Do you have more than one computer at home, and want to be able to easily transfer files between them?  Perhaps you have a laptop for when you are on the road and want to copy certain files from your desktop PC to the laptop before you go away, then back again when you return.  Setting up a network to share files (and printers!) is a relatively straightforward process under Windows XP.

The first thing you need to do is get both computers onto your network.

If you already have broadband, just plug the second computer into your broadband/DSL modem.  Many DSL modems support multiple computers- you may have one with four Ethernet ports already, or you might have the kind with one USB port and one ethernet port.  The former is the better option as with ethernet you just pug the cable into your PC and t works; with USB you have to install drivers.  If you are unlucky and have a DSL modem with only one Ethernet port you can buy a 5 port ethernet switch for around $50.  If you have only one USB port, you should buy a new DSL modem that supports multiple ethernet connections (a decent one is around $110).

Once you've plugged your second PC in, check that both PCs have an internet connection - this shows us networking is working.

To create your home network, the simplest way is using a wizard.  Go to Control Panel, switch to Classic View if it’s not already, then open Network Connections.  You should have a blue menu on the left of the window titled Network Tasks (if you don't, click Tools / Folder options ad select Show Common Tasks in Folders).  Click Set up a Home or Small Office Network and follow the wizard.  Do this on each computer, making sure you give them the same Workgroup name, but different computer names!  Make sure Turn On file & Printer Sharing!  You will need to reboot each computer when done.

Now you should be able to access the shared folders of each computer.

Open My Computer, then expand My Network Places / Entire Network / Microsoft Windows Network / workgroupname and you should see both computers.  Double click the name of the other computer and you should see its Shared folder.  Files copied to this shared folder show up on the other PC.  You can create a shortcut to this shared folder by right clicking on it and choosing Send To / Desktop Shortcut.  You can also right click on specific folders on each computer and select Sharing, and share a particular folder.  The shared folder appears in the list above as well.

If all you want to do is quickly copy some files over from one PC to another and you would rather not invest in a new broadband modem or switch, you can now buy a special USB cable which plugs into both computers and uses its own software to copy files between the PCs.  Made by Belkin, it costs around $50-$60.

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