Setting up Network to wimdows xp computer

Stating:
"I m near to the point of giving up and buying a windows 7"

Doesn't make us want to help you any more and doesn't help the situation any at all.

You need to install samba:

sudo apt-get install samba

If you are connecting direct from PC to PC then you will need to use a crossover cable. If you look at the ends and they are the same then it is a patch cable and will not work. You will also need to define a static IP for the interfaces as there is no DHCP server present

PC1:
IP: 10.0.0.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

PC2:
IP: 10.0.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

This will need applying to the interface being used so make sure you configure the correct interface on the sharing system.

You can then open nautilus and right click folders and share them. They will then be accessible from the client PC.

HI Actionparsnip

Sorry if I offended you with my comments, but quite honestly I'm finding the whole Linux experience a tad frustrating.

Thanks for your Help, i will persevere a little longer,but I get the the feeling Linux is not for me.

Hi :)

Linux does involve asking people for directions which is a real challenge for some people. It does not suit everyone. Once you buy Windows7 then you will have to find the drivers for your machine, install and configure all of that, then buy and install the appropriate software such as Office, anti-virus & then keep buying more software & paying people to look after the machine. Advice is always easier to give than receive & it's definitely easier to pay someone else to deal with stuff rather than to ask and learn. If you enjoy dealing with constant malware & security issues and like to have a machine suffer from slow-downs after a few months of usage then Windows is an excellent choice.
http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

I don't quite understand how people think they can just guess at how to do some more advanced things such as this in an operating system they have no experience with. Also i wonder how easily they could really manage this in Windows still using the wrong cable.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

You just need to set the IP addresses on the interfaces, their is no DHCP server to give addresses out automagically so you must do it manually. The addressing will also need to be different to the addressing used to connect the server PC to the router or modem so that correct routing will take place

If you router is a home grade thing it will most likely use 192.168.0.x as its addressing scheme, you will need to make the addresses on the other interface fall into this subnet or the packets will fail, something like what I described will be absolutely fine. You will essentially have 2 networks and the routing subsystem in Linux (and windows) will manage this using defacto standards.

Tom, give me a beak.!!!

I didn't say i was going to buy windows or learning a new Operating system was easy.
Just that i was having difficulty networking my computers.

I'm sorry I'm a newbie and may be trying to run before I can walk.

I can't believe the response to a simple cry for help.

Bill

Ps thanks Actionparsnip for your help. I've managed to see folders on both machines, though having trouble opening the windows folders in Ubuntu. Will keep going, as my knowledge of the system increases, I'm sure I'll get there.

Hi Bill

Many apologies for that post! I do get very tired of people "threatening" to return to Windows or telling me that Windows is easier. It isn't. People rarely ever install Windows so all this tough part is done for them, by experts, with the help of the hardware manufacturers and it costs a LOT and takes ages. However, that is no excuse for me to be so harsh. Sorry for that!

I think that it might be worth checking you have "ntfsprogs" & "ntfs-3g" installed. Go up to the top taskbar and click on

System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager

either search tool should help you find those 2 packages and they should already be installed by default (but sometimes aren't). A green splodge indicates they are installed. I just found "ntfs-config" which gave me an interesting option that i assumed had already been set on my machine but wasn't. After installing it

System - Administration - "Ntfs Configuration Tool"

allowed me to set "write support for external devices". Presuambly this is talking about usb-sticks and stuff plugged into the machine rather than Windows folders over the network tho

Good luck, apols & regards from
Tom :)

Hi Tom

Thanks for that.

I guess I inadvertently touch a nerve with windows thing.
I'm no fan of Windows and will continue learning Linux.

Thanks for your help

Bill

Hi

Lol, yeh it does sometimes seem worse than swearing lol, perhaps just a bad week in here. Ironically a lot of people do have Windows in a dual-boot. I've managed to avoid using mine for a year or 2 now but at first it was very handy to be able to go back in to Windows to do odd things until i learned how to do them in linux.

If you haven't already (or even if you have) then it might be useful to work through the Medibuntu worksheet to try to get all the multimedia sorted
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu

Also this guide was quite useful i thought
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

I didn't like the way the buttons at the top of the windows switched to the Mac (left) side rather than the Windows (right) side in 10.04 so i changed them back using this on the command-line

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/metacity/general/button_layout" --type string "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

note that is all one line and copy&paste using mouse right-clicks does work but for some reason keyboard shortcuts for pasting don't work on the command-line.
Regards from
Tom :)