Setting up a home network is pretty easy nowadays.

Windows XP

With Windows XP, all you have to do is go to START>MY NETWORK PLACES>and click on “Set up a Home Network” sidebar. It will ask you to give a “description” of your computer and a “name” for your computer. The “name” is the name of your computer on the network. You can name the “description” and the “name” the same thing if you want.

It will then ask you the “name” of the WORKGROUP. The “name” of the WORKGROUP will be the same on all of the computers on the network. When you name the WORKGROUP, you are actually naming the NETWORK. So, you can name it HOME, HOME NETWORK, YOUR NAME, or whatever you want. But again, just make sure you use the same WORKGROUP name for all of the computers on the network. Otherwise, they will not be on the same network.

Windows 2000

For Windows 2000 computers, go here for instructions:

How to set up a network on Windows 2000 machines

Network with both Windows XP machines and Windows 2000 computers

If want to set up a network with computers where some of the computers have Windows XP and the others have Windows 2000, you still use the above steps for each type of computer.

After they are configured, reboot

After you set up all of the computers on the network with the above steps, you will need to reboot all of the computers in order for the changes to take affect. It is best to have all of the computers off at the same time before you reboot. Then, just reboot the computers. You can either reboot them one at a time or all at once. It doesn’t matter. May be less taxing on your electrical system to boot them one by one, however.

Viewing the Computers, Files, and Printers on the Network

When the computers have all been rebooted, you should be able to go into My Network Places and see the other computers on the network. You should also be able to view the files, folders and printers that you have opted to share by double-clicking on that computer. And, if you have opted to share the printers, then you will be able to print on any printer that is hooked up to one of the computers on the network! If you try and are unable to print, then that means one of two things:

1. You have not opted to share that printer, in which case you would not even see the printer on the network
2. You simply need to double-click on the printer you want to print on in My Network Places from the computer from which you would like to print. Once it finishes its quick installation, just reboot that computer.

The only equipment you need to do this is a router. It does not even have to be an access point.

Printing on a Printer on the Network Wirelessly

You can even do this with a wireless router. So, you can have a printer hooked up to your desktop, have your laptop on the network wirelessly, and print from your laptop (while in front of your TV) to the printer that is hooked up to your desktop in your office! Pretty cool.

It is best to keep Windows XP up-to-date with the latest security patches, service packs, and updates. To set your computer to do this, follow the directions that are located here:

How to Set Windows XP to Automatically Download and Install the Latest Updates

If you’re having problems printing on a printer that is connected to another PC on a home netork, there are three things that you can try:

1. If you have just added the PC that is connected to the printer, try running the Netork Setup Wizard on all of the other machines on the network to make sure that they are able to see the other PC. Make sure you reboot all PC’s after you run the wizard on each PC.
2. If a firewall is running, try disabling it, or setting it to allow the sharing of files and printers (Sygate is a great firewall for this type of setup). If you do not have a third-party firewall running, you may have the native Windows XP firewall running. Disable it if need be.
3. If you can see the PC that the printer is connected to in My Network Places, then double-click on that PC and then double-click on the printer to which you are trying to print.

Seeing that Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser by PC users, that is the browser that most of the authors of spyware, malware, etc., target. So, I suggest that you switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox (a free program) for your default Internet browser. This will not only greatly decrease the chances of you getting spyware, but it will also increase your security.

Here are some reasons why Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer:

• It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox.
• There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes.
• No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Firefox just by visiting a web site.
• Firefox doesn’t use Microsoft’s Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs.
• You have complete control over cookies.

Even the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team advises that you not use IE (story).

Another reason why Firefox is a great browser is that you can set it up so that when you click on a link to go to another website, it opens up the new website in the same browser window, but in a different tab, much like Netscape. That way, you can very easily switch back and forth between many browsers by just clicking on the tab for that website, which is located toward the top of the browser (see screenshot below).

(click to enlarge)

For tips on switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox, go here.

To get your copy of Firefox, just click on the download link below: