Question : How do I implement file and printer sharing on my wireless-connected laptop to the 2 x cable-connected desktops

My two desktop PCs and the laptop are all running Windows XP (one desktop XP Professional, the other desktop and the laptop XP Home)
I have an established cable-connected network for the 2 x desktop PCs, and established file and printer sharing between those two, as well as internet connection.  The configuration is: each desktop is cable-connected to the ethernet switch, and the ethernet switch is cable-connected to the Wireless router, which is cable-connected to the Internet.
I have just acquired a Dell laptop, with wireless access built in.  I have successfully established wireless connection to the router and to the Internet.

I am trying to establish file and printer sharing between the laptop and the two desktop PCS and their printers, and have struggled with the various network set up wizards, and cannot seem to do it.  The most I have seen is this:  when I go to 'add a printer' on one of the desktops, and go through the network wizard, the desktop can 'see' the laptop - but cannot see 'shared documents'.  When I go to 'add a printer' on the laptop, it cannot see anything beyond itself.

Some advice please!!

David Quarmby

Answer : How do I implement file and printer sharing on my wireless-connected laptop to the 2 x cable-connected desktops

You didn't mention if the printer to be shared is hosted on one of the computers or has its own ethernet connection....  that can make a difference in how printers are set up via the network.

I would do this:

1) Make sure the laptop Workgroup is the same as the two desktops.  "WORKGROUP"
and "MSHOME" are the common ones.  It helps a lot if they are all the same.  Control Panel / System / Computer Name and "Change" if necessary.

2) On the laptop network interface, make sure that file and printer sharing is installed and enabled.
Control Panel / Network Connections / [your wireless connection] / Properties ... see the list in the dialog window.  Presumably this is already done on the desktops - but I would check anyway.

3) For sanity purposes, make sure that something is shared on each of the computers.  A printer, a file folder, anything like that... (some say you don't *have to* do this but I have no idea what kind of behavior you will see if you don't.  It's too simple to avoid doing on a small network.)

4) Check the laptop firewall to *make sure* that it has the local LAN address range in its Trusted Zone.  If you can't tell, add it.  Typically it's 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.255 or, equivalently, 192.168.1.0/24 - the latter being more common in professional gear.   Alternately, remove the internet cable and turn off all the firewalls.  

5) Make sure that the laptop is actually on the same LAN.  Start / Run / "cmd" then type ipconfig in the command line window.  All of the computers should be in the same IP subnet range like 192.168.1.xxx or 192.168.0.xxx or 10.yyy.yyy.xxx where yyy is the same on all the computers and xxx is the address of each individual computer.

6) Make sure the laptop can PING the desktops:
Run / "cmd"  then in the commond line window type: ping [a desktop IP address like 192.168.1.101 - whatever it *actually* is] like this:
ping 192.168.1.101
There should be replies.

Reboot all the computers and wait 30 minutes.
You should then see all the computers in My Network Places / Entire Network/ Workgroup