Set up an Ad-Hoc network in your home for windows XP

Today I  set up an Ad-Hoc network of two windows XP computers.

And computer A can successfully access the web server at computer B.

With Internet connection sharing, you can ever make two laptops have Internet access at the same time, when there is only one network cable and no wireless network connections.

But of course, when one is downloading a file, the other will suffer and experience low bandwidth.

How to do this?

1 Go to Wireless Network Connection, click "Set up a wireless network for a home or small office"

2 Choose set up a new wireless network

3 Plugin your USB drive

4 Choose "use a USB flash drive"

5 Follow the instructions, and unplug the USB and plug it to the other computer

6 On the other laptop, authrun the USB and use the "run wireless wizard"

7 When it says that you have successfully added this computer to the ad hoc, unplug USB

8 Plug the USB back and click "Next" where you stopped

Then follows the steps and you can complete

How to share internet connections?

This is the options that you choose when you are creating the networks.

For example, they have such choice, "this computer connects directly to the internet, and other computers use its internet connection to have internet access" then, the other computer will have to choose "this computer use the other computer's internet connection to have internet access". And here we are.

Be sure to close the windows fire wall on both computers so that the traffic will not be blocked.

Also, you have to add the ad hoc to the preferred networks.

To do this, go to the "Wireless Network Connection Properties", and click "Wireless Networks", click add, and fill the information of you ad hoc. 

Be sure to check the box "Connect even if this network is not broadcasting"

(But I really have no idea why only one of my two laptops have this option, while the other doesn't have. Though one is enough)

So that this laptop will initiate the broadcasting and the other laptop will sense it.

Otherwise, none of them will see any available wireless connections in the list.

If you have any problem with this, give me an email (hjx@umich.edu)

I hope to be helpful, because this damn thing cost me a lot of trouble.