How to Connect a Laptop to a Desktop With a Router

Whether in a home, school or office setting, configuring your laptops and desktops to share files can prove extremely useful. To use a router to connect your laptop to your desktop, you not only need to set both to share the same workgroup, but you also must enable file sharing as well. Fortunately, you do not need any special software to connect your two PCs; Windows comes equipped with all the utilities you need to share your computers' files.

Instructions

1. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to your modem, and the other end to the router "WAN" or "Internet" jack on the back of the router.

2. Connect laptop and the desktop computers to the router via ethernet cable as well, if the router is not wireless. Plug the desktop into the jack labeled "1," and the laptop into the jack labeled "2."

3. Plug one end of an AC adapter into the modem, and the other end into the wall. Wait approximately three to five minutes for the modem to power on completely. Repeat the same process for the router.

4. Power on both the desktop and the laptop. Once the operating systems have finished loading on both, right-click the Internet icon on the taskbar (it looks like two computers next to one another), then click "Connect to a network." Select your network from the list, then click "Connect."

5. Click "Start," "All Programs," "Accessories" and then "Run." Type "sysdm.cpl" into the white box, then click "OK" to open System Properties. Click the "Computer Name" tab if it's not already selected.

6. Click the "Change" button. Check to ensure that the "Workgroup" entry is the same for both the desktop and the laptop. If not, change the entry to put both computers in the same workgroup.

7. Click "OK." Click "OK" again. Right-click "Start," then click "Explore."

8. Browse through the list of files and folders until you locate the files you want to share. Right-click the file, then click "Share."

9. Select from the list of names the desktop user with whom you want to share your files, then click "Add."

10. Click the arrow next to "Permission Level" to configure the user's permission: reader, contributor or co-owner. Readers can only view files, contributors can add and view files, and co-owners can make any desired changes to the shared files (including deletion).

11. Click "Share." Repeat the process for the second computer. Restart both computers so that the changes take effect.

Tips & Warnings

• To share files between your computers, you may need to disable the firewalls on both.

References

• Microsoft: Share Files With Someone
• Maximum PC Guides: Change the Workgroup Name