Synopses & Reviews
The beauty of a home network is that it can make life so easy--what could be better than sharing an Internet connection so that everyone can be online at the same time? With home networking you can move files from one computer to another, share resources, print to a single printer or multiple printers from any computer in the house, and IM the kids when they're holed up in their rooms. And the downside? Anyone who's ever had to troubleshoot a network glitch doesn't need to ask that question. The simple words, "Why can't I print? Why can't I get to the Internet? Why does my computer say 'Access Denied' today, when it worked fine yesterday?" are enough to send the home network administrator running for cover. And the concept of "network security" can keep the soundest sleeper tossing and turning all night.Currently, more than 8 million homes in the US have installed a network of some kind, and within five years, that number is expected to jump to 37 million. This speaks to the availability of easy-to-install home networking products. Unfortunately, there's also a glut of potential headaches that can occur after installation (and during, sometimes) with no warning label on the box saying, "This product sure to cause annoyances."But help is here. Home Networking Annoyances will ease the headaches and annoyances of anyone who runs a home network. This book tackles all the common annoyances associated with running your network--whether it's wired or wireless, or a combination thereof. Its friendly, off-the-cuff approach will put you in a position of power over those home networking glitches, including file sharing, printing, cabling, security, and much more. You'll find dozens of on-target tips, workarounds, and fixes that will help you improve your home networking experience in every way possible.Whether you're a mainstream business user or a home user with newly installed network hardware, you've probably had your patience tested by frustrating network maintenance issues. Take a stand against annoyances now: just as the bestselling PC Annoyances brought peace and happiness to PC users everywhere, Home Networking Annoyances is your ticket to serenity.
Synopsis
TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUNDIncreasingly home networking hardware is becoming easier and easier to install and there are already several dozen how-to-books on the market.
Synopsis
The beauty of a home network is that it can make life so easy--what could be better than sharing an Internet connection so that everyone can be online at the same time? "Home Networking Annoyances" will ease the headaches as it tackles all the common annoyances associated with running a network--whether it's wired or wireless, Mac or PC, or a combination thereof.
About the Author
Kathy Ivens has been a computer consultant since 1984, and has authored and contributed to more than forty books on computer subjects. She writes a monthly column in Windows 2000 Magazine (formerly Windows NT Magazine), and has a syndicated column that runs in newspapers and on educational Internet sites. Before becoming an expert in computing, Ms. Ivens spent many years as a television producer, where she had fun producing sports and was mildly amused producing news and entertainment programs. Preceding that career was some time spent as a community organizer and also as a political consultant. She still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up.
Table of Contents
Introduction; IS HOME NETWORKING ANNOYANCES RIGHT FOR YOU?; HOW TO USE THIS BOOK; CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS BOOK; O'REILLY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU; ABOUT THE AUTHOR; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; Chapter 1: Hardware Annoyances; 1.1 NETWORK ADAPTER ANNOYANCES; 1.2 ETHERNET HARDWARE ANNOYANCES; 1.3 PHONELINE HARDWARE ANNOYANCES; 1.4 POWERLINE HARDWARE ANNOYANCES; 1.5 WIRELESS HARDWARE ANNOYANCES; 1.6 TROUBLESHOOTING AND TECH-SUPPORT ANNOYANCES; Chapter 2: Software Annoyances; 2.1 CONFIGURING NETWORK ADAPTERS; 2.2 CONFIGURING ROUTERS; 2.3 CONFIGURING AND MANAGING USERS; 2.4 CONFIGURING THE DESKTOP; 2.5 INSTANT MESSENGER ANNOYANCES; 2.6 SOFTWARE SUPPORT ANNOYANCES; Chapter 3: Network Access Annoyances; 3.1 FINDING COMPUTERS ON YOUR NETWORK; 3.2 TROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK CONNECTIVITY; 3.3 MY NETWORK PLACES NEEDS HOUSEKEEPING; 3.4 MAPPED DRIVES; Chapter 4: File-Sharing Annoyances; 4.1 ACCESSING FILES ON REMOTE COMPUTERS; 4.2 MANIPULATING FILES ON THE NETWORK; 4.3 NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS; Chapter 5: Network Printing Annoyances; 5.1 SHARED PRINTER ANNOYANCES; 5.2 INSTALLING REMOTE (NETWORK) PRINTERS; 5.3 MANAGING NETWORK PRINTING; 5.4 TROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK PRINTERS; 5.5 USING PRINT FILES; 5.6 NETWORK PRINTING AND MS-DOS; Chapter 6: Shared Internet Connection Annoyances; 6.1 ISP RULES: CUTTING THROUGH THE CONFUSION; 6.2 DIAL-UP CONNECTION-SHARING ANNOYANCES; 6.3 SHARED BROADBAND ANNOYANCES; 6.4 BROADBAND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ANNOYANCES; 6.5 EMAIL ANNOYANCES; 6.6 AOL ANNOYANCES; Chapter 7: Security Annoyances; 7.1 FIREWALL; 7.2 VIRUSES, WORMS, AND OTHER SLIMY CREATURES; 7.3 WIRELESS SECURITY ISSUES; 7.4 FILE AND FOLDER SECURITY; Chapter 8: Network Maintenance Annoyances; 8.1 DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING; 8.2 BACKING UP INFORMATION; 8.3 UPGRADING THE NETWORK; Expanding the Network; CREATING A BLUEPRINT; MINIMUM EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS; COMPATIBILITY ISSUES; SIGNAL INTERFERENCE ISSUES; NIFTY NETWORK DEVICES; MULTILINK PHONE MODEMS TO INCREASE SPEED; HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEVICES; Colophon;