Laptop on two different networks

I have a network set up with wireless router, XP home networking, file
sharing, printer sharing, internet access, etc. Desktop and laptop with XP
on that network. Works well.

I want to set up a similar network at another location, different desktop,
router, ISP, etc., but be able to use the laptop on this network as well as
the home network. Will that work? How do I set up the laptop with respect
to the home network settings for both networks?

Also, if another laptop computer is to be added to one of the networks, and
that laptop has Vista, will that work? Need to change anything about the
network itself? Any special instructions on the laptop setup?

Any help or points to web pages would be appreciated

Mark wrote:

I have a network set up with wireless router, XP home networking, file
sharing, printer sharing, internet access, etc. Desktop and laptop with
XP
on that network. Works well.

I want to set up a similar network at another location, different desktop,
router, ISP, etc., but be able to use the laptop on this network as well
as
the home network. Will that work? How do I set up the laptop with
respect to the home network settings for both networks?

Also, if another laptop computer is to be added to one of the networks,
and
that laptop has Vista, will that work? Need to change anything about the
network itself? Any special instructions on the laptop setup?

The answer to your first question about using the laptop on multiple
networks really depends on 1) whether it is set to have IP/DNS
automatically assigned or you've set static; 2) whether the laptop is a
domain member at any of the locations.

If the laptop is not a domain member (just doing peer-to-peer networking -
Workgroup in the Windows World) and IP/DNS assignment is automatic, you
will not need to change anything. When you bring the laptop to a foreign
network where there is a DHCP server (like a router at a friend's house),
your laptop will automatically pick up an IP address and be able to get on
the Internet. Whatever directories you've got shared will remain shared. If
this is going to be a fairly permanent arrangement and you do want to share
files/folders, you'll want to create matching user accounts and configure
your firewall to allow the second LAN as trusted (see the information
below).

Matching user accounts - Create matching user accounts and passwords on all
machines. You do not need to be logged into the same account on all
machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;
the accounts/passwords just need to exist and match on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular user's
account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at this link
work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

Firewalls - Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area
Network (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means
allowing File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the
Network Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The
only "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet
Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a firewall, then
you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually configure the LAN
allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254.
Obviously you would substitute your correct subnet. Do not run more than
one firewall.

If one or more of the networks is set up to use static IPs, you can use the
Alternate Configuration feature. This will cause the laptop to try and
connect using the first network settings, time out when it doesn't find
them, and then connect to the second network settings. If you don't want to
wait for that, you can use a third-party multi-network manager.

How to use the Alternate Configuration feature for multiple network
connectivity in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/283676
Managing One Windows XP-based Laptop for the Office and Home by MVP Charlie
Russel - http://tinyurl.com/cpy9q
The Alternate Configuration Tab Is Not Displayed in TCP/IP Properties -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285038/en-us

http://www.netswitcher.com - NetSwitcher
http://www.globesoft.com/mnm_home.html - MultiNetwork Manager
http://www.mobilenetswitch.com - Mobile Net Switch

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

Thanks. I'll study this and give it a try.

"Malke" wrote:

Mark wrote:

I have a network set up with wireless router, XP home networking, file
sharing, printer sharing, internet access, etc. Desktop and laptop with
XP
on that network. Works well.

I want to set up a similar network at another location, different desktop,
router, ISP, etc., but be able to use the laptop on this network as well
as
the home network. Will that work? How do I set up the laptop with
respect to the home network settings for both networks?

Also, if another laptop computer is to be added to one of the networks,
and
that laptop has Vista, will that work? Need to change anything about the
network itself? Any special instructions on the laptop setup?

The answer to your first question about using the laptop on multiple
networks really depends on 1) whether it is set to have IP/DNS
automatically assigned or you've set static; 2) whether the laptop is a
domain member at any of the locations.

If the laptop is not a domain member (just doing peer-to-peer networking -
Workgroup in the Windows World) and IP/DNS assignment is automatic, you
will not need to change anything. When you bring the laptop to a foreign
network where there is a DHCP server (like a router at a friend's house),
your laptop will automatically pick up an IP address and be able to get on
the Internet. Whatever directories you've got shared will remain shared. If
this is going to be a fairly permanent arrangement and you do want to share
files/folders, you'll want to create matching user accounts and configure
your firewall to allow the second LAN as trusted (see the information
below).

Matching user accounts - Create matching user accounts and passwords on all
machines. You do not need to be logged into the same account on all
machines and the passwords assigned to each user account can be different;
the accounts/passwords just need to exist and match on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular user's
account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at this link
work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

Firewalls - Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area
Network (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means
allowing File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the
Network Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The
only "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet
Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a firewall, then
you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually configure the LAN
allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254.
Obviously you would substitute your correct subnet. Do not run more than
one firewall.

If one or more of the networks is set up to use static IPs, you can use the
Alternate Configuration feature. This will cause the laptop to try and
connect using the first network settings, time out when it doesn't find
them, and then connect to the second network settings. If you don't want to
wait for that, you can use a third-party multi-network manager.

How to use the Alternate Configuration feature for multiple network
connectivity in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/283676
Managing One Windows XP-based Laptop for the Office and Home by MVP Charlie
Russel - http://tinyurl.com/cpy9q
The Alternate Configuration Tab Is Not Displayed in TCP/IP Properties -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285038/en-us

http://www.netswitcher.com - NetSwitcher
http://www.globesoft.com/mnm_home.html - MultiNetwork Manager
http://www.mobilenetswitch.com - Mobile Net Switch

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!