Wired vs. Wireless Woes

[dnelms]

Here's the setup:
1 home desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work laptop wireless(Vista Business)
1 laptop wireless (kids) running Vista Home
1 laptop wireless (kids) running XP

just added
1 netbook (wife) with Win 7 starter

Fought homegroup, so turned that off on all Win7 machines.

Every computer on the network can see the netbook (and all other computers). But you can't connect to it.
On the netbook, it can not see any wired computer, but can see the wireless computer (other than the Vista business computer). So I hooked an ethernet cable and the netbook can see the entire network.
All computers belong to WORKGROUP. The netbook can connect to the router and internet just fine. End result is I need to see the network so my wife can print from the internet to the network printer (on my main desktop). I'm pretty good when it comes to working this stuff out (had computers since 1984), but I spent the better part of this afternoon to no avail.

So any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

 

[zigzag3143]

Here's the setup:
1 home desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work laptop wireless(Vista Business)
1 laptop wireless (kids) running Vista Home
1 laptop wireless (kids) running XP

just added
1 netbook (wife) with Win 7 starter

Fought homegroup, so turned that off on all Win7 machines.

Every computer on the network can see the netbook (and all other computers). But you can't connect to it.
On the netbook, it can not see any wired computer, but can see the wireless computer (other than the Vista business computer). So I hooked an ethernet cable and the netbook can see the entire network.
All computers belong to WORKGROUP. The netbook can connect to the router and internet just fine. End result is I need to see the network so my wife can print from the internet to the network printer (on my main desktop). I'm pretty good when it comes to working this stuff out (had computers since 1984), but I spent the better part of this afternoon to no avail.

So any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

hi and welcome to sevenforums

Question. what firewall and av is on the netbook?

Nice post BTW

Ken

 

[dnelms]

Here's the setup:
1 home desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work desktop wired (Win7 Premium)
1 work laptop wireless(Vista Business)
1 laptop wireless (kids) running Vista Home
1 laptop wireless (kids) running XP

just added
1 netbook (wife) with Win 7 starter

Fought homegroup, so turned that off on all Win7 machines.

Every computer on the network can see the netbook (and all other computers). But you can't connect to it.
On the netbook, it can not see any wired computer, but can see the wireless computer (other than the Vista business computer). So I hooked an ethernet cable and the netbook can see the entire network.
All computers belong to WORKGROUP. The netbook can connect to the router and internet just fine. End result is I need to see the network so my wife can print from the internet to the network printer (on my main desktop). I'm pretty good when it comes to working this stuff out (had computers since 1984), but I spent the better part of this afternoon to no avail.

So any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

hi and welcome to sevenforums

Question. what firewall and av is on the netbook?

Nice post BTW

Ken

running Windows Firewall and Microsoft Security Essentials on every Win 7 computer.

 

[aem]

Which machine is the printer physically connected to?

When you hooked the wife's machine up to ethernet is she able to print?

 

[dnelms]

Which machine is the printer physically connected to?

When you hooked the wife's machine up to ethernet is she able to print?

My main desktop (running Win 7 Premium) is where the printer is hooked up to. The printer is shared.

I went back and plugged the ethernet back in and it did discover the printer and would print.

Just something that will not allow the netbook to see the rest of the network. Network discovery is on.

 

[aem]

Printing to that printer doesn't reqiuire you to be put in the Homegroup. You can do it the conventional way...leave the Homegroup discovery option out for now and see if you can print to the printer wirelessly. Does the printer have wireless connections to it?

 

[dnelms]

Printing to that printer doesn't reqiuire you to be put in the Homegroup. You can do it the conventional way...leave the Homegroup discovery option out for now and see if you can print to the printer wirelessly. Does the printer have wireless connections to it?

Printing is not wireless. As stated previously, nothing is on a homegroup as I could never get it to work. Works fine between the wired machine, but not the wireless netbook.

 

[aem]

"Printing is not wireless."

I asked if the printer has wireless capabilties?

 

[dnelms]

"Printing is not wireless."

I asked if the printer has wireless capabilties?

No, it has no wireless capabilities (other than Bluetooth and that it not on the netbook to test)

 

[dnelms]

Thought I'd try something this morning. I change the wireless adapter settings to use a static IP address. I chose a high number (192.168.11.25) so I was sure I would not interfere with any devices the DHCP server was handing out.

So I try to ping that address from other places, it times out every single time.

This is got me stumped. On the other hand if all I'm after in the end (other than it irritates me when I can't figure something out) is for my wife to be able to print from her netbook, then adding a bluetooth adapter on the USB port would talk to my printer (it has a Bluetooth adapter added)... am I looking at that part right?

 

[aem]

How about buying a new printer with wireless capabilties? They aren't very expensive and you need not do much with setting it up.

 

[dnelms]

How about buying a new printer with wireless capabilties? They aren't very expensive and you need not do much with setting it up.

Actually it would be cheaper buying a bluetooth adapter for the netbook. Bottom line though, it should work just like all the other computers on the network does.

 

[dnelms]

Well between here, MS Answers forum and MS Technet, we can't find a solution. My guess is that Windows starter may end being the culrit. So I just decided to stop fighting it (I hate not figuring it out) and ordered a Bluetooth USB adapter for my wife's Dell Mini that has the Win7 Starter on it.

 

[aem]

hmmm ok. All the best with the Bluetooth adapter.

Btw, what is the model of printer?

 

[dnelms]

hmmm ok. All the best with the Bluetooth adapter.

Btw, what is the model of printer?

HP Photosmart D7360.
I've already got a bluetooth adapter in the slot on the printer.