How to network XP & Vista PCs

Hi.
No hair left to pull out - but I would if I could.
Spent half a day trying to set up network so I can print from XP PC to printer that is connected to Vista PC. PCs are connected wirelessly to the Modem which is connected to the telephone system.
Half way through, I realised I was probably on the wrong horse - the PCs don't seem to be seeing each other.
Any help would have me instantly altering my will.
Thanks.

 

Are they in the same workgroup or domain?

 

Just make sure your computers belong to the same Workgroup and that you're printer is shared. Then XP should be able to find the printer. If you did all this and it did not help you may want to read this. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749119.aspx

 

Ok, you get half the car. I went to the link and followed instructions. I don't know if the software was already downloaded - they didn't tell me to check beforehand, and I didn't know where to look until I had done it. However, the second last instruction on that link mentioned that I might like to click on SHOW FULL MAP on the Vista PC. You know, that little light blue text stuck over at the side where they could be sure no one would see it. Their plan worked. I spent half of yesterday without noticing it, and for all I know, the connection that showed up when I DID click on it might have been there all along!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
Is there an "I'm angry at Microsoft" emoticon?

Anyway, how would you like to try for the other half of the car? The XP PC is not showing the Vista PC (I trust you will have gathered that the XP is now showing up on the Vista). I'll keep trying, but I suspect you will read this before I find an answer.

Thanks for your help to this point. You have helped me to take one painstaking step forward.

Geoff

PS. Forgot to say that before I started trying to network, I had used the printer separately on both PCs, so they have both been setup with the printer software and used successfully. I wonder if that's causing some sort of interference.

 

Oops. Thanks Just Playin. I didn't scroll down far enough to see your posted question, until just now. Thanks for responding. They are in the same workgroup.

Geoff

 

Just discovered that the Vista PC is listed under Firewall => Computers tab in Online Armor on XP PC. So is the Workgroup. They are under Wireless Connection and have "?Unknown" next to them. The Workgroup also has a lightglobe next to it. I can't seem to do anything with them - no right or left click activity. I turned off the firewall (didn't reboot), but that didn't seem to do anything (except make the Firewall tab disappear).

 

It's all over folks.

Turned off Online Armor firewall again, and rebooted this time.

Went to network and it was saying the connection was still firewalled!!!???
Can't remember why (I certainly wouldn't have thought of this), but I ended up at the Windows Firewall. IT WAS ON!!! It wasn't on before. It wasn't. No way. I looked. It wasn't on!!!! Now it was. Does Windows turn it on when you turn your other firewall off?...

O, BTW, I tried to allow access to network computers in Online Armor, but I have the free version, and Exceptions are not included.

Anyway, I turned off the Windows Firewall and then went to My Network Connections. Still nothing there. Did you know that everyone says that you should click on "My Network Places" to see your connections. Fortunately I have now become distrusting of everything.

Look around. What's that? "View workgroup computers". No one has ever said that I should go there, but I now have an idea of what a workgroup is, and this looks promising. Click on it, and what do you know??? There's my Vista PC connection looking back at me (I suspect I saw it wink at me - ever so briefly). Incredulity sets in. It's there!

Ok. Do I now have access to the printer?

AS IF!!

No. I now have to go and Add a printer (which I have done more times in the last day than Bill Gates has made dollars since MS began). I'm guessing this is the right thing to do.

This time it's different. There's a new kid on the block. I am able to select the newly listed computer and add it. I try printing a blank page and shoot my son (who's in the next room) in the head with it as it spits out of the printer (above the Vista computer which he is now using - he proudly achieved 99 firemaking on Runescape yesterday - see, some of us know what we're doing!!!).

Why does it shoot out of the printer (I'm sure I heard you asking)? The front door which acts as a catcher was open the other day, and the cat decided this would be a convenient stepping stone in its pursuit of gaining the highest vantage point in the room (on top of said printer).

The door was (note past tense) held on by a couple of little plastic extrusions passing through little plastic rings in the door. The ring broke on one side and the extrusion on the other. That was just to make sure we couldn't just replace one bit. I refuse to replace both - we now have no door or catcher, and my son gets shot with spitting printer paper. Good! Why should I be the only one to suffer!

I suspect that, had I noticed the little blue writing on the Vista PC yesterday, I might have had the printer working and half the garden weeded by now. Ok, so it wasn't ALL bad.

Thanks again to those who responded.

Geoff

Epilogue

After setting all this up, I wondered what to do about firewalls? Leave Windows firewall on? Could I turn Online Armor back on - but wouldn't that then block the other computer again? Decided to try.

Turned on Online Armor. Everything still seemed to be working. Good. Better now turn off Windows Firewall - you're not supposed to have two on (I do know some things). Went to Windows Firewall (took me a few minutes to find it - see, I told you I didn't go there on purpose before), and lo-and-behold! It's OFF! Note to self: it seems that turning on and off an imported firewall causes the Windows Firewall to go off and on. Wouldn't it have been nice of them to tell us.

Anyone know anything about Ubuntu?