Sharing files between computers?

Question

I have a computer at my deck that I would like to be able to share files to my laptop. I have a wireless system (Netgear, bought through Dell), but I can not seem to get the two computers to 'see' each other. How do I get them to talk to each other. I am new to this, but I assume that I could have, let say, pictures on my laptop, put them in a 'shared folder' and be able to open that shared folder on my computer at my desk. Is this how it works, if it works correctly? Both computers have Windows XP. Thanks

esquire · Answer

Yes and no.   If by 'shared folder' you mean Shared Documents you see when you open Windows Explorer or My Computer, the answer is no.  This folder is for sharing files among users of different groups (e.g., Administrator, Restricted, etc.) on your computer.   What you want is configuring file and printer sharing over a network, which is a networking issue and has been discussed many times - you should be able to find related discussions if you search the forum.

BBraxton · Answer

It may be more difficult if the computers are running XP Home edition. With XP Professional, there is a MAP command which helps make something like this possible, in a Windows Domain, such as at this school (not at home).

DAE06 · Answer

Well, with a little help from Microsoft, I got it figured out. Even though I had my firewalls turned off, I had to uninstall Norton internet security. Norton and microsoft were not working together very well I guess. After doing this, I could ping with success to both computers and set up the network. I love it. Now I just have to play with it and figure out some minor details.

esquire · Answer

How to configure NIS to allow File and Printer Sharing http://www.leeindy.com/firewall_nis-1.shtml

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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