CHAPTER 5: Networking Your Computer52Testing your networkNow that your home network is set up, log onto one of your computers and access a favoriteInternet Web site.If you are unable to connect to the Internet:• Click Start, Control Panel, Network and Internet, then the Network and SharingCenter. Choose Diagnose and Repair on the left of the window. Take any actionssuggested.• If you are using a wired Ethernet network, check all physical cable connections• Make sure that your router or access point is plugged in and compare the status lights onthe front of the router or access point with the patterns described in the router or accesspoint documentation• Temporarily turn off any firewall software on your desktop computer• Turn off all of the devices, then power them back on• Refer to your router’s or access point’s troubleshooting information• Contact your Internet service providerAdding a printer to your networkInstead of plugging a printer into each of your computers, you can add a printer to your network.To add a printer to the network, do one of the following:• Connect your printer to your networked computer, then share the printer. For informationabout sharing printers, see “Sharing drives and printers” on page 52.• Connect your printer to your router or access point if the router or access point includesa USB or parallel port. For more information, see the instructions that came with your routeror access point.• Use a printer that has built-in networking.• Use a print server.Sharing resourcesWith a network, you can share your Internet connection, drives, and printers.Sharing drives and printersWith a network, you can share drives (for example hard drives and DVD drives) and printersamong the computers connected to the network.After the drives and printers on each network computer are shared, you can access them asthough they were attached directly to your computer. Then you can:• View a network drive• Open and copy files stored on other network computers• Print documents on network printersSharing drives or foldersTo share drives or folders:1 Click Start, then click Computer.2 Right-click the drive or folder that you want to share, then click Share. The Propertiesdialog box opens.If you share a drive, the entire contents of that drive will be available to everyone on yournetwork. If you share a folder, only the contents of that folder will be available to everyoneon the network.ImportantTo share a printer among the network computers, each computer must have the shared printer’s drivers installed.Follow the instructions included with your printer to install the printer drivers on each computer.
