Running the Network Setup Wizard
In previous versions of
Windows, setting up a network usually involved working with obscure
settings. These are still available in Windows XP, but there’s also a
less perplexing route to network connectivity: the Network Setup Wizard.
Even if you enjoy working with TCP/IP settings and network protocols,
using the Network Setup Wizard is the best way to ensure trouble-free
network operation.
Windows XP has a feature called Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
that enables you to share one computer’s Internet connection with other
computers on the network. How you start setting up your network depends
on whether you’ll be using ICS:
If
you’ll be using ICS, run the Network Setup Wizard on the computer that
will be sharing its connection. This machine is called the ICS host.
Make sure that this machine’s Internet connection is active before
running the wizard. When you’re done, you can run the Network Setup
Wizard on the other clients, in any order. If you won’t be using ICS, run the Network Setup Wizard on any computer, in any order.
Configuring the ICS Host
Here are the steps to follow to run the Network Setup Wizard on the ICS host computer:
1. | Connect to the Internet.
| 2. | Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Network Setup Wizard.
| 3. | In the initial Network Setup Wizard dialog box, click Next.
| 4. | The
next wizard dialog box outlines some tasks you must have completed
before continuing (such as installing NICs). You’ve done all that, so
click Next.
| 5. | If
the wizard locates a shared Internet connection elsewhere on the
network, the Do You Want to Use the Shared Connection? dialog box
appears. In this case, activate the No, Let Me Choose Another Way to
Connect to the Internet option, and then click Next.
| 6. | In
the Select a Connection Method dialog box, make sure that the This
Computer Connects Directly to the Internet option is activated, and then
click Next. The wizard displays a list of the connections defined on
your system.
| 7. | Select the Internet connection and click Next.
| 8. | Run through the rest of the Network Setup Wizard’s steps, as described later in the “Completing the Network Setup Wizard” section.
|
Configuring Other ICS Machines
Here are the steps to follow to run the Network Setup Wizard on the other computers in an ICS network:
1. | Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Network Setup Wizard.
| 2. | In
the first two Network Setup Wizard dialog boxes, click Next. The Do You
Want to Use the Shared Connection? dialog box appears.
| 3. | Make
sure that the Yes, Use the Existing Shared Connection for This
Computer’s Internet Access option is activated, and then click Next.
| 4. | Run through the rest of the Network Setup Wizard’s steps, as described later in the “Completing the Network Setup Wizard” section.
|
Configuring a Network with a Residential Gateway
If
your network uses a broadband Internet connection attached to a
residential gateway, follow these steps to run the Network Setup Wizard
to configure the network to use the gateway:
1. | Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Network Setup Wizard.
| 2. | In the first two Network Setup Wizard dialog boxes, click Next.
| 3. | If
the wizard locates a shared Internet connection elsewhere on the
network, the Do You Want to Use the Shared Connection? dialog box
appears. In this case, activate the No, Let Me Choose Another Way to
Connect to the Internet option, and then click Next.
| 4. | In
the Select a Connection Method dialog box, activate the This Computer
Connects to the Internet Through a Residential Gateway or Through
Another Computer on My Network option, and then click Next.
| 5. | Run through the rest of the Network Setup Wizard’s steps, as described later in the “Completing the Network Setup Wizard” section.
|
Configuring a Network Without the Internet
If your network
doesn’t have Internet access, follow these steps to run the Network
Setup Wizard to configure the network properly:
1. | Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Network Setup Wizard.
| 2. | In the first two Network Setup Wizard dialog boxes, click Next.
| 3. | If
the wizard locates a shared Internet connection elsewhere on the
network, the Do You Want to Use the Shared Connection? dialog box
appears. In this case, activate the No, Let Me Choose Another Way to
Connect to the Internet option, and then click Next.
| 4. | In the Select a Connection Method dialog box, activate the Other option and click Next.
| 5. | Activate the This Computer Belongs to a Network That Does Not Have an Internet Connection, and then click Next.
| 6. | Run through the rest of the Network Setup Wizard’s steps, as described in the next section, “Completing the Network Setup Wizard.”
|
Completing the Network Setup Wizard
The rest of the Network Setup Wizard’s steps are common to all configurations:
1. | If
you have more than one connection on your computer, the wizard offers
to bridge the connections for you. In this case, activate Let Me Choose
the Connections to My Network and click Next. Now activate the check box
beside the connection that you use to access the network and click
Next.
| 2. | Type a computer description and a computer name (which must be unique among the networked computers) and click Next.
| 3. | Type a workgroup name (which must be the same for all the networked computers) and click Next.
| 4. | Click Next to apply the network settings.
| 5. | The
wizard asks how you want to run the Network Setup Wizard on your other
computers. You have four choices (click Next when you’re done):
| Create a Network Setup Disk | Choose
this option if you’ll be including Windows 9x or Me computers in the
network. This creates a floppy disk that includes a version of the
Network Setup Wizard. You insert this disk into a Windows 9x/Me client
and run the wizard on that computer. | | Use the Network Setup Disk I Already Have | Choose this option if you’ve already created a network setup disk. | | Use My Windows XP CD | Choose
this option to run the Network Setup Wizard on the Windows 9x/Me
computers using the Windows XP disc. In this case, you insert the disc
in the other computer. When the Welcome window appears, click Perform
Additional Tasks and then click Set Up a Home or Small Office Network. | | Just Finish the Wizard | Choose this option if you don’t need to run the wizard on Windows 9x/Me computers. |
| 6. | Click Finish. |
|
