probs with setting up a new network

[New_user]

I am very new at this. I know the very basics.

Here's what I have:

2 PCs. One is wireless capable, the other is not.
1 Laptop.
a linksys wireless router.
Cable modem.
HP printer.

All 3 computers run windows Vista.

At the moment, both the laptop and the PC with the wireless card are connected to the router wirelessly. The 3rd PC is connected to the router via cable which is connected directly to the cable modem. The printer is connected to the 3rd PC as well. All 3 computers have internet access, however they are not networked together.

What I want:

I want all 3 computers to have internet access. I also want all 3 computers to be able to use the one printer. Additionally, I want to be able to share documents and media between all 3 computers.

I have no idea where to even begin. I tried using the network wizard with vista, but I think the problem I am having is that my 3rd PC is not connected wirelessly. When i search for network devices, it comes up with nothing but the router.

Any suggestions please?

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

Welcome to the confusing world that is networking!!
I am not a networking expert and do not yet dabble with Vista but have succesfully achieved what you want to do with Windows XP so my answers may not work with Vista.

Basically your setup is OK but the reason you cannot see the wired PC is probably either because it does not have a unique name or share the same Network name or it is being blocked by your firewall if you have one, so:

1. Are you running a firewall like Norton or Zone Alarm? If so check that the IP address range that your network is using is allowed access and is not being blocked by the firewall.
2. Do all PC's have a unique name and are they on the same named network - Check control panel/system general tab and check that the PC that you cannot see is in the same Network Workgroup. In XP this is either MSHOME or WORKGROUP but you can change it to whatever you like as long as all PC's are the same.
3. You may also need to go into your router and ensure that the PC that you cannot see is not being blocked? This would only have happened is the MAC your router supports MAC filtering and the MAC address of the PC you cannot see has been blocked (Highly unlikely).

To find the IP and MAC address of the PC start/run type cmd this will open a Command Prompt window and type IPCONFIG /ALL this will only show the IP address of the PC that you are on at the time. Be aware if the PC has more than one network card (E.G. Wired and Wireless) IPCONFIG will show all of them if they are enabled and each interface card will have its own MAC address.

To share a printer you've got three choices, you either set it up to connect directly to your network either wired or wireless or you set it up as a shared printer on the network. To do this you need:

A. To set your existing printer up as wired you either need a wired printer interface or you need to buy an ethernet enabled printer.
B. To set your existing printer up as a wireless printer you need a wirless printer device - quite expensive, this is a USB device that you plug your printer in to and connects to your wireless network (PC world have started selling an EPSON 3 in 1 for an amazingly low price of £60 - its got built in WiFi).
B. The simplest method - connect your existing printer to a PC that is on the network and set it up as a shared network printer (Google it) the only downside with this option is that it uses the PC it is connected to to get onto the network al la the PC that it is connected to must be switched on and conneted to the network for the printer to be accessible to other network users.

There are loads of guides on the net so do a google search for Setting up a Windows Vista Network or something like that. I just found this one hich maybe of some help:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/help/76174f4a-7522-425a-9424-324dd299265e1033.mspx

Good luck