Wireless Card + Wireless Card = Headache

[ScArY]

Please can someone please put my mind at rest and help me with this problem.

1x PC with a ASUS wireless card

1x Tablet PC with a wireless card built in.

I've managed to the both of the PC's to be connected where you can view the available wireless networks and can ping each other.

But when i try to view files on either of the PC's it says you may not have permission to access this PC.

Sometimes it doesnt show the PC's in the Network Neighborhood even thou files are shared on both PC's.

In an ideal world i'd like to share the internet connection and files from 1 pc to another.

If anyone could shed some light on this nightmare situation it would be a great help!

Peace.

 

[jcurry]

First thing I think you need to check is that all of the computers are in the same workgroup. System Properties/Computer Name tab.

Next make sure File and Printer sharing is enabled. Then you'd need to create a share for the drives/folders you want, then assign them permissions.

 

[ScArY]

Hi

Thanks for the quick reply.

I've got both computers in the same workgroup and i've shared the hard drives of both machines.

Should I be using a static IP address or should I let windows configure that?

At the moment i've assigned an IP address, subnet of 255.255.255.0 and a default gateway.

Should the default gateway be the same on both PC's?

One thing i havent done is assigned a DNS server.

 

[jcurry]

Hmm, How about giving us the OS version on the home PC, and then tell us the model and OS of the tablet. I may be able to help you find more specific information relating to your machines.

Workgroups should be fairly simple, give a unique name to your computers, assign them to the identical workgroup name and reboot. Dynamic addresses should have been fine since i'm assuming your wireless access point is a router as well (unless you turned of dhcp on the router).

edit: I just got enough coffee in me to realize you didn't mention an access point. Do you have one, or are you trying to go peer to peer?

 

[HighHardOne]

I think Curry is on to something. If you don't have a access point to negotiate the connection between the computers, I think you need to ensure the cards are operating in "Ad-Hoc" mode.

But here's something else ... if you are using XP Pro, you have to make sure of a couple of things:

By default, access to the machine remotely is set to Guest Account access ... and of course, the Guest Account is disabled by default. Typically, I set remote access to "Classic", requiring simply an account on the target machine. If you want the accounts to be without password requirements, you need to change that setting too as it is set to not allow blank passwords except for users at the console.

To view these options, click on Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy.

Key options are:
Local Policies, Security Options, Accounts: Limit local account user of blank passwords to console logon only --- set to Disabled if you want password free access remotely

In the same section -- Network Access: Sharing and security model for local accounts --- set to Classic or you could just enable the Guest account and open up WindowsXP even more. But if you're on closed network, it should be fine.

Remember, the first option makes the PC less secure than it already is. So make sure you have compensating controls if this PC is exposed directly to the internet without any other security options. This advice is provided to make things easier with the understanding they are not optimal.