Home Networking with Microsoft Windows

Everything we do on this page will take place in your network properties.  This is where we will tell windows how to communicate with your new network.  The easiest way to get to your network properties is to go to your desktop, right click on ‘network neighborhood’ and click properties.

Windows 98 Users: A standard install of Windows 98 should be updated to service pack 1 to ensure proper networking operation.   Go to THIS site and scroll down to the Recommended Updates area.  Download the 'System Update' and install it on all your Windows 98 computers.

The following four items should appear in your network properties. If you have a modem, you will see more.

1) Client for Microsoft Windows

2) Network Adapter Driver

3) NETBEUI

4) File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Windows

If you do not have these components, use the ‘add’ button to add them.  NETBEUI is found in the PROTOCOL componet type and the Client for Microsoft networks and file/print sharing are both found in the services area

 

 

 

From the configuration tab of your network properties, click the “File and Print Sharing” button under the "Primary Network Login Area. Make sure that both the files and printers checkboxes are both checked.  If they are not checked, you will be unable to share files and printers.

Identification Tab

Give your computer a unique computer name and a workgroup name. Each computer on your network should have a unique computer name and the SAME workgroup name. Keep the workgroup name simple to avoid typo’s. Example: MYNETWORK.  The network name is not case sensitive so MyNetwork is the same as mynetwork and the same as MYNETWORK

 

Access Control Tab

Select “Share level access control”.  User level control needs more administration. It can be enabled at a later time if you need to.  For now, lets keep it simple.

Select “Client for Microsoft networks” from the configuration tab and then click properties. Make sure you are NOT logging into a windows NT domain and click OK (the check box should be unchecked).  A windows domain requires of of your computers to be running a Windows SERVER to control all the login information on the network - That's not what we are looking for.

Network Adapter Properties

From the configuration tab of 'Network Properties' , select your network adapter driver, and click properties. Select the ‘bindings’ tab and ensure that NetBEUI is checked.

 

NetBEUI Properties

Bindings Tab : Ensure both “Client for Microsoft Windows” and “File and printer sharing for Microsof Networks” are checked.

 

Click OK to finish! (computer will reboot)

Enabling shares on Windows 95/98/ME

To get network neighborhood (network browser) working, you MUST enable at least one file or printer share on your computers.  (see Network Browsing explained )

Create a new folder on your hard drive and call it ‘shared’. Right click on this folder and select ‘Sharing’ from the menu that appears. Select “Shared as” and give the share a name or leave it as it is. Select “Full” as the access type. You can set a password for this share if you wish. Repeat this process for any folders or drives you wish to share.

Home Networking with Microsoft Windows