Vista newbie with question

[AlwaysUp]

Hi, all. I have been an exclusive WinXP Pro user for a long while. My brother nextdoor got a Vista Home Premium destop and recently got a Netgear Super-G router (not sure which model, but ccould easily find out) at the same time he got a Vista Home Premium laptop. In network folder from the desktop it does not list the laptop in the network, but on the laptop in Network folder it sees the desktop PC, router, and of course itself. The laptop can cruise the net just fine, but we tried to install the printer software of the printer installed on his desktop in order for him to print over the network. What do I need to do to get the gateway PC to recognize the client? I have already attempted to let the wizard find wireless devices, but it still does not "see" the laptop. When I attempt a "Connect To" no device turns up.

[AlwaysUp]

Oh, yeah....did I mention that navigating Vista is like walking on the moon, sort of.

[cmillar6]

control panel-->network and sharing center--> make sure NETWORK DISCOVERY is turned on for the desktop. Also make sure both desktop and laptop belong to the same workgroup.

[AlwaysUp]

I am sure Discovery is checked on "both" desktop and laptop, although I see no designated Workgroup at all. Where do you go to setup a home network in Vista? As I have just walked in on this problem, I have no idea what steps were taken to get even internet connectivity on the laptop or what the Netgear router setup entailed. Is it functioning as a Access Point only or was it confugured as a router? My brother got his son to talk to Best Buy guy to walk him through router setup and neither of them know now what they did. I will attempt to acertain workgroup and post back.

[Panama Red]

When networking with Vista, it seems to be best to use a password for the user on Vista. The Networking will typically auto detect - even seeing printers in the same workgroup and automatically installing them. Also, if the pc came with Norton or McAfee, uninstall them. They make networking a nightmare.

[AlwaysUp]

THX, Panama, are you saying to run no AV software, or just these two specifically? And password user accounts on both the desktop and laptop?

[cmillar6]

there is nothing wrong with running antivirus, typically the norton and mcafee sercurity suites cause firewall problems if not properly configured. To troubleshoot, disable them or uninstall them if they are on the PC's. Both laptop and desktop need to have a username and password. If both PC's belong to same workgroup and you open up network and both PC's don't show up it is likely a firewall issue. Networking on Vista is so much better than XP, it just autodetects everything.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by AlwaysUp THX, Panama, are you saying to run no AV software, or just these two specifically? And password user accounts on both the desktop and laptop?

Nope, I'm just saying not to run Norton or McAfee suites. cmillar6 nailed the reason - configuration issues. I run AVG on my Vista Ultimate machine and it neworks with no issues.

[sagan]

Originally Posted by Panama Red Nope, I'm just saying not to run Norton or McAfee suites. cmillar6 nailed the reason - configuration issues. I run AVG on my Vista Ultimate machine and it neworks with no issues.

I run Norton's, and it networks with no issues.