Wireless access points

Both of my laptops get internet just fine through my Netgear 59 wireless router.

ONCE MORE I attempted to get some networking going - between the laptops - using one of those magic ... ... Wizards.

It said to plug in a flash drive. I did.

Then it said to plug the flash drive into my wireless access point.

What the --____ is a wireless access point? Do networking instructions EVER explain ANYTHING at all?

 

Hi JimLL. Are you anywhere near Spencer? Next time I'm up there I want to swing through and wave a magic networking wand.

What wizard are you trying to use?

We have talked many times before but can you tell me yet again what you want your laptops to do and are they both running XP or is one of the Windows 7? I'm temped to ask you to open teamviewer (remote control program) on them both and let me try to get them to talk !

 

I'm at the eastern edge of Choo Choo Town.

In the past I was trying to get an XP Pro machine to talk to an older XP Pro machine. Now I'm trying to do that up to newer T520 Win7 machine.

I have two wizards, "New Connection" and "Network Setup." They both sound the same to me. "Setup New."

As it happens, both the XP machine and the Win7 machine talk to my printer. (All wireless.)

I've tried both. New Connection apparently leads into Network Setup.

In any case, at the end of the run I get an error saying:

Cannot complete the Network Setup Wizard.
an error occurred during the configuration.

Then it says I can do it manually. When pigs fly. Backwards.

Neither the XP machine nor the Win7 machine show "teamviewer" in the Helps.

As for what I want them to do, I don't think it can be done. On another OS, networking made it as if the two computers were one. But as I understand it Windows dollar store networking only allows you to bounce stuff through a shared folder. Maybe I read it wrong. Anyway I have files going back and forth between the two laptops. Via flash drive as of now. But I'd think a person ought to be able to sync files without crawling through a keyhole to do it - flash or shared folder.

It just occurred to me that something may be turned off in the router. At the moment I don't even remember how to check it out.

 

On my network I have a Win 7 computer that has a folder on it's desktop called Curt Shared. On the XP I have a shortcut to that folder.

Would that work for you? I have it set right now that only the user of the win 7 machine can edit documents. Everyone else has read/print only access. It can easily be changed so any computer can work with those documents.

 

Frankly I don't know what you're talking about. It would appear to me that in order to have a shortcut on one computer to a folder on another computer you would ALREADY HAVE TO HAVE them talking to each other.

I have tried using instructions from Helps to set up a remote desktop setup (Control Panel -> System -> Remote). Following the directions step by step, in the dialog box named "Remote Desktop" I enter either the name of the other computer or my user name on that computer and get an error saying, essentially "That object is not on THIS computer."

Well of course not! it IS the other computer. Why would it be looking for the remote desktop on the local computer??? Nothing makes any sense.

Last but NOT least I would like to get the answer to the question I asked in my PO.

What is the "Wireless Access Point" it asked me to connect to?

 

I am going to ask for something I have never got from ANYBODY in regards to setting up a network. Given what my OP said, that both computers talk to the internet just fine through my wireless router...

1. EXACTLY WHAT is the very first single step, single thing I should do to start setting up a network between two computers.

There must be something I should open, something I should click on that is the correct very first step.

2. Assuming that is successful, EXACTLY WHAT is the very NEXT single step, single thing I should do NEXT to set up a network between two computers?

I have read dozens of networking articles and not ONCE have I found a series of steps to get the job done. Not once. They all talk about technical details you can set up after you have already got your network running.

 

You almost certainly already have your network setup enough to do what I have offered. Both computers have a name, even if it's the name given by the manufacturer.

If having just a shared folder that one computer hosts and one computer accesses will work for you, I can walk you though the steps to accomplish it.

This is just an overview of what it would take because I don't know if this is what you want.
I prefer not to use the "home" setting on windows 7. I always struggle with that setting and it setting itself up when I'm mixing in XP. If you chose instead the work option on the win7 machine, give it a workgroup name. On the XP you will give the workgroup the same name.

Setup a folder on the win7 and add share permission. I start with "everyone" and will adjust that as needed after I know I'm connected properly. On win7 this will give you a link for other computers to follow.

I tested this yesterday and thinking back, I think I may have forgotten to give the new win7 machine the same workgroup as all the XP stations have. It still worked great.

If sharing a folder will do what you need to do, it's not really networking setups or anything fancy. I really think you are looking at something more advanced and complicated than you need.

 

I have NEVER been able to share _ANYTHING_ between the two laptops, folder, file or otherwise - EXCEPT via flash drive, moving a gizmo between the two machines. Like I have said several times, I always get an error saying the connection cannot be completed. Anyway, can you auto-sync two computers using a shared folder? I don't think so.

On the Win 7 machine I can get up a network map that shows the Win7 machine and the printer's memory card at the top as available computers.

At the bottom it says it also found the other (XP) machine but that it can't display it on the map!?!? What on earth does that mean?

Going through Win 7 Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> View Network computers and Devices - I see the XP machine listed but - as I have said before - left clicking that route tells me I have no permission.

Lastly - NOTE THIS

Also going that way and RIGHT clicking I find another option "Connect with Remote Desktop Connection." When I click that I suddenly get total control of the other machine. Not a folder, but EVERYTHING. But it doesn't stick. As soon as I turn it off I have to go through the whole process all over again.

There MUST BE some way to do that permanently. To set whatever permission the thing is referring to so it simply works. But who has a clue what permission it's talking about or where to set it.

 

I don't think so either, not in the way that you are thinking.

First, on the win 7 machine, go into the Network and Sharing Center. If under the name of your network in Active Networks, it says Home, change that to Work. I can't make this function under the home setting and haven't found a need to figure it out yet.

Do you know what the name of the win7 machine is? We will need it.

On the desktop of the win7, make a new folder, name it testmeshare (looking for little irish luck). Right click that folder, go to Share with > Specific people and in the drop down box next to "add" select everyone and then click add. Change the permission of the everyone user from Read to Read/Write JUST FOR TESTING, you will want to change this after it's working and give it a specific user name.

On the XP machine, go to Start > Run and in this box you will type \\nameofyourwin7computer and click OK. The \\ is necessary.
If your XP machine can see your win7 machine, a box with what is available to be shared should appear. Maybe Shared Documents will be there with testmeshare folder, maybe a printer if you've tried to share one. You can click on the folder and open it. Any document that you open there and save to there will be identical when you open the testmeshare folder on the win7 machine.
When this works, we can map it and make a shortcut to it for easy access on the XP.

 

The new machine's (Lenovo T520 /w Win 7 Pro) actual name is Laptop3. (The older one (Lenovo Thinkpad T62p with XP Pro) is Laptop2.) The oldest, IBM Thinkpad T42 (also with XP Pro) is Laptop1. I don't mess with towers any more.

testmeshare (marked Shared) properties has only one entry in it - "Advanced Sharing..."

Under "Advanced Sharing" are 5 tabs:

|General|Sharing|Security|Previous Versions|Customize|

Under the "Sharing" tab "testmeshare" is listed as shared.
It's path is shown as \\Laoptop3\testmeshare
It also has an "Advanced Sharing" button.

Under the "Security" tab are _already_ listed:

1. System
2. My name (as admin)
3. Administrators

All of these came up with Full permissions which are grayed out and I haven't figured out how to change those - if they need to be reduced to Read and Write only.

I got:

1. Documents - Access Denied
2. testmeshare - Access Denied
3. Users - has contents.

In "Users" there are two folders "Default" and "Public", which lead to a lot of folders (Pictures, Libraries, Documents, Music, Saved Games, Links, etc.) 99% of which drill down to empty folders.

I have followed your instructions and have, in fact, opened a keyhole, which I said I was not interested in, which (as I predicted) will NOT permit the auto-syncing I'm after as I have said more than once, short of a major DLL, which I couldn't write to save my soul.

In fact, all this complicated stuff can be more quickly and easily done via my present slow method of switching a physical gizmo (flash drive) between the two computers.

You have ignored most of what I have said and asked for, and told me I shouldn't want what I want, but thanks for the effort anyway.

I think what I need is the answer to the actual question in my OP. What's a "Wireless access point" and how do I find it?

 

Definition of Wireless Access Point - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_access_point

The thing that is causing you grief is Microsoft's use of "networking" for 2 different operations. The wizards you are referring to are for connecting to an outside network either wired or wireless. They have nothing to do with setting up a network of joined computers except that they enable the connection in the first place. MS uses the word network for these different actions and it causes confusion (as you have found out). Since all your computers communicate with the router/wireless access point, you do not need to do these wizards again.
As evidenced by your computers seeing each other, you have created a "private" network and just have to work through the permissions issue with handygal.
Hope this answers your question.

 

AMEN!!

Oh, wait a minute. I sort of got my punctuation mixed up there.

Exactly, not blind - just deaf and dumb)

Hm, yes, I've known they swap words around willy nilly for a long time. I've commented that they assume you already know everything and can read their minds. The old news groups drove me nuts. People who could talk (spell) computer buzz words in their sleep had trouble spelling difficult words such as "I."

Yes, permissions. Every time I think I've got through a mess of instructions correctly the last word is "You don't have permission to do that. See your administrator." I even made that exact point earlier, commenting that I'm sole admin on both machines. That got no response at all that I can recall.

I'm guessing that it has something to do with all that stuff in "sharing" but I've spent a lot of time trying to make something happen there and nothing. Networking seems to have the least organized how-to's of any element of computing.

Answered my question? Actually I guess you've pointed out that I'm asking the right ones. The only thing is, it's like I'm asking "Where can I get some gasoline?" and the answer is "Your left side mirror is crooked."

I still don't know where to plug in my flash drive for an access point and I have no clue where/how to set what permissions. I can only be fairly certain permissions don't mean "yes, you can use my bathroom."

Thanks

 

What have you offered? I see no previous messages from OSWA.

As for sharing, I'm thinking the same way. I always run into messages saying "you don't have permission." As I've posted previously, I'm the only one here and, therefore am admin on both machines. What more is there to permissions? Does an admin have to give permissions to the admin?

I see "No Permission" a LOT on the Win7 machine.


I'm leery of the whole sharing issue. On the XP laptop I turned on sharing to something a few weeks ago. From there on I couldn't access it from anywhere and kept getting errors saying that it was busy being accessed by something else. I finally got the sharing turned off and got access after that.

JimL

 

I'm curious as to something that might be causing you grief.
Is a Home Group set up on the Win 7 machine? If so, I would "leave" the Home Group by - typing "Home Group" in the search box, choosing the option, "Choose home group and sharing options", down at the bottom is an option to "Leave the home group..." .

 

Thanks. I don't know if Home Group was new to Win 7, but it seems to me like just another layer of complication and I haven't a clue how it works or is worked or why they put it in there.

I'll check that out. If that has something to do with why I keep getting permission errors I'm all for it.

 

So those instructions could as well have said router instead of wireless access point.

Not that it matters. The instructions were to plug a USB flash drive into it and my router has no USB port. I've never had a router that did. I could have never read that stuff and been further ahead.

 

Wow! I went in and turned off Home Group. A couple of things (can't remember what) popped up. In the end the Win7 machine doesn't see the router and the router doesn't see the Win7 machine - or the wireless printer I've had running for a couple years (the first half of that time was on a Linksys). Now I'm cabled to the printer.

I've done resets, reboots, pored over the router's setup and see nothing new or odd.

For a while it kept telling me to make sure the Win7 settings were set up right for the router's settings. But it never once gave a clue as to how or where these settings could be altered.

The router is a Netgear wnr2000v3. Version is 1.1.1.72