Setup a Wireless network with remote access

Your linksys router; does it have wireless? Assuming from your comment 'My laptop functions fine wirelessly' yes.

If not, I would recommend that you buy a router which has wireless support and configure your laptop to use it.

1-No, when you are connected with wireless router and your computer is hardwired with it, you do not need to add anything to the desktop. Adding USB wireless adapter is not recommended to connect your laptop to the Network, the preffered method is to connect it through the wireless router.

2-How is printer connected, if it is connected directly with one of the desktops, you can share it. Assuming you have windows xp; follow the instructions in following link, it will allow you to use it from your laptop and desktop # 1

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/printershare.mspx

3-If it is running XP Pro, you can enable remote desktop, and the connect it via RDP client, will give you access to the desktop PC as if you were really using it from your laptop.

4-Remote Desktop is recommended product to access it from road. Offcourse you will need to have internet access and also need to configure your router to allow Remore Desktop Connections from outside. It is very much recomended you you setup encryption and use strong passwords when you access it from outside. You may use Wireless internet services, which is now days offered by most major Cell Phone carriers or use WiFi or Internet Port for your laptop to connect with Internet when you are on Road.

1 - No you don't, as naveedb mentioned. It's the same network, so it's pointless.

2 - I would recommend buying a print server so that you don't have to depend on one machine being on to print to the printer from another.

3 - Enable Remote Desktop on that desktop.

4 - Since you're behind a router at home, I would recommend that you do what naveedb mentioned (which would require port forwarding, check out http://www.portforward.com for instructions) OR have a VPN of some sort. (While I doubt you do have one, some routers have VPN servers built in)

Here is the scoop!  

I got both the DTs talking to each other and I have the printer shared out (DT1 stays on all the time, so I decided against the print server)

Having problems getting the wireless laptop to talk to either of the DTs.  any ideas?  I set up both DTs using the network wizard.  I did the same to the laptop only used the wireless wizard.  I will continue to troubleshoot, but if have any words of wisdom, I would welcome them

Additional information.  From my LT, I can RDP into DT1, but cannot pull up any shared printers.  Can you shed any light?

Are you able to connect and authenticate to the Wireless network on your laptop? If so, can you post your output from ipconfig /all

If not, you will need to first work on connectivity. We will not more information before we can suggest anything.

Yes, I connect just fine.  Below is the result of a ipconfig/all
Windows IP Configuration
        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : MargeHPLaptop
        Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.md.comcast.net.
Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:
        Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-90-4B-54-51-F7
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
        Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-C0-9F-3C-86-FB
Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:
        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : hsd1.md.comcast.net.
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Wireless-G Notebook Adapter ver.4.0
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0F-66-3A-89-65
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.101
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.87.73.242
                                            68.87.71.226
        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, June 02, 2006 8:20:28 PM
        Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, June 03, 2006 8:20:28 PM

Looks good. How are you trying to access the printer, Can you try the following;

From your laptop post output from the following;

net view

Also, try to access the Desktop with IP address, like your laptop has an IP Address of 192.168.1.101, find the IP Address of the destkop that has printer attached, and then do following

Click on Start
Click on Run
In the BOX type the following
\\IPAddressOfDesktop

Let us know if it brings up a windows showing the printer.

Here is the net view:
Server Name            Remark
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\\MARGEHPLAPTOP                                                                
The command completed successfully.

\\192.168.1.100 yields Network path not found .  I tried this last night too, but just can't get there.

I can still RDP into it, but I get no response when pinging.

On Desktop, can you run the following command and post your output;

netsh firewall show state
netsh firewall show config
netsh firewall show icmpsetting

Is there any third party firewall installed on the destkop?

I am assuming .100 is the ip address of the desktop, can you ping this ip address from the other destkop?

I wasn't sure you wanted me to run these from the desktop of DT1 or the desktop of Laptop1.  I chose the laptop since I have no trouble pinging from DT2 to DT1.  Just let me know if you wanted it the other way.

All 3 machines have 3rd party firewalls.  DT1 has Norton Personal Firewall and DT2 and Laptop have Mcafee Personal Firewall Plus on them.

The icmpsetting command in your comment did not return a result.

From laptop:
NETSH FIREWALL SHOW STATE
Firewall status:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Profile                           = Standard
Operational mode                  = Disable
Exception mode                    = Enable
Multicast/broadcast response mode = Enable
Notification mode                 = Enable
Group policy version              = None
Remote admin mode                 = Disable

Ports currently open on all network interfaces:
Port   Protocol  Version  Program
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10243  TCP       IPv4     (null)
10280  UDP       IPv4     (null)
10281  UDP       IPv4     (null)
10282  UDP       IPv4     (null)
10283  UDP       IPv4     (null)
10284  UDP       IPv4     (null)
2869   TCP       IPv4     (null)
1900   UDP       IPv4     C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

NETSH FIREWALL SHOW CONFIG
Domain profile configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Enable
Exception mode                    = Enable
Multicast/broadcast response mode = Enable
Notification mode                 = Enable

Service configuration for Domain profile:
Mode     Customized  Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Enable   No          UPnP Framework

Allowed programs configuration for Domain profile:
Mode     Name / Program
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Enable   Remote Assistance / C:\WINDOWS\system32\sessmgr.exe

Port configuration for Domain profile:
Port   Protocol  Mode     Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10280  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10281  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10282  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10283  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10284  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10243  TCP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
1900   UDP       Enable   SSDP Component of UPnP Framework
2869   TCP       Enable   UPnP Framework over TCP

Standard profile configuration (current):
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Disable
Exception mode                    = Enable
Multicast/broadcast response mode = Enable
Notification mode                 = Enable

Service configuration for Standard profile:
Mode     Customized  Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Enable   No          UPnP Framework

Allowed programs configuration for Standard profile:
Mode     Name / Program
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Enable   Remote Assistance / C:\WINDOWS\system32\sessmgr.exe
Enable   HP Software Update Client / C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWUCli.exe
Enable   Setup Wizard of WRE54G / D:\Setup.exe
Enable   Internet Explorer / C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe

Port configuration for Standard profile:
Port   Protocol  Mode     Name
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10280  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10281  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10282  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10283  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10284  UDP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
10243  TCP       Enable   Windows Media Connect
1900   UDP       Enable   SSDP Component of UPnP Framework
2869   TCP       Enable   UPnP Framework over TCP

Log configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
File location   = C:\WINDOWS\pfirewall.log
Max file size   = 4096 KB
Dropped packets = Disable
Connections     = Disable

Local Area Connection firewall configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Enable

Wireless Network Connection firewall configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Enable

Wireless Network Connection 2 firewall configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Enable

1394 Connection firewall configuration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operational mode                  = Enable

I have resolved the issue.  

I went into both Norton and Mcafee and reconfigured the firewall to allow my 3 ip addresses.

I cannot RDP into the laptop because it is XP Home edition.  The only other thing that I can do
is see Desktop1 when I do a net view from either the laptop or DT2.  I can map to it using its ip
address.

thanks for the help.

Thanks for all your help.  I guess I would have eventually resolved on my own.  But your investigation into the firewall led me to investigate that area more strenuously.  Thanks for all your help.