In the market to buy a laptop

[jammin]

I am currently in the market to buy a laptop and I am curious as to what features I should be looking at specifically in terms of wireless networkability. I currently do have cable modem internet service on my desktop.

My current desktop will be my primary computer so therefore, the laptop will not necessarily be a "top of the line" configuration.

Any help will be appreciated.

[Jah_Mamma]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

I love Macs and highly recommend them.
The entry level ibook has got everything for you to go wireless and is not expensive. All you would need to buy is a wireless router and I recommend Linksys.

[Rebycman]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Really the only things you will need is a broadband connection, a wireless network card for your laptop, and as Jah_Mamma said a wireless router. I also agree with the previous suggestion to get a Linksys.

Regards,

-Reby

[jammin]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Originally posted by Rebycman:
[qb] Really the only things you will need is a broadband connection, a wireless network card for your laptop, and as Jah_Mamma said a wireless router. I also agree with the previous suggestion to get a Linksys.

Regards,

-Reby [/qb]

Thanks. I did get that laptop today and bought the Linksys router(Wireless G) as you suggested. Everything works fine now after a few hicupps that were solved by my ISP.

Question?

Is there anything I can check on my computer to make sure my network is secure?

[Rebycman]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Hope you enjoy your new toy. To test your setup try Shields Up to probe your system.

Regards,

-Reby

[jammin]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Originally posted by Rebycman:
[qb] Hope you enjoy your new toy. To test your setup try Shields Up to probe your system.

Regards,

-Reby [/qb]

Thanks Reby.

[Jah_Mamma]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Enjoy your new toy!

[jammin]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Thanks for all the help.

Now, I want to be able to print from my laptop to a printer that is attached to my desktop. I was speaking to a computer guy at work and he gave me instructions on how to setup the "printer sharing" capabilities of both desktop/laptop and the printer but it doesn't seem to work.

Can someone here walk me through the step by step process to set this up. Both laptop and desktop use Windows XP.

I found the instructions below on the net but it still didn't work

I followed everything exactly. I didn't see a "printer listed" when I followed the last line of the instructions.

I also chose the other options of adding the printer info and it gave me an error message.


=================================================


Printer Sharing Using Windows XP
If you have more than one computer in your home network and you would like to share the printer between the two, Windows XP makes this an easy task. Here's how:

Opened the Printers and Faxes folder on the computer that is currently connected to the printer.

To open the Printers and Faxes folder

Click Start and then click Control Panel.
Click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
In the Printers and Faxes folder, click the printer's icon and, in the tasks pane, click Share This Printer.
Open the printer's Properties dialog box, and click on the Sharing tab.
Click Share Name, and then click OK.
The printer will now be available for other computers to use.

Now let's connect to it and print from other computers on the network.

To connect to the printer

Open Control Panel, and click Printers and Other Hardware.
Click Add a Printer.
Instead of adding a local printer, click Printer Connection and then browse the network for the printer.

[Rebycman]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

I'm not sure which step you are saying failed. Does your printer work properly on your desktop? Can you see your network resources in XP from both machines?

Almost sounds like you havent setup your network yet (other than just connecting them to the router). Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Regards,

-Reby

[jammin]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Originally posted by Rebycman:
[qb] I'm not sure which step you are saying failed. Does your printer work properly on your desktop? Can you see your network resources in XP from both machines?

Almost sounds like you havent setup your network yet (other than just connecting them to the router). Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Regards,

-Reby [/qb]

I edited the post to "bold" the section I had problems with. I followed everything line by line but I didn't see a list of printers as per the instructions listed above.

The printer does work properly with the desktop.

Not sure what you mean if I can see my network resources in XP from both machines. Is there something else I should be doing in order for both computers to "see" each other. I thought my network was setup since my wireless connection is working fine with my laptop.

[Rebycman]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

I'd double check your home network by running the network wizard then follow the directions listed to install the printer over the network.

To start the Network Wizard:

1. Choose Control Panel from the Start menu.

2. Click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Set up or change your home or small office network.

3. Follow the prompts to setup your network. Make sure that each computer on your network uses the same workgroup name (default is MSHOME) and make sure each has its own name (pc1, pc2).

Now to your printer...

To share a printer, on the computer which is directly connected to the printer:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers And Other Hardware -> Printers And Faxes.
2. Click the printer you wish to share.
3. Click Share This Printer in the Task Pane.
4. In the printer’s Properties dialog, click the Sharing tab.
5. Click Share Name and OK.

Once a printer has been shared you can access it from other computers on the network. To do so:

1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Printers And Other Hardware.
2. Click Add A Printer.
3. In the Add New Printer wizard, when asked whether the printer is a local or network printer, select network printer.
4. In the next screen, select the option to Browse For A Printer and click Next.
5. Select the appropriate printer from the list and continue with the wizard.

Regards,

-Reby

[jammin]

Re: In the market to buy a laptop

Thanks Reby.

I will try it tonight when I get home and see what happens.