Windows 7 How to set up basic home network

[Mrmidlandman]

I've got a deskjtop and a laptop and a DLink router. they were all linked happily a couple of years ago and still have their ip addresses. The desktop is hard-wired to the modem. the laptop has a wireless link.

I've just upgraded both machines to windows 7 and am trying to link them.

Windows media player can see each machine from the other, but Windows Explorer can't.

I'm on the desktop, I go into full network map. I can see the desktop linked to the modem, via a question mark.
I can see the laptop linked to the modem directly.
The modem is linked to the internet.

I'm on the laptop, and there's no sign of the desktop. Just the laptop, the modem and the internet.

I've got a folder on each machine which is set to shared. I've got a shared printer on the desktop.

But I can't see any shared folder or printer from the other machine. But I can ping each machine, and I can play Windows media player from each - on the other.

Can you please tell me what i'm missing.

 

[Highwayman]

Setup the "Homegroup" on both PC's it's really good password protected way of sharing without all the hassles on manually configging

 

[Mrmidlandman]

Thanks for your reply.

I've set up a (or is it 'the') homegroup on both PCs, but:

1. I've read that it doesn't do much.

2. I don't know where the Homegroup is hosted, and how one machine sees a homegroup which has been set up on the other. I don't see any proof that either machine sees the homegroup that's been set up on the other.

3. I've got a different password for the homegroup on my desktop and that on my laptop. And neither machine asks me for a homegroup password. What's that all about?

 

[Highwayman]

Why can't I access my homegroup? Taken from Windows built in HELP :-


Why can't I access my homegroup?


There are several reasons why you might not be able to access your homegroup.

• Your computer might not belong to the homegroup yet, or it might have been removed. To join a homegroup, see Link Removed.
• You might not be connected to the network that the homegroup is on. To connect to a network, follow these steps:
  • Click the network icon on your taskbar, click the network you want to connect to, and then click Connect. You might be required to enter a Link Removed.
  After you've connected to the network, you can join a homegroup if one exists on your network.
• The network location might not be set to Home. HomeGroup only works on home networks. To change your network location, follow these steps:
  1. Click to open Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Click Work network or Public network, and then click Home network.
     Network and Sharing Center
• Network discovery might be turned off. For more information, see Link Removed.
• The other computers in your homegroup might be turned off, hibernating, or not in the home; or they might have left the homegroup. For information on changing power saving options, see Link Removed.
• The other people in your homegroup might not have shared any libraries or folders. For more information, see Link Removed.
• The homegroup password might have been changed on a computer that was then immediately turned off or went into a state of sleep or hibernation, but the new password wasn't immediately entered on the other computers in the homegroup. If this is the case, the new password won't be recognized on the other homegroup computers. To fix this problem, turn on the computer where the password was changed, and then enter the new password on the other computers.

If you still can’t access your homegroup, there might be a problem with your network. To run the Network troubleshooter, right-click the network icon or in the notification area of your taskbar, and then click Troubleshoot problems.
Sometimes, restarting your computer or leaving the homegroup and then rejoining it might help you access the other computers on your homegroup.

 

[Mrmidlandman]

Highwayman - I'm so grateful for your interest, but I haven't been able to move forward from your post, as follows:

Why can't I access my homegroup? Taken from Windows built in HELP :-


Why can't I access my homegroup?


There are several reasons why you might not be able to access your homegroup.

• Your computer might not belong to the homegroup yet, or it might have been removed. To join a homegroup, see Link Removed.

As previously mentioned, both my pc's are in homegroups, but not, I suspect, the same one. How do I get into the same homegroup when I don't have communication between the two machines?

• You might not be connected to the network that the homegroup is on. To connect to a network, follow these steps:
  • Click the network icon on your taskbar, click the network you want to connect to, and then click Connect. You might be required to enter a Link Removed.
  After you've connected to the network, you can join a homegroup if one exists on your network.

I've done the above, but as explained, I don't see a single homegroup that is shared between the machines.
The network location might not be set to Home. HomeGroup only works on home networks. To change your network location, follow these steps:

1. Click to open Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click Work network or Public network, and then click Home network.
   Network and Sharing Center

Done that

• Network discovery might be turned off. For more information, see Link Removed.

Both machines comply with that

• The other computers in your homegroup might be turned off, hibernating, or not in the home; or they might have left the homegroup. For information on changing power saving options, see Link Removed.

I'm sitting operating both machines as I type.

• The other people in your homegroup might not have shared any libraries or folders. For more information, see Link Removed.

As previously described, there are shared folders on each machine

• The homegroup password might have been changed on a computer that was then immediately turned off or went into a state of sleep or hibernation, but the new password wasn't immediately entered on the other computers in the homegroup. If this is the case, the new password won't be recognized on the other homegroup computers. To fix this problem, turn on the computer where the password was changed, and then enter the new password on the other computers.

Back to the same point. I haven't yet seen the homegroup from one machine appear on the other.

If you still can’t access your homegroup, there might be a problem with your network. To run the Network troubleshooter, right-click the network icon or in the notification area of your taskbar, and then click Troubleshoot problems.

Back to the circular arguement. I can't get the homegroup right because there's a problem with the network. I can't get the network right because there's a problem with the homegroup.

Sometimes, restarting your computer or leaving the homegroup and then rejoining it might help you access the other computers on your homegroup.

I've done it many times, but will try it again. I've just left the homegroup on the desktop. It tells me there's no homegroup on the network. But there is one on the laptop (which can play music off the desktop.)

This is where I started with my first post. My desktop half-sees the laptop. The laptop doesn't see the desktop (apart from being able to play its music!).

Why do all the books and articles say that "setting up a network is easy"?

 

[Mrmidlandman]

To compose my previous email I checked various things, but to no avail.
Subsequently, I've tried removing the homegroups and setting them up again.
I now find that I'm further back than I was.

I did the following:
I'd already tried cycling homegroup through Home / Work etc on both machines.
I decided to exit the homegroup on each machine - which meant that there wasn't one.
I then set up a new homegroup on each machine as before, and checked all of the settings, such as self-discovery etc.
So I should be back to where I was a couple of hours ago.

Unfortunately I now have the following differences:
Whereas the laptop previously appeared on the full network map as seen by the desktop, it no longer appears.
The laptop still can't see the desktop.
Whereas each machine could previously, using Media Player, play music which was resident on the other, this is no longer the case.
(Both machines access the web via the router, but neither can see the other.)

 

[Mrmidlandman]

Wel, I've cracked it now. It was all down to firewalls. I may be stupid, but I bet thousands (or millions) go through the same process.

Setting up a network really is easy - if you know how to do it before you start.

 

[zhopudey]

Did you disable the firewall?

 

[Highwayman]

Wel, I've cracked it now. It was all down to firewalls. I may be stupid, but I bet thousands (or millions) go through the same process.

Setting up a network really is easy - if you know how to do it before you start.

Lol indeed firewall is often overlooked in most web/networking issues.

 

[xipz]

thanks.

Wel, I've cracked it now. It was all down to firewalls. I may be stupid, but I bet thousands (or millions) go through the same process.

Setting up a network really is easy - if you know how to do it before you start.

thanks very much, im break my head, where i did wrong, in vista both my pc able to share after installing windows 7 i can't access my share drive. after disbale firewall i can access now thanks once again useful information