Hi nogard,
You seem to have made two posts, both of which appear to be discussing the same issue. Your other post is located
here. However, this topic contains alot more detail in regards to your problem, so I have decided to post my response in this thread; if your other topic is based on a seperate issue, then please let me know. If it is indeed the same issue, then your other thread will be closed by a Moderator / Administrator.
Surly there are newtworks without internet somewhere.
You're absolutely right, and yes there are other networks out there that do not rely on the Internet, but are rather simply connected to share files, or alternately to create an Intranet.
4th-Computer: Desktop Need to Install Network Card (OS: Windows 98se) Might upgrade to XP on this one
Having all of your computers on the same Operating System (ie: Windows XP Home Edition) makes networking ALOT easier; however it is not a prerequisite.
not sure weather to go wirless card or wired card?
Personally, I always go wired over wireless, whenever possible. However, there are alot of people out there who have no problem(s) with wireless, and absolutely love it. So, by all means purchase a wireless adapter if you'd prefer it.
I was going to set up computer 1-2-3 on a network to play with , and work the bugs out, but the tutorial for the router says to hook up the cable or DSL first then continue with setup.
This isn't necessary; you can simply perform a powercycle once you install the DSL, which will do the same thing (I'll post the details on how to do a powercycle at the bottom).
the setup is web site driven
Are you sure it's not just asking you to log into your router's web console? This can be done without an Internet connection, by simply typing the router's IP Address into your Internet Explorer's Address Bar.
I don't have DSL yet, so how can I get this network going, and debuged before getting DSL?
It's a good idea to plan ahead. However how is your current setup? Because in order to properly setup your network to connect via the router, it may impair your Dial-up connection if you're sharing that with the other computers? Are you? Or does each computer have it's own connection? If so, continue...
Computer 1 (wireless):
- (*NOTE: the below steps only apply to certain variants of wireless routers -- if these steps do not apply to you, proceed directly to Step Two(b): Run the Wireless Network Setup Wizard.)
- Log into the wireless router's web console. You can connect to the web console by typing in the router's IP Address into your Internet Explorer Address Bar. If you do not know the IP Address, consult your manual.
- Upon connecting to the router, you should be queried for a Username and Password. This information will also be located in your manual.
- Once you're logged in, look for a tab in connection to Wireless Settings -- this section will allow you to setup the SSID, broadcasting channel and Encryption.
- The SSID is simply a description of your Network -- anything will do, as long as it's relatively unique to you. You're allowed up to 32 letters to express yourself, but remember that your neighbours might get to see this name at some point!
- Unless there is a specific network key that you must use, allow your router to automatically generate one -- once it has done this, be sure to write down both your SSID and your Network Key (on a piece of paper!).
Step Two(a): Run the
Wireless Network Setup Wizard:
- The easiest way to open the Wireless Network Setup Wizard is through the Start Menu: go to Programs, Accessories, then Communications, and you'll find it there.
- The first thing to do when the wizard appears is read the welcome message, and click Next.
- Now, enter the SSID that you created earlier in your router's web console, and that you wrote down on a piece of paper.
- Enter the Network Key that you created earlier in the router's web console, and that you wrote down on a piece of paper.
- If you bought equipment with WPA (stronger encryption), tick that box. Click Next again.
- Unless you have a USB flash drive (it's unlikely), choose the option for manual setup. Don't worry -- it's just a matter of printing out some settings and entering them into your other computers. If you don't use encryption, you can usually skip this step.
- Now, right-click on the wireless icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen -- it looks like a small computer with two lines on the right of it.
- On the menu that appears, click 'View Available Wireless Networks'.
- Now, you should see a list of the wireless networks your computer is in range of. Look for the name of your own network. This will be the name you typed in the setup wizard earlier or, if you use a router, it will probably be the name of your wireless equipment's manufacturer.
(Note that this is the screen to come to if you ever want to connect to a wireless network other than your usual one -- just double click the one you want, wait a while, and it should work.) - To make sure Windows knows which network is yours, you need to click 'Change the order of preferred networks' on the left of the available networks screen.
- You should click the 'Add' button to add the name of your network to this list, and use 'Remove' to take away any that aren't yours.
- When you've highlighted your network, click Properties, and then go to the Connection section.
- Make sure 'Connect when this network is in range' is ticked. If all else fails, you might have to take your printout from the Wireless Network Setup Wizard and enter that information on each computer.
Step Two(b): Run the
Wireless Network Setup Wizard:
- The easiest way to open the Wireless Network Setup Wizard is through the Start Menu: go to Programs, Accessories, then Communications, and you'll find it there.
- The first thing to do when the wizard appears is read the welcome message, and click Next.
- Now, type a name for your network -- anything will do, as long as it's relatively unique to you. You're allowed up to 32 letters to express yourself, but remember that your neighbours might get to see this name at some point! (Note: if you already have an SSID and Encryption Key, then you must enter these, rather than creating new ones.)
- Unless you already have a network key that you absolutely must use, select the Automatically Assign a Network Key radio button.
(Note: You should write down -- on a piece of paper -- both your SSID and your Network Key!) - If you bought equipment with WPA (stronger encryption), tick that box. Click Next again.
- Unless you have a USB flash drive (it's unlikely), choose the option for manual setup. Don't worry -- it's just a matter of printing out some settings and entering them into your other computers. If you don't use encryption, you can usually skip this step.
- Now, right-click on the wireless icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen -- it looks like a small computer with two lines on the right of it.
- On the menu that appears, click 'View Available Wireless Networks'.
- Now, you should see a list of the wireless networks your computer is in range of. Look for the name of your own network. This will be the name you typed in the setup wizard earlier or, if you use a router, it will probably be the name of your wireless equipment's manufacturer.
(Note that this is the screen to come to if you ever want to connect to a wireless network other than your usual one -- just double click the one you want, wait a while, and it should work.) - To make sure Windows knows which network is yours, you need to click 'Change the order of preferred networks' on the left of the available networks screen.
- You should click the 'Add' button to add the name of your network to this list, and use 'Remove' to take away any that aren't yours.
- When you've highlighted your network, click Properties, and then go to the Connection section.
- Make sure 'Connect when this network is in range' is ticked. If all else fails, you might have to take your printout from the Wireless Network Setup Wizard and enter that information on each computer.
Computer 2 & 3:
Run the
Network Setup Wizard:
- Goto Start --> Programs --> Accessories --> Communications --> Network Setup Wizard.
- The first thing to do when the wizard appears is read the welcome message, and then click Next.
- Read the 'Before you continue....' message, and then click Next.
- Select the option This computer connects to the Internet through a residential gateway or another computer on my network, and then press Next.
- Now, type in a Description for your computer; ie: Jimmy's Computer.
- Enter a Computer Name (or leave it as it's Default), and then press Next.
- Enter a Workgroup Name -- or leave it as it's default, and then press Next.
- If you want to share files and/or your printer with other computers on the network, select the option Turn on file and printer sharing and press Next.
- Check the information; if it is all fine, press Next.
- Now, if possible, you should Create a Network Setup Disk -- once you have created a Network Setup Disk, insert it into Computer 3, and follow all prompts -- if this is not possible, repeat these steps on computer 3.
Are you now able to connect all of the computers to the Network? Are they all able to share files, etc? Ping each other? If not, try disabling the Firewalls (SP2 Windows Firewall).
When you finally get your DSL installed, you should do the following:
Powercycling- Power off your computer(s).
- Shutdown / unplug your router.
- Wait two minutes.
- Connect your modem to a power outlet with the provided cord.
- Connect your modem to the router's WAN port with the Ethernet cord.
- Power on your modem. Wait until the modem has completely started (ie: all of the appropriate lights are on) before the next step. This may take upward of two minutes.
- Power on your router. Wait until the router completely restarts. This also can take upward of two minutes.
- Power on your computer.
Can you now connect to the Internet on your network?
Please let me know if you run into any problems;
Thanks,
Dan.
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