One of the biggest improvements in recent Windows
versions is in networking setup. Specifically, if you have your
computers connected correctly (more on that in a second), Windows sets
up the appropriate networking settings automatically. It’s true
plug-and-play: You plug your machine into the network, and you can play
with network resources within a few seconds. Note that this doesn’t
apply to wireless connections, which, for security reasons, require a
few extra steps. Although, as you’ll soon see, Windows 7 enables you to
“save” a wireless connection so that the next time your computer comes
within range of that network, Windows 7 makes the connection
automatically.
So what is the “correct”
network configuration required for this automatic networking setup to
happen? For wired networks, it requires only the following:
Each computer must
have a network interface card (NIC), such as an internal network
adapter, a USB network adapter, a motherboard-based network chip, or a
network PC Card.
You must have an external router or switch.
You
must activate Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) on the router. DHCP
automatically assigns unique IP addresses to each computer on the
network.
Each computer must have a network cable running from the NIC to a port in the router (or switch).
If
you have a high-speed modem, you must run a network cable from the
Internet (or WAN) port in the router to the network port in the modem.
This ensures that every computer on the network can share the Internet
connection.
Each computer must have a unique name.
Each computer must use the same workgroup name.
For wireless
networks, the configuration is more or less the same (except, of course,
you don’t need to run a network cable from each computer to the
router). Here are the differences for a wireless network:
Note
Networks don’t have
to be exclusively wired or wireless. In fact, it’s quite common to have
a mixture of the two connection types. Most wireless access points come
with a few ports to accept wired connections.
Each computer must have a NIC that supports wireless connections.
You must have a wireless access point or gateway that also doubles as a router.
Caution
Some
broadband providers are using “smart” modems that include routing and
firewall features. That’s fine, but these modems almost always have a
static IP address, and that address is usually either http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1,
which might conflict with your wireless gateway’s IP address. If you
have connection problems after adding the wireless gateway, the likely
culprit is an IP address conflict. Disconnect the broadband modem,
access the gateway’s configuration program, and change its IP address
(to, say, http://192.168.1.2 or http://192.168.0.2).
During
the initial configuration, one computer must connect to the access
point via a network cable. This enables you to configure the access
point before the wireless connection is established.
Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name
I mentioned
earlier that to implement a flawless Windows 7 network, each computer
must have a unique name, and every computer must use the same workgroup
name. (I’m assuming here that you’re setting up a small network in your
home or small office. Larger networks are typically divided into
multiple workgroups, where all the machines in each workgroup are
related in some way—marketing, IT, sales, and so on.)
Here are the steps to follow to change the computer name and workgroup name in Windows 7:
1. | Click Start, type systempropertiescomputername, and press Enter. The System Properties dialog box appears with the Computer Name tab displayed.
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2. | Click Change. The Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 1.
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3. | Type the computer name.
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4. | Select the Workgroup option and type the common workgroup name.
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5. | Click OK. Windows 7 tells you that you must restart the computer to put the changes into effect.
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6. | Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box.
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7. | Click Close. Windows 7 prompts you to restart your computer.
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8. | Click Restart Now. |
