How to

[JTcooper]

Could someone please tell me how to and what type of connection do I need to set up one desktop and one laptop to one or more external hard drive cause one of the laptop are soooooo slowwwww.


Thank you mucho much for any instruction,

[another view]

I don't think I can be much help with this, but are you trying to hook up two computers to the same external drive? Basically setting up a network? What operating system are you using? Hopefully someone can take over from here...

[JTcooper]

well, to be honest the laptop is window XP and the new desktop is vista. The laptop is a little slow to run photoshop and other gooddy. I have been trying to set up a network but the desktop doesn't seem to see the share file I'm seledted.

I bought a linksys 5-port 10/100/1000 gigabit switch connection using two RJ45 cable one going to each computor maybe this would help yall what I'm trying to do

[Franglais]

You want to access the files on your external hard drive from both laptop and desktop? I assume your external hard drive is USB2. This means that it can only be connected to one computer at a time. You should connect the external drive to the desktop and access it from the Laptop over the network via a file share on the Desktop. Even if your Desktop isn't very powerful, file sharing take fairly low system resources.

There are a number of things to do. Here is a rough description - my systems are all in French and I don't have any XP systems any more so the terms might be wrong:

1. Connect both your computers to the switch. They will be in a private network with just themselves
2. On both computers, make sure that the network is working, Windows networking is loaded, the systems have different names (Example: "Desktop" "Portable") etc.
3. On the XP machine make sure that Windows File Sharing is activated
4. Plug the USB disk into the desktop
5. From the desktop, select a folder you want to share on the USB disk and choose the option "Sharing". Give the share a name you will remember (example: Myfiles) and allow read/write access
6. On the Vista system activate the discovery of the network. After a few minutes you should see a Share called "Myfiles" on a computer called "Desktop" apprear. Click on it. You will probably be prompted for Username and Password in which case you type in your usual username and password on the XP system, and the contents of the shared folder will appear
7. If the discovery-of-the-network thing doesn't work on the laptop (it didn't on mine) you can just go into the Windows explorer window and in the pane at top left with Computer - C: etc. and just type in \\Desktop\Myfiles and it will go and open it directly

If all that seems like too much work, you can always buy a hard disk with an integrated Ethernet connection (sometimes called a NAS). You plug it into your switch and it is seen by both Desktop and Laptop as being a third computer. You have to read the instructions and do a bit of administration to get it set up but it's pretty simple.

[JTcooper]

yes Franglais I did go in and rename both system under the same name the groups name too but the desktop did not see the laptop. one more note though the desktop can see itselt but not the laptop. I thinks this the reason why. I'm trying to figure out why the laptop can't see itself...

[freygr]

1) You have to assign IP addresses (in the same range) unless you have a router with DHCP activated.

2) You have to install home networking on both computers. And all the computers must be a member of the same work group.

3) You have to share drives, folders and etc. before the other computers on the network will see the items.

4) You don't connect to the internet with shared files!

[Franglais]

yes Franglais I did go in and rename both system under the same name the groups name too but the desktop did not see the laptop. one more note though the desktop can see itselt but not the laptop. I thinks this the reason why. I'm trying to figure out why the laptop can't see itself...

The Workgroup name should be the same.
The Computer names should be different.

The desktop will be sharing files (as a server) so it should be visible to both systems.
The laptop needs to use the Desktop's files (as a client). The Laptop doesn't need to share it's own files. Therefore it may not be visible on the network. It has nothing to offer.

I can't do any testing. I've left my Laptop with Vista at work.

[JTcooper]

ok what I did different is the workgroup is the same but then the computor name same too. alright guy lets me play with that see what happen and I will check back later with the result hope this work and thank you for all yall imput.

[JTcooper]

ok guy this is what I found out, first of the switch did not work I have to exchange for the router and disable the wireless because I did not want my photo to be flowting around. Second the dam famoust Norton intize viruse blocking it without letting other seeing each other. Well that all folks