Need help with home network

[Spectral_Ranger]

Hi all,
I'm having a problem adding a system to my home network. I have two desktops and a notebook sharing a broadband connection, files, and printers on a wireless network setup as a workgroup. I'm running Windows 2000 pro, xp home, and me on the various machines (I know, I know, it just happened that way!). My employer has supplied me with another notebook system that came pre-configured to work on their network via VPNs and all that good stuff. It's running xp pro. It's networking is setup as a domain. So, my question is, how do I get this new notebook to see or be seen by my home network setup as a workgroup? I'm a bit of a networking novice, so please bear with me. I already tried monkeying with my new notebook networking ids, but ended up having to do a system restore to correct my mess. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Chris

[NTidd]

Firstly are you using DHCP? What you should probably try first is to right click "My Network Places" and hit properties. The right click on the network connection and hit properties again. Now click "TCPIP" and click the properties button. Then check obtain ip and dns automatically. You can also right click my computer, then under identification you can add it to your home domain or workgroup, that may help it connect to your home computers. By the way I am guessing how your network is setup.

[Spectral_Ranger]

It is already set to automatically obtain the IP and DNS addresses. Not sure if I'm using DHCP... Kinda went with the defaults when setting up the router and network, except for adding WEP and MAC address filtering. My new laptop can share the internet connection fine, I just can't get it to share files and printers.

When I go to the Computer Name tab under System Properties, it gives me options to either use the Network Identification Wizard to join a domain (Network ID button), or rename computer or join a domain (Change button). If I do the first, it seems like it's having me create the network connection all over, when it's already setup properly for work. And if I try to change my domain to a workgroup, it kills the network setup that's already working for my work environment. Sorry if I'm not explaining it very well... I just want to make it look for my home workgroup IN ADDITION to the domain that's already setup for use at work.

Thanks for helping!

Chris

[NTidd]

On one of your home computers goto Start - Run type CMD and press enter, then type ipconfig /all and paste the contents here.

[Spectral_Ranger]

Here it is:

Windows IP Configuration



Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Cxxxxx_TOSHIBA

Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :

Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No



Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:



Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Belkin_xxx

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : IEEE802.11b WLAN Cardbus Card

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-90-47-06-xx-E4

Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.10

Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1

DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1

Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, December 22, 2003 10:04:59 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 18, 2038 10:14:07 PM



Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:



Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-02-3F-7E-xx-D7

[Bungle]

so, what is the issue? You cannot get the notebook to find an internet connection? Or, is it maily getting them to recognize one-anither?
If you just want to see all the computers and be able to browse all the PCs on the network then you will need them to be in the same workgroup.
Sounds to me that the best thing to do is make all the PCs the same workgroup as your new notebook. Make sure none of the computers have a software firewall enabled.

[NTidd]

From another computer try going to a CMD prompt again then type:

ping Cxxxxx_TOSHIBA

Now if it replies goto the laptop, click start - run then type \\computernamethatyouaretryingtoconnectto and then press enter and see if it connects.

[pnosko]

Spectral_Ranger, do you need to connect to your work domain from home over your broadband connection, or do you just want to connect to your home network at home (and work network at work)?

[Spectral_Ranger]

Bungle - No, all of them share the internet connection just fine. And the three systems that are purely my personal computers can file and print share just fine. It's adding my work laptop system, already configured for another network setup as a domain, that's the problem. As to adding the work laptop to my workgroup, that's exactly what I'm trying to do, but I want to do it without messing up how it's configured to run on my employer's network.

NTidd - I'll try this when I get home tonight. Again, the three computers on my home network see each other fine and I have no problem with. It's my work laptop that's on a different domain that has no idea that my home workgroup is even there (other than for sharing internet connection). I'll give it a shot though.

pnosko - Actually, I do need to be able to connect to my work domain from home over my broadband connection, and that's working fine (that's why I don't want to screw that part up!). My issue right now is being able to copy files from my work laptop to my home network systems while I'm home.

Thanks all for your efforts!

[Bungle]

". As to adding the work laptop to my workgroup, that's exactly what I'm trying to do, but I want to do it without messing up how it's configured to run on my employer's network."

Thats what I thot. I reccomend renaming your home PCs to be on the workgroups the same as your notebook.

[Spectral_Ranger]

Bungle - OK, but my work laptop is setup to be in a domain, not a workgroup. I'm not clear on the difference, but it sounds like a workgroup is a subset of a domain. I believe I tried naming my workgroup the same as the domain back when I was first tinkering, but it didn't work.

[NTidd]

You can connect to the others without changing domains or workgroups, just type the \\computername from the run command and it should work just fine, you may have to enter a username and password and if that is so put: computername\username and the password you use to login on the other.

[Spectral_Ranger]

Sorry for the delay, lots going on! Still no dice. I can use \\computername to access other computers within my home network, but not to or from my work system. Any other ideas? Thanks...

[rehren]

use the IP address instead of \\computername...

as in: start menu --> run --> "\\192.168.2.XXX"