Add workgroup on domain computer?

My laptop is currently set up for my network domain at work. I have just installed a wireless network at home -- a workgroup -- and want to be able to share files from my laptop when I get home.

When I try to set up a workgroup on the laptop, I'm told by Windows that this can't be done on a domain computer. Is there any way to use my work laptop as part of my home network? Again, my primary goal is sharing files.

I would have thought that there were many people in my situation, wanting to use a work laptop with their home network.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm over my head here.

Tom Whedbee

 

As you found out you can only be a member of a domain or a workgroup, not both.

I would recommend that you logon to your local account when at home, you can utilise DHCP from your ADSL router (if supported) to ensure all PC's are on the same subnet etc.

As long as you are a local administrator or have the appropriate rights on your other machines there is no reason it wouldn't work that way.

 

You can usually access another network if you specify both your domain and username in the user name.

When Windows is in peer-to-peer mode (Where any PC grouping are based on workgroups), the "domain" is the PC itself. So say you have a pc at home called home_pc and you log on a JohnD. Then your domain at work is work_domain and you log in as JDoe. You can do this:

From the home PC accessing the work laptop.
When prompted for a username and password, enter:

work_domain\jdoe

and the password for that account

From the laptop access the home.
When prompted for a username and password, enter:

home_pc\johnd

and the password for that account.