Need Help for Home Gaming Network

Does anyone know (or have a web reference) which describes in detail how to set-up a home network for gaming as well as printer sharing?

My config is 4 Dell XPS systems and 2 laptops all running XP with a LinkSys wireless system connected via an Adelphia Cable modem.

I have tried using the network setup function in XP (make one PC the primary then take disk to the other PCs and set up the network) but when the primary PC is shut down or in hibernate the entire network fails. Also, even when I did set up the XP home network, I could not get my LAN working for gaming between the PCs.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thx in advance.

 

You don't need to make one PC primary. But if you want to go that route then you'll need to keep it on all the time to share it's resources. This might help you...

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/default.mspx

Bottom line, each PC will need an unique IP for the same network as your Linksys and a subnet mask. Likely all you need to do is to turn on DHCP on each PC and enable DHCP on your Linksys and it should take care of the rest for you.

As for gaming you'll need to open up ports either on the PC or on the router (or both). I would start by reading the docs that came with the router and the game.

Also, don't forget google.

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Some software money can't buy. For everything else there's Micros~1

 

It sounds like you may have a firewall installed in XP and it could be blocking ports.

As Pictor Guy stated, you don't need to do a lot at all getting it all to work. The Linksys router has DHCP on by default, and your network adapters should have it on by default as well. You shouldnt of had to use the Microsoft home network wizard thing at all.

One thing to check. Right click on 'My Computer' and go to the Computer Name tab. The 'Workgroup' should be the same on both computers. You can name it something like 'Home'.

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Got Broadband?

 

Yeah mayhaps the XP machine is serving DHCP instead of or at a higher priority than the Linksys router, causing the default gateway to be the XP machine instead of the Linksys.

 

Thx for the quick feedback on this! Since I have Adelphia broadband, I know that all of my PCs have firewall protection turned on. I will try the above suggestions.