The easiest way to share files is using the Sneaker Network. This is where you copy the files to a diskette and put on your sneakers and walk over to the other machine and copy the files. Just kidding! Actually, this is the way most users do it if they have more than one machine. However, many years ago, a company called Traveling Software introduced Laplink. This allowed you to connect two machines together and use a special program to transfer files back and forth. However, it is hard to find this program and now that Windows 98 is around, there is a way you can connect the two machines together and actually mount drives and printers together and act like a small network.
Here is what you do. Purchase a Laplink cable, either serial or parallel, and connect the two machines using this cable. The next thing you have to install is the "Direct Cable Connection" in the Windows setup. Go to the Add/Remove Programs icon in the control panel and click on the tab that says Windows Setup, then double-click on Communications. Put a check mark next to Direct Cable Connection. Hit OK, and it will install this module. If you don't have Dial-Up Networking installed, it will prompt you to install this as well. The next step in the process is to make sure you install the appropriate client for networking. You have to install Microsoft Family Logon and the NetBEUI protocol. Get in to the Network icon on the control panel and make sure you add these. After installing this protocol and client, click on the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks and click both File and Printer Sharing capabilities. This should give you at least four items:
- Microsoft Family Logon
- Dial-up Adapter
- NetBEUI Protocol-> Dial-Up Adapter
- File & Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks
If you have more than that, it's OK because many people have modems and already have TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter.
The next thing to do is to make sure that each computer is joined to the same workgroup and each has a different name associated with it. While still in the Network icon, click on the Identification tab. The first item is to name the machine. You might be creative and call it Machine#1 and Machine#2. Just kidding-anything will do as long as they have different names. However, the next item has to match. This is the Workgroup. Now, you can just put in "Workgroup" for a name, but then again, you can enter "Universe" or "Home" for that matter. It just has to be the same otherwise one machine will not be able to see the other. When you are done, hit the OK button and it will ask you to reboot the machine.
After rebooting, you now have to set up the sharing. You might want to share your C Drive and a printer on one machine, and on the other machine, you might have a CD-ROM drive you might want to share as well as the C Drive. Since each machine has been set up with file and print sharing, the Sharing tab will now show up when you right-click on the drive or printer. Just open My Computer, right-click on the device you want to share and you will get another dialog box. The default will say "Not Shared;" change this to Shared As and enter a name. Enter a comment if so desired. Below that is the access type. You can choose between Read-Only, Full or Depends on Password. If it is just yourself, Full is fine for this exercise. During this session, share everything you will need to use across your network.
Now you will make the connection. It might be a good idea to reboot, making sure that the cables are secure. It is now ready to go. Click on the Start Menu and highlight Accessories and then click on Direct Cable Connection. At this point, you now have the option to choose Host or Guest. Choose Host for the machine that has the most shares on it. A good choice is the Printer, which is probably your most powerful machine. Click Next. Then choose the connection type: Serial, Parallel or whatever in the list box. Click Next again. You can enter a password if you like, but that is more time consuming. As soon as the two computers are connected, the Guest computer will show all the shares you have available. At this point, you can use the Host computer normally by minimizing the dialog box. Also, the Guest will work using the shared resources while you are connected.
To end the connection, use the Guest computer and hit the Close button. This will terminate the session and you are back to normal. The reason I told you to share both machines is because the next time to set this up, you might want to make the other machine the Host sharing its resources. You will already be setup either way.
This is about it for this month's Tech Talk. See ya next month.
