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Center. In the Network and Sharing Center, you can view the status of your network connection and easily enable or disable various network settings, such as file sharing, network discovery, and printer sharing. You can also see what type of network you’re on: Public, Private, or Domain. Windows Vista lets you select which type of network you’re on, either Public or Private, the first time you join a particular network and modifies your network settings based on the type of network you select. Public networks are assumed not to be secure; as such, Windows automatically turns off all of the network sharing options so that bad people can’t access your computer. Private networks are assumed safe, so all of the file sharing options are turned on. If your computer is on a domain, your network administrator will control your network options.

Server Software

You can turn any Windows PC into a server simply by enabling the sharing of files, folders, and printers. Windows has file and printer sharing installed, but not activated by default (though a simpler form of file sharing, creatively named Simple File Sharing, is enabled by default in Windows XP Home to make sharing media over a home network easier). Activating file and printer sharing requires nothing more than a click on a checkbox, as you can see in Figure 23-23.

Figure 23-23 Enabling file and printer sharing in Windows Vista

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NOTE Every version of Windows since Windows XP SP 2 has included a built-in firewall that blocks out harmful Internet traffic. Windows Firewall functions slightly differently in each version of Windows, but you should be aware of one quirk in Windows XP: namely that the Firewall will block file and printer sharing by default. So if you find that you can’t access shared folders or printers, you can check to make sure Windows Firewall isn’t blocking them. You can do this by going into Control Panel and opening the Windows Firewall applet. Once that’s open, click the Exceptions tab and make sure that the checkbox next to File and Printer Sharing is checked. If it isn’t, that’s your problem!

Installing and Configuring a Wired Network

Almost halfway through the chapter and we’re finally getting to the good stuff: installing and configuring a network! To have network connectivity, you need to have three things in place:

NIC The physical hardware that connects the computer system to the network media.

Protocol The language that the computer systems use to communicate.

Network client The interface that allows the computer system to speak to the protocol.

If you want to share resources on your PC with other network users, you also need to enable Microsoft’s File and Printer Sharing. Plus, of course, you need to connect the PC to the network hub or switch via some sort of cable (preferably CAT 6 with Gigabit Ethernet cranking through the wires, but that’s just me!). When you install a NIC, by default Windows installs the TCP/IP protocol, the Client for Microsoft Networks, and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks upon setup.

Installing a NIC

The NIC is your computer system’s link to the network, and installing one is the first step required to connect to a network. NICs are manufactured to operate on specific media and network types, such as 1000BaseT Ethernet. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation. If your NIC is of recent vintage, it will be detected, installed, and configured automatically by Windows. You might need a driver disc or a driver download from the manufacturer’s Web site if you install that funky PC Card or gamer NIC.

The Add Hardware Wizard automates installation of non-plug-and-play devices or plug-and-play devices that were not detected correctly. Start the wizard by clicking Start | Settings | Control Panel (2000 or classic start menu) or Start | Control Panel (XP/Vista/7) and then double-clicking the icon for the Add Hardware applet. (Note that Windows 2000 calls this the Add/Remove Hardware applet.) Click the Next button to select the hardware task you wish to