2 pc's running xp 1 printer how and what do i need to network them?
2 pc's running xp 1 printer how and what do i need to network them do not just tell me how tell me what i need to get also and how to set it all up thank you for your help
Answers:
I'd suggest a central location that has a computer. I installed mine in my home office, since that's where I keep most of my computers. You might want to install it on a kitchen computer. Whatever you do, don't put it in your kids' rooms. You might never get to it. And don't put it anywhere that you expect privacy; otherwise, someone might startle you at the wrong time with a 20 page list of colorful jokes.
In the continuing saga of my home network, I bought an inexpensive printer to test with Windows XP. Once I decide where to put my new printer, installation was a snap. I plugged my new printer, a popular inkjet printer from that small garage startup, in to a computer running Windows XP, and the operating system automatically recognized it. Windows XP briefly displayed a balloon in the taskbar that said, "Found New Hardware," followed by the name of the printer. A full minute didn't pass between the time I plugged the printer in to the computer and the time I was printing. I didn't have to do jack in order to install the printer, and you'll have the same experience—it just works.
After I installed my new printer on the computer, I wanted to use it from other computers. I even wanted to print from my laptop computer, sitting on the patio, connecting to the network with a wireless NIC. Before I could do that, I had to share the printer. Windows XP doesn't automatically share printers, which is a good thing when you don't want to share your toys.
To share the printer, I opened the Printers and Faxes folder on the computer that was connected to my printer.
To open the Printers and Faxes folder
• Click Start and then click Control Panel.
• Click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
• In the Printers and Faxes folder, I clicked the printer's icon and, in the tasks pane, I clicked Share This Printer.
• I opened the printer's Properties dialog box, and clicked on the Sharing tab.
• I clicked Share Name, and then clicked OK.
That's it—the printer was immediately available for other computers to use.
Now that I had a network printer, I was ready to connect to it and print from other computers on the network.
To connect to the printer
• I opened Control Panel, and clicked Printers and Other Hardware.
• I clicked Add a Printer.
• Instead of adding a local printer, though, I clicked Printer Connection and then browsed the network for the printer.
The whole process took less than a minute before I was printing to the network printer as though it was connected to the computer.
See The link its given print screen also
http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/WinXP/printing.html
Other answers:
You need to first have a network card installed in each pc. And then connecting the PCs with a networking cable. Both the PC's should have same IP address scheme and subnet mask. I hope this will answer
You need:
1 netcard (10/100M) in each computer
1 cable to connect the computers.
Configure the LAN (TCP/IP) giving IP address to each computer
Than you can share files and printers between the computers.
Makiavel