but will take one thing at a time:
1) Should he have installed the router software on the laptop?
No need to install any software for the router on any PC. You access the routers setup program by typing 192.168.0.1 in Internet Explorers address bar.
2) Did we need the notebook adapter card?
Probably not, since you already have a WiFi enabled laptop. I would remove it from the laptop and try to get the integrated wifi adapter working.
3) Did I ruin my laptop by installing the router software on the laptop and the network adapter card or better stated, I guess, did this affect the wireless capability of the laptop?
No. You just have to put the settings right for it to work.
4) Should I use the recovery CDs from my laptop to restore it to its original state?
I wouldn't yet. I feel your settings need to made right, your OS is not to blame.
4) How can I make this work? I have read everything that I can find. We don't have a clue what we are doing.
This is your most telling statement.
What I do:
1) Set workgroup names the same on both PCs, (Right click My Computer/Properties/Computer Name tab.
2) DSL, Cable or Dialup....you did not say, it makes a difference.
3) IP and DNS addressing should be set to auto.
4) AOL is proprietary software which needs to be loaded on your PC in order for it to work. You can access your account by going to AOL.com, and entering user name and passwords.
After you address these points, we can further discuss file and printer sharing.
On Friday, I purchased an Acer Aspire Notebook PC (AS3003LCI) with integrated 802.11 g/b wireless. I also purchased a D-Link 802.11 g Wireless Router (DI-524). I used these to try to set up a network with my two year old desktop computer which is a Dell Dimension 8250 Series. Both have Windows XP Home Edition. After many hours of trying to set up the network and not being able to access the internet on either computer, my husband and I were finally able to access our AOL account on the desktop, but not on the laptop. I could access the internet on the laptop using the internet Explorer icon already installed, but I could not access our AOL account. I am new to networking, so I thought that after we had connected the router, I would be able to access on my laptop whatever was on my desktop computer. Please go easy on me, I am a novice. We then watched a video on home networking on AOL and the speaker stated that we needed a notebook adapter card. So, on Sunday, I went out and bought a D-Link 802.11 g Wireless Notebook Adapter (DWL-G630) and installed it on my laptop. I am still not able to access AOL or my printer or anything else on the desktop computer. Also, I don't think that the notebook adapter card fully installed, because the computer asked something about putting in an ethernet cable which I don't think I should need on a laptop with wireless already included. This could have been because, unbeknownst to me, my husband had installed the software from the router onto the laptop while I was gone. I tried to uninstall the router software and remove the notebook adapter hardware from the laptop, but the adapter hardware is still showing up.
I know this is lengthy, but please bear with me. My questions are 1)Should he have installed the router software on the laptop? 2) Did we need the notebook adapter card? 3)Did I ruin my laptop by installing the router software on the laptop and the network adapter card or better stated, I guess, did this affect the wireless capability of the laptop? 4) Should I use the recovery CDs from my laptop to restore it to its original state? 4) How can I make this work? I have read everything that I can find. We don't have a clue what we are doing. Please help. I am at my wits end. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
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