CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [418]
\\SERVER1\FREDC\INSTALL-FILES\SETUP.EXE
In this example, INSTALL-FILES is a subdirectory in the shared folder FREDC (which may or may not be called FREDC on the server), and SETUP.EXE is a specific file.
NET Command
Windows enables you to view a network quickly from the command line through the NET command. This works great when you plug into a network for the first time and, naturally, don’t know the names of the other computers on that network. To see the many options that NET offers, type net at a command prompt and press ENTER. The VIEW and USE options offer excellent network tools.
You can think of NET VIEW as the command-line version of My Network Places. When run, NET VIEW returns a list of Windows computers on the network. Once you know the names of the computers, you type NET VIEW followed by the computer name. NET VIEW will show any shares on that machine and whether they are mapped drives.
C:\>NET VIEW SERVER1
Shared resources at SERVER1
Share name Type Used as Comment
-------------------------------------------------------------
FREDC Disk
Research Disk W:
The command completed successfully.
NET USE is a command-line method for mapping network shares. For example, if you wanted to map the Research share shown in the previous example to the X drive, you simply type:
C:\>NET USE X: \\SERVER1\Research
This will map drive X to the Research share on the SERVER1 computer.
Sharing Printers
Sharing printers in Windows is just as easy as sharing drives and directories. Assuming that the system has printer sharing services loaded, just go to the Printers folder in the Control Panel or Start Menu and right-click the printer you wish to share. Select Sharing; then click Shared as (Windows 2000) or Share the printer (Windows XP/Vista/7) and give it a name (see Figure 23-44).
Figure 23-44 Giving a name to a shared printer on Windows XP
To access a shared printer in any version of Windows, simply click the Add Printer icon in the Printers folder. When asked if the printer is Local or Network, select Network; browse the network for the printer you wish to access, and Windows takes care of the rest! In almost all cases, Windows will copy the printer driver from the sharing machine. In the rare case where it doesn’t, it will prompt you for drivers.
One of the most pleasant aspects of configuring a system for networking under all versions of Microsoft Windows is the amazing amount of the process that is automated. For example, if Windows detects a NIC in a system, it automatically installs the NIC driver, a network protocol (TCP/IP), and Client for Microsoft Networks (the NetBIOS part of the Microsoft networking software). So if you want to share a resource, everything you need is automatically installed. Note that although File and Printer Sharing is also automatically installed, you still must activate it by clicking the appropriate checkbox in the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, as explained earlier in the chapter.
Essentials
Troubleshooting Networks
Once you go beyond a single PC and enter the realm of networked computers, your troubleshooting skills need to take a giant leap up in quality. Think of the complexity added with networks. Suddenly you have multiple PCs with multiple users who could, at the drop of a hat, do all kinds of inadvertent damage to a fully functional PC. Networked PCs have a layer of networked hardware and resource sharing that adds a completely new dimension to a user’s cry for help, “I can’t print!”
* * *
EXAM TIP The “Troubleshooting Networks” section covers a range of questions you’re likely to see on the “Operational Procedure” exam domain. See also Chapter 27, “The Complete PC Technician,” for the more on the topic.
Where can the problem lie in a non-networked situation if a person cannot print? Here are the obvious ones:
Printer is not connected to the PC.
Printer is out of ink.
PC doesn’t have the proper