Networking XP PRO with XP Home

[Guest]

I have a work laptop that is part of a domain at work. I want to network it
at home. The problem is that my home PC is Xp Home. Is there a way to add my
work laptop to my home network?

 

[Kristerpher Henderson]

Most of time when you are dealing with corporate machines you might not have
privledges to take them off the domain in which they are configured for.

You can try by doing this.

Hold down the Windows Key + Pause/Break.

This will open the system properties menu which allow you to select the tab
"Computer Name". In there you can drop the computer from the domain and then
add it to your workgroup.

 

[Chuck]

I have a work laptop that is part of a domain at work. I want to network it
at home. The problem is that my home PC is Xp Home. Is there a way to add my
work laptop to my home network?

If your laptop can connect to the home network, and get an acceptable ip
address, it will work fine.

Make sure that you have a local account on the laptop, so you can login without
domain authentication. Then make sure that the Guest account is enabled, on the
laptop, and on your home computer. Enable Guest, with Start - Run - "cmd", then
type "net user guest /active:yes" in the command window. Ensure that the
password for Guest is blank, with Start - Run - "control userpasswords2"; select
Guest, click Reset Password, click OK without entering a new password.

When you login to the laptop, using a local account, you can go to Network
Neighborhood / My Network Places, and it will by default try to show the work
domain that its joined to (ie nothing on the home network). Hit the Backspace
button, and it will show you all computers on the home network.

Here are a few websites with useful tutorials on setting up your home network:
http://www.cablesense.com/
http://www.homenethelp.com/
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/
http://www.wown.com/

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.

 

[Chuck]

Most of time when you are dealing with corporate machines you might not have
privledges to take them off the domain in which they are configured for.

You can try by doing this.

Hold down the Windows Key + Pause/Break.

This will open the system properties menu which allow you to select the tab
"Computer Name". In there you can drop the computer from the domain and then
add it to your workgroup.

Please don't drop the laptop from your companies domain without warning your
domain admin first. They will have to re add it when you bring it back to work.
I've been there, and that's one annoyance the domain admin doesn't need.

Workgroup membership is not as meaningful as you would think - it just
determines what shares get displayed directly under My Computer / My Network
Places. If you look under Entire Network - Microsoft Windows Network, you will
see all computers in all workgroups anywhere visible to you (which comes as a
shock to new users of cable broadband internet). Or open NN / MNP, and hit the
Backspace key.

Just get your domain admin to setup a local account on the laptop, that you can
use when you're at home.

--
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck sonic net.

 

[Admiral Q]

Kris,
Never, repeat never tell someone to drop their company owned Laptop from
the domain - in most companies, you'll be "fired", at the least written up,
and most of your access "removed". It creates unnecessary work for the
"domain admins", and runs the risk of completely loosing the "users" domain
profile if not done in a precise and careful manner.
Laptops that are members of a "domain" can be "easily" joined to a home
network, as long as it obtains an IP from the router, and the OP configures
his/her cached profile logon (userid/password) on the home PCs, and make the
appropriate folders/drives shared, and if necessary, make the appropriate
firewall adjustments on both the laptop and home network PC(s), it works
just fine.
You'll find out the perfect "text book" scenarios are a dream, that's
where "real world" experience comes into play.
--
Star Fleet Admiral Q @ your service!
"Google is your Friend!"
www.google.com

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