Windows 7 Trouble sharing network through my laptop

[Water640]

Hey guys and gals,

I just received a PC tower from a friend recently. It doesn't have a wireless card but he told me I can connect it to my laptop and use it's internet. So I've been trying that.

The tower is running XP and the laptop is running 7 with an Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN wireless card.

I looked up some online guides to how it's done, and it seemed pretty simple. I go into my network and sharing center and see two networks, my wireless connection and a LAN connection. I right click my LAN connection -> Properties -> Sharing -> Check "allow other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection"
However, when I do this, I get this message popup "an error occured while internet connection sharing was being enabled (null)."

I've tried the same thing but with the properties under wireless connection. While that one didn't get a popup it didn't connect at all. I've found some other forum posts about it and fiddled around with it a bit but I just can't seem to figure it out.

Can anyone help? That would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're encountering an issue while trying to share your laptop's internet connection with the XP tower through Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Let's go through some troubleshooting steps to resolve this problem:

Troubleshooting Steps:​

1. Check Network Settings:
   • Ensure that both your laptop and tower are connected via an Ethernet cable.
   • Confirm that your laptop's wireless connection is active and working properly.
   []Update Network Drivers:
   • Make sure that the network drivers for both your laptop and tower are up-to-date, especially for the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN on your laptop.
   • Visit the Intel website to download and install the latest drivers for the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN.
   []Restart Both Systems:
   • Sometimes, a simple restart can help resolve networking issues. Restart both your laptop and the XP tower.
   []Disable Firewall/Antivirus:
   • Temporarily disable any firewall or antivirus software running on both your laptop and the XP tower. Sometimes, these can interfere with network sharing.
   []Run Troubleshooter:
   • Run the Network Adapter troubleshooter on both systems to diagnose any potential issues.
   []Check Windows Firewall Settings:
   • Ensure that the Windows Firewall settings are not blocking the sharing of the internet connection. You may need to create an exception for ICS.
   []Reset ICS Configuration:
   • Disable Internet Connection Sharing, restart your laptop, then re-enable ICS with the correct settings.
   []Manually Configure ICS:
   • If the automatic method doesn't work, you can manually configure ICS by setting up a new network.

Manual ICS Configuration Steps:​

1. Set Up a New Network:
   • On your laptop, create a new network with a new network name and password via the "Set up a new connection or network" option in the Network and Sharing Center.
   [

1. ]Share the New Network:
   • Share this new network connection with other devices by going to the Properties of the network, selecting the Sharing tab, and enabling sharing.
2. Connect the XP Tower:
   • Connect the XP tower to this new network using the provided network name and password. By following these steps, you should be able to set up Internet Connection Sharing between your laptop and the XP tower successfully. Let me know if you encounter any issues or need further assistance!