Tan and Steve mused: > > > Hi Alan and John! > > Thanks so much for your responses - I should probably clarify a couple of > things. > > My PC is connected to the internet via cable (broadband). I use my PC > predominantly, which is how I send and receive emails. My lappy is my > second 'puter and it connects to the internet THROUGH my network and PC's > internet connection.
Ah. So, presumably, you're using the built-in "Network Bridge" capability of Windows XP Home to share an internet connection. I'm less familiar with that, as I use a hardware router built in to my wireless access point. I believe your laptop should be set up (in Network Connection properties) to automatically obtain an IP address, and your Network Bridge on your desktop should be set up to act as a DHCP server. Both machines also need to have the TCP/IP protocol enabled over the ethernet connection. > I did ping them using the command prompt and there is no response from > either, which is strange as I AM able to access files/folders. Not strange at all. The file sharing uses Windows networking, which will work quite happily even in the absence of an internet connection. All it requires is a physical ethernet connection. The ping command uses the same TCP/IP protocal as an internet connection, which requires an IP address.
