ianbrown.cc » Networking

How to get around Windows 7 asking for a user name and password when connecting to a wireless network

Ian Brown — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:12:52 +0000

Do you have a Windows 7 PC that asks for a user name and password when you try to connect to your wireless network? I was having the same issue with a friend’s Windows 7 laptop. I did some searching and finally found the answer.

The main problem is that Windows 7 does not really support WEP encryption. It prefers WPA. So if you want a quick fix, and you have access to the router’s settings, then just change the encryption type for the wireless network to WPA.

However, if you really want to stick with WEP, here is the workaround:

Click on START (the multi-colored ball in the bottom left corner of your screen
Click on CONTROL PANEL on the right
Click on NETWORK AND INTERNET
Click on NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER
Under CHANGE YOUR NETWORK SETTINGS, click on SET UP A NEW CONNECTION OR NETWORK
Select MANUALLY CONNECT TO A WIRELESS NETWORK and click the NEXT button below
Type in the name of your network in NETWORK NAME exactly as it was entered into the router
Set the SECURITY TYPE to WEP
ENCRYPTION TYPE should automatically change to WEP and should be grayed out so you can’t change it
Type your network password/key into the SECURITY KEY field
Check the box next to START THIS CONNECTION AUTOMATICALLY, if you want it to and if it is not yet checked
Check the box next to CONNECT EVEN IF THE NETWORK IS NOT BROADCASTING if you have the SSID Broadcasting feature disabled on your router (meaning you set it so that your network name won’t show up when someone searches for the available wireless networks in the area)
Click NEXT
Click CLOSE
Then, if you are not already connected and you are broadcasting your SSID, click on the bars in the bottom right corner of your screen where the time is where you normally connect to a wireless network, and select your network
Click CONNECT
You should be good to go!

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How to access your computer that’s behind a router remotely via Remote Desktop (advanced)

Ian Brown — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:34:03 +0000

Would you like to access your computer remotely via Remote Desktop, and the computer you want to access is behind a router at home or work? You’re not going to be able to access it by entering the name of the computer. You will have to enter an IP address and set up your router to forward a port.

Which IP address, which port, and how?

First, to set up your computer for a Remote Desktop Connection, go here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsXp/using/mobility/getstarted/Remoteintro.mspx

After you do that, come back here and follow the instructions below. This is for advanced users, btw. Sorry, but there are too many modems and routers out there to make it beneficial to be any more detailed that I am.

1)Know you external IP (you’ll have to log into either your router or modem to get this)
2)Set a static IP on the machine you wish to RDP in to
3)Set up the NAT/Port Forwarding for the default RDP port 3389 on your router if you have one and your modem if you do not (since each router and modem is different, call either the manufacturer of your router if you have a router, or your Internet Service Provider if you just have a modem and have them walk you through this)
4)Disable or configure Firewall
5)Make sure the computer is configured to accept remote requests and allow control (see link above)
6)Try to log in from a computer that is on a different network

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Bluetooth Not Available – Mac

Ian Brown — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:49:51 +0000

If your bluetooth service is suddenly not available on your Mac, here is a fix:

01. Click on “Finder” in bottom left of your screen in the Dock
02. Click on your “Home” icon on the left (picture of a house)
03. Double-click on the “Library” folder
04. Double-click on “Preferences” folder
05. Delete file named “com.apple.Bluetooth.plist” (also delete any other item with “com.apple.Bluetooth…”, if any)
06. Shutdown your computer
07. Unplug all USB and Firewire devices
08. Unplug power cord
09. Remove battery (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
10. Wait 1-2 min
11. Hold down power button for 10 sec with the battery out (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
12. Insert battery (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
13. Startup again
14. It should work!

If this does not fix it, then it is most likely a hardware issue, and you will have to bring it in to an Apple Store.

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How to Activate Windows File Sharing in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

Ian Brown — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:17:05 +0000

Not sure why Apple did this. It’s still easy, but a little more hidden.

Simply do this:

Go to your Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen
Select System Preferences
Click on Sharing
Select “File Sharing” (make sure there is a check mark next to it)
Click on the “Options” button on the right side of the window
Check the box that says “Shares files and folders using SMB”
Click “Done”
Close the System Preferences window and you’re done!

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Can’t merge cells in Excel 2008? (Mac)

Ian Brown — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:59:38 +0000

Having problems merging cells in Excel 2008?

There are at least two solutions to this:

1. Use the SHIFT key, NOT the Command key, to select the cells you want to merge. Don’t ask me why that is. It just is.
2. Make sure the Workbook is NOT set to be shared. TOOLS>SHARE WORKBOOK>Uncheck the box that says “Allow changes by more than one user at the same time”

NOTE
The merge/unmerge cells button has become a checkbox in Excel 2008. Just click on the Toolbox icon in the top portion of Excel, and click on the triangle next to “Alignment and Spacing.” At the bottom of that section, under “Indentation and Merge,” you will see a checkbox that you need to check/uncheck, depending on whether you want to merge/unmerge. If it is grayed out, then you need to make sure that when you are selecting the cells that you want to merge/unmerge, that you are holding down the SHIFT key, and NOT the Command key

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Vista PC can not see XP PC or vice versa?

Ian Brown — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:53:54 +0000

Having problems networking your Vista PC with your XP PC? Make sure each computer is set to share at least one folder. That was the fix for me.

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Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

Ian Brown — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:38:52 +0000

Forbes magazine has a search engine for Free Wi-Fi Hotspots:

http://forbes.anchorfree.com/

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Can PC 1 access PC 2′s files, but not vice versa?

Ian Brown — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 04:06:39 +0000

Make sure they are on the same network using the same Workgroup name. But the main tip that I wanted to mention was to make sure both XP PC’s are using Simple File Sharing. Here is how to switch it to Simple File Sharing if it is set to Advanced File Sharing:

http://www.petri.co.il/enable_simple_file_sharing_in_windows_xp.htm

NOTE: XP Home is only capable of Simple File Sharing.

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How to network an XP PC with a Mac running 10.4.x

Ian Brown — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:59:56 +0000

Great tutorial here:

http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3020.html

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Share your iTunes library with other computers on your network

Ian Brown — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:00:30 +0000

Do you have a computer on your home network that has a lot of music that you wish you had access to from your other computers? Well, you can have access with just a few clicks.

Make sure that you have your computers set to share files on your network. Then, all you have to do is on the computer that has all of the music, do the following:

01. Open iTunes on the machine that has the music you want to share
02. Go to EDIT>PREFERENCES (PC) or iTUNES>PREFERENCES (Mac)
03. Click on the SHARING tab
04. Check the box next to SHARE MY LIBRARY ON MY LOCAL NETWORK
05. You can opt to share your entire libary or just certain playlists
06. You can even require a password if you want by clicking the box next to REQUIRE PASSWORD and entering the password
07. Click OK
08. On the computers that you want to access this library, go into PREFERENCES above via Step 2, and check the box next to LOOK FOR SHARED LIBRARIES
09. Click OK

*iTunes must be open on the machine that has the music library that you are sharing in order for the other machines to be able to view and access it.
10. Done!

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