Setting up a home network

[darraghdoherty]

Hi,

First of all, if semi-techi-illiterates like me annoy you, you'd best
not read this any further, as I'd say this may seem very obvious to
anyone out there who knows their stuff ....

I've a broadband connection, and 2 computers with a wireless connection
to it (a desktop and a laptop) both running Windows XP home edition.
In the past I've set up a home network where I could allow one access
files on the other in a shared area on that computer, but both had to
be turned on at the time.

I'm getting a new laptop (the screen on the current one is cracked but
still usable) and I was wondering if I could use my old laptop as a
sort of base 'server' for a network, i.e. like I have in work, where
each PC has access to a 'shared drive'. Ideally, I could use the 40 or
so gigs hard drive memory of the old machine where I could save stuff
to, i.e. I wouldn't need both computers on at the time to share files.

Is this feasible, or more hassle than its worth? Any advice in
reasonably decipherable English gratefully recieved ...

 

[TDP]

Hi,

First of all, if semi-techi-illiterates like me annoy you, you'd best
not read this any further, as I'd say this may seem very obvious to
anyone out there who knows their stuff ....

I've a broadband connection, and 2 computers with a wireless connection
to it (a desktop and a laptop) both running Windows XP home edition.
In the past I've set up a home network where I could allow one access
files on the other in a shared area on that computer, but both had to
be turned on at the time.

I'm getting a new laptop (the screen on the current one is cracked but
still usable) and I was wondering if I could use my old laptop as a
sort of base 'server' for a network, i.e. like I have in work, where
each PC has access to a 'shared drive'. Ideally, I could use the 40 or
so gigs hard drive memory of the old machine where I could save stuff
to, i.e. I wouldn't need both computers on at the time to share files.

Is this feasible, or more hassle than its worth? Any advice in
reasonably decipherable English gratefully recieved ...

In a word yes this is ok but any pc that you use as a server would have to
be on while either of the others were in use, just join it to your network
and make the area required sharing..
Tdp..

 

[Frankster]

Is this feasible, or more hassle than its worth? Any advice in

reasonably decipherable English gratefully recieved ...

Yes, it'll work fine. That's as simple as I could make it

-Frank

 

[darraghdoherty]

In a word yes this is ok but any pc that you use as a server would have to
be on while either of the others were in use,

Thanks for the answer.

Like most laptops I guess it currently turns off if I close it (unless
certain CD games are running on it, or if its playing MP3s) and goes to
sleep if I ignore it for a bit. Do you know if there is a way to keep
them 'on stand-by' if physically shut, and become active if another PC
comes on the network? I tried a google for this Q, but got a squillion
hits, none of the first 50 or so seemed to be answering it.

Sorry for all the questions! If it turns out I'd have to have it
running all the time and opened up I'd probably not bother (not enough
space on the desk for it to the open up all the time, and I guess the
power of having it running 24/7 isn't the most environmentally sound
....) but if I can make some use of it rather than sending it to the
dump as e-waste that'd be a good thing.

 

[Frankster]

Like most laptops I guess it currently turns off if I close it

You can change this behavior in the BIOS and/or Windows Power Management
settings.

Also, it can be on standby and still "wakeup" when you access it. Again,
just power settings.

-Frank

 

[Guest]

If the old one is a "server", you could technically just remove the screen,
physically.

:

(not enough