router, i simply have the two computers directly connected through their ethernet ports. Simple File sharing is enabled, and I have turned off both firewalls. The main problem that i think this is about is that my main computer cannot compleate the network wizard when I attempt to share internet connections (it will compleate the wizard when not attempting to share internet connections, but still cannot locate the xp pro computer) when the wizard does not compleate it says an error has occured and that I have to setup my network maually or run the network setup wizard again with different settings. thanks for the help

 

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_ics/ The first thing you need to do is have two ethernet cards in the host computer(the one connected to the internet) and a crossover cable to connect both computers together.

 

If you have a Router, why do you need to share anything as far as the Internet goes.

Can't you send each machine directly to the Router ?

I have 3 machines plugged into a Router with everything set to Auto no one unit depends on the other for anything. And I can have all three online at the same time.

With sharing set the way I believe you are trying to do, if the one machine goes down nobody gets anywhere.

Also I get the message that you are using Wireless but I do not see why it would not work basicly the same as wired.

I do have my personal opinion of sharing. But I can not print it here.

BillyBob

 

I go through a wireless router. Doesn't make sense to me if you have a router not to use it. ICS is the pits to use compared to the router. If you are worried about someone getting to your files don't share the folders and use WPA,WEP, and Mac filtering. If you just want to share the internet don't use the wizard. Just point the machines to the router IP. I use DHCP. The machines do the rest. You have to enable sharing. I do it all manually and disable simple filesharing. You have more control that way.

 

Well said maggie

I agree. If you have a Router use it.

BillyBob

 

once again thanks for the help everyone, just to address a few points.. I cannot use the router because it is a wireless router, i have purchased a wireless usb adapter to connect the xp home computer to the internet, but instead of purchasing another wireless usb adapter for the xp pro machine i thought it may be cheaper (though perhaps not eaiser)to simply share the connection. Maggie could you expand on this?
"If you just want to share the internet don't use the wizard. Just point the machines to the router IP. I use DHCP. The machines do the rest. You have to enable sharing. I do it all manually and disable simple filesharing. You have more control that way." I would like to share files, but if i could just share internet at this point i could live with that, can i do this without the router?

once again thanks for all the help

 

There is not a wired connection on the airport? I'm not familiar with them. Maybe point me to a webpage for your model. You will need an ethernet card or the wireless USB.

 

http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

 

the airport is connected to my cable modem....i have a usb wireless adapter connected to my xp home machine, i have a crossover ethernet connection between my xp home and my xp pro machines, this is the connection which i can't seem to get working.....thanks

 

I would get the wireless card. If USB is the only option then that would be the one I get. Then you can connect the second computer up. I think it would be a better alternative.


This is all I could find in my notes. Since I don't do ICS.
You can set up the wireless network in any of these ways:

1. An Ad-Hoc network, with no wireless router or access point.

2. With a wireless access point connected, using a crossover cable, to
a wired Ethernet port on the host computer.

3. With a wireless router. Connect both computers to its LAN ports.
Don't connect anything to its WAN (Internet) port. Disable the
router's DHCP server so that it doesn't interfere with ICS.

 

Unless I am way off base when things ( the Router ) are set correctly the only thing shared is the output of the Router to the Internet. That is unless you do have some files on one machine set to be shared.

And I also believe if things are set correctly you should be able to have both machines online at the same time. I have had as many as four online at the same time. And by each machine going directly to the Router there are no conflicts.

I just checked MsHome and all I can see is that all three machines are online. And we are all on the Internet also.

But I am using Linksys Products and all is hardwired.

But one BIG drawback to setting up one machine as a shared unit is the fact that if it goes down NOBODY gets ANYWHERE. I learned that way back years ago.

BillyBob

 

I used a wireless accesspoint years ago but I hooked it to my wired router. It would pick up 11 wireless connections. Now I use a Linksys WRT54G wireless router. My main machine is hardwired to the router but the others are wireless.

 

It may be cheaper but not easier may be true.

But in the long run separate adapters will not only be easier but in the long run much more reliable.

maggie
I would be willing to bet that each of those 11 machines had its' own adapter. Which I think ISDMan will need to do also in order to have things work better.

I have an all hardwired Network and I tried sharing some things ( a couple of games ) between a 98SE and this XP Pro a while back. YUCK !!!

BillyBob

 

Thanks

Thanks everyone for all of your help on this issue, seeing how nothing I try is working, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get another wireless usb adapter. hopefully there's a nice sale somewhere. Thanks again for all your help