Network Windows XP Pro Workstations
Hi, I have two Windows XP Pro workstations. They are currently connected to the same DSL connection through a Linksys Wireless G router. I have Quickbooks Pro installed on one of the computers. I would like to network the two computers so that we could work on quickbooks from both pc's simultaneously. I'm not sure if the two computers are actually connected to see each other. How would I check this? Does file and print sharing have to enabled for them to see each other? Is this considered a peer-to-peer network? Any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you!
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And thanks b0lsc0tt for letting us know the routers connectivity will work, you never know what funky stuff goes on in in this fragmented IT world; I aint really done good time on a LinkSys brand yet :) I also wanted to give the basics on getting it going physically, because networking can be difficult first time round, especially when ya need to troubleshoot.
IA
IA
I'm glad that you added your comments IA. The router should work fine and I recommend Linksys brand for entry level routers.
Quickbooks may not work if you only share the program folder. You could try that first but if there is an issue then you will need to share the whole drive. In your small network and with a router to protect it I wouldn't worry about trying to hide the shared resource. You can try it if you want but that also may cause an issue with the program. Another way to access the shared computer from the other computer would be to go to Network Places. If everything is set up correctly then it will appear there or by clicking on Entire Network.
By the way, I don't think this was already mentioned but networking will be easier if you have set up each computer as belonging to the same Workgroup. You can change the default name but use the same name for Workgroup in both computers. To access this set up go to Network Connections, select Advanced at the top of the window, and then choose Network Identification.
Quickbooks may not work if you only share the program folder. You could try that first but if there is an issue then you will need to share the whole drive. In your small network and with a router to protect it I wouldn't worry about trying to hide the shared resource. You can try it if you want but that also may cause an issue with the program. Another way to access the shared computer from the other computer would be to go to Network Places. If everything is set up correctly then it will appear there or by clicking on Entire Network.
By the way, I don't think this was already mentioned but networking will be easier if you have set up each computer as belonging to the same Workgroup. You can change the default name but use the same name for Workgroup in both computers. To access this set up go to Network Connections, select Advanced at the top of the window, and then choose Network Identification.
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Thank you both for your expertise. You have really given me a plan to try to get this working. I'm eager to give it a try... Thanks and have a nice weekend. I will let you know how it goes....
Very true about the Workgroup b0lsc0tt,
And those command I gave are for ground roots conenctivity mmj1; you should be able to use the network neighbourhood as well if the personal firewall is configured correctly. You can also use \\ipaddress\sharename$ in the Quickbooks Open File dialogue box to navigate to the file.
*And the last tips is user accounts ;)
Have a great weekend all.
And those command I gave are for ground roots conenctivity mmj1; you should be able to use the network neighbourhood as well if the personal firewall is configured correctly. You can also use \\ipaddress\sharename$ in the Quickbooks Open File dialogue box to navigate to the file.
*And the last tips is user accounts ;)
Have a great weekend all.
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darrenakin, Workgroup doesn't matter
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Thanks to all for you help. Both computers seem to be seeing each other just fine. I did give the two computers the same workgroup name. I have not mapped the drive to quickbooks yet as I am still reading up on the "multi-user" info from quickbooks - but I think I have half the battle won. I also shared the printer from one of the computers and it works fine from the second computer. One strange thing though, the computers were working fine over the weekend but then today when one of the computers booted up it seems to have lost its profile. I don't think this would have anything to do with enable the file sharing, etc. I haven't been able to troubleshoot the issue yet but I will tackle that soon. Again, thanks to all for your assistance.
It could just be a corrupted profile, this happens from time to time. If you will reate a new user, log off then log on as that user. You will then be able to go to My Computer - C:\ - Documents and Settings - Profile you think is corrupt. Here you will be able to copy the Favorites for Internet Explorer, My Documents, as well as the old desktop that the user had before. Just be sure and DO NOT Copy NTUSER OR NTUSER.DAT files. You can find the new profile by going to C:\ - Documents and Settings - (THE NEW NAME YOU CREATED). You should be able to post all in here. If you are using Outlook express you will want to Search for *.DBX files. Find these and create a new folder, copy them in there for safe keeping. If you are using Outlook you should be able to go back to the Old profile and Export to a PST file. Once the new profile is created and all settings and files are moved over, you can then delete the old profile. But be cautious that all of your data is there. It really wouldnt hurt to leave it for several days to make sure you are not missing anything. You can also download TWEAKUI and use the autologon feature if you do not want to be bothered with other profiles.
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