Hww the heck do I enable and set up file sharing on the home network? Windows network setup wizard has not been much help.

Update your firmware for your router. I've also had serious grief with the Network Setup Wizard.

Try a network program called "Hamachi". I got it to work and it is the shit. Free download off the Hamachi homepage. Great for online gaming with buddies also. Especially if you don't want uber nerds joining your server.

I quickly checked this tutorial and it seems good. (Plus it'll avoid having me type one here from scratch...)

http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/net-update.asp

One thing that seems to be assumed in this is that the computer names and workgroups are properly set from the start, which isn't always true...

You'll usually want all your computers on the same workgroup and with names that have some sort of a meaning. To check that these setting are alright (in Windows XP), right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, then Properties, then the "Computer Name" tab (my Windows here is in French). You should have a "Computer description" field, in which you can basically write some comment that will be visible from other computers below are two buttons, the first that launches the network setup wizard, and the second that allows you to modify your computer's actual network name and workgroup.

Hope that helped, and let me know if you have other questions,

Louis

Well to make life easier, waht you want to do is

1. Use the SAME os on all machines. Windows 98 does not like to talk to Windows 2k, XP

2. When you login use the same username and password on each of hte machines

3. Create this login name and password combo on all machines for all users.

4. To share something just right click on it and select select sharing... you may have to say yes.

5. To see what you have shared navigate to through window explorer or select Start -> Run and type in \\mycomputername or you can use the IP address if that does not work.

6.PRetty strait forward.

Hamachi is a gem. Thanks for suggesting it.