If you have an XP computer on your LAN, and it has files that you need access to, you can log into from another computer using a user account that already exists on the XP machine.

Note: Do NOT use the administrator account for this purpose! In fact, you should NOT use the administrator account for everyday activities at all. This is because viruses and Trojan horses that run from the administrator account can cause greater harm to your computer than if they were to run from an account that has lesser permissions and/or privileges.

Of course, you will need to use the administrator account on the XP machine to create that new account.

Here’s how you do it:
Continue reading ‘How to create a user account in Windows XP’

Your network is really like a 3-layer cake.

The bottom layer is the Physical layer — the hardware, the cabling, the network cards, the router, and so forth.

The middle layer is the Operating System layer — Windows OS controls things like the user accounts, the file system, file-sharing, file permissions, installation and configuration of communications protocols, assignment of IP addresses, etc.)

The top layer is the Application layer — Internet Explorer, Firefox, any other applications that share files, as well as the applications themselves (MS Office, Photoshop, audio apps, video apps, etc.) that generate the files that you want to share.

Here’s why this is important:
Continue reading ‘How your network is like a 3-layer cake’

NetBEUI (NetBios Extended User Interface) is an enhanced version of the NetBIOS protocol used by some older network operating systems that are not so popular anymore. Microsoft included support for it on Windows 95/98/ME and Windows 2000, but not Windows XP.

Why would you want to install it today? Because it offers you a way to quickly connect a workgroup together if you are having problems with another protocol such as TCP/IP. In short, if you can’t connect two computers using TCP/IP but you can do it with NetBEUI, then you know that you need to troubleshoot TCP/IP.

Here’s how you install NetBEUI:
Continue reading ‘How to install NetBEUI protocol…and why’