Adding new Win 7 laptop to home network

[FalvinP]

I currently have a home network set up with an old Linksys WRT54G router. I have a four year old Vista Home Premium 32 bit PC (with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 processor) wired to it, as well as a wired HP Photosmart C7180 all-in-one printer in network mode. I have the wifi for when I use my iPhone or for when friends/family come over with their devices.

I have ordered a very powerful HP laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit that I intend to use as a desktop replacement. I’ve also ordered a usb 3.0 docking station for the usb 3.0 laptop. I intend to plug in a set of speakers, the router, a large monitor (a second monitor in the future), a hard drive dock, a usb keyboard and mouse (although I’m thinking about getting a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo) and perhaps a powered usb hub.

For those rare times that I would take the laptop away from home all I would do is unplug the usb 3.0 connector cord.

My question concerns the use for the older desktop. Is there one? I don’t have any new audio video equipment so I wouldn’t be doing any streaming to a tv etc. I imagine that it could be used for network file storage and to do a backup of the laptop, although I'm not sure how to set the pc up in that way. Is that called a file server?

Does the old computer have to have a monitor attached to it to use? I imagine not, since all I’d be doing is accessing the hard drive(s) in the pc over the network. Does the fact that it runs Vista make any difference? Does the 32 vs 64 bit make any difference as well? I’ve already checked that there is a Win 7 64 bit driver for my printer that is fully functioned.

I don’t know much about networking. The router was originally someone else’s, so all I had to do when I got it was change a few settings.

Is there anything else I need to consider? I’m very excited to receive my new laptop. It’s a monster machine that should work well as a replacement for my older pc.

Thank you for your comments.

[Clutch X]

if you setup your old machine as a NAS (or any other server) there is no need for a monitor, once you set it up. You can use VNC to access the machine's gui. 64 bit or 32 bit OS really doesn't matter. The other machines should be able to access it just fine.

[FalvinP]

Thank you for your reply. I've continued to do research in this area. I've come across Microsoft Home Server. It looks like it may fit my needs. There's also an open source program called Free NAS that is free. It sounds pretty complicated.

I know what NAS (network attached storage) is but I have no idea what VNC is.

As you can see, my knowledge of networking is very limited.

Thank you again for your reply.

[glc]

VNC is remote control software.