Question Guide to networking with "home" Windows OS?

[Squids4daddy]

I have a hodgepodge of Win 7, Win 10, Win 11 machines around the house. The wife and kids want me to set up networking. I do the obvious things the internet says....it no work. I take all the troubleshooting steps Google recommends. No love.

can you recommend a "first principles" resource that I can use to teach myself networking for Windows? One that covers all the weird and wonderful ways it can go wrong so I can figure this out?

 

[USAFRet]

First off, what do you mean by "networking"?

 

[lantis3]

Probably photo sharing? Just use Google drive but it's limit to 15GB

Regarding Windows network sharing without using internet, there are tons of tutorials on youtube.

Of course the one PC that's sharing files must be on.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=basic+windows+network+sharing

If you have a lot of photos/videos/files to share then you should consider a NAS, diy or not, that runs 24/7. NAS in my opinion probably overkill for a lot of people however.

You can also buy a Windows mini PC and just use Windows networking to share files. Mini PC are extremely cheap now and use very little electricity.

 

[Squids4daddy]

Probably photo sharing? Just use Google drive but it's limit to 15GB

Regarding Windows network sharing without using internet, there are tons of tutorials on youtube.

Of course the one PC that's sharing files must be on.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=basic+windows+network+sharing

If you have a lot of photos/videos/files to share then you should consider a NAS, diy or not, that runs 24/7. NAS in my opinion probably overkill for a lot of people however.

You can also buy a Windows mini PC and just use Windows networking to share files. Mini PC are extremely cheap now and use very little electricity.

Photo and documents....but what does a windows mini-pc do that regular windows pc cannot? Let me give you an example. Say I'm doing cad work on computer 1. Then my daughter starts doing homework on computer 1. Later I want to 3D print something, and my 3D printer is hooked up to computer 3. Well...I don't want to have to schlep downstairs and bother my daughter to go get that file that is on computer 1.

Youtube: a greed, a lot of stuff on there. But youtube is terrible if you want to go back, look somethign back up, how did he do that? I want some thing text/picture based I can bring up in a window while I work. You tube videos are a terrible way to learn something other than getting a high level overview or for something like blacksmithing where there is stuff you just need to see done.

 

[Squids4daddy]

First off, what do you mean by "networking"?

I want any PC in the house to be able to grab any file off of any other PC in the house. The PC's are all connected via either hardline or wifi to a netgear router.

 

[USAFRet]

Photo and documents....but what does a windows mini-pc do that regular windows pc cannot? Let me give you an example. Say I'm doing cad work on computer 1. Then my daughter starts doing homework on computer 1. Later I want to 3D print something, and my 3D printer is hooked up to computer 3. Well...I don't want to have to schlep downstairs and bother my daughter to go get that file that is on computer 1.

Basically, you need one central device to store shared files.
Something that does not depend on a particular user PC being on.

I have a NAS for this.
Files that need to be are accessible from any system in the house.

 

[lantis3]

If you own usb based 3d printer and want to share then

1. you need a printer server (usually an adapter with a usb & network port) attached to the printer
2. a router with usb printer support

Whether it works only when you test it. So make sure you can return the product easily.

mini pc no different from regular desktop pc except it uses very little electricity so you can run 24/7 and don't have to worry the electricity bill.

If you don't want to buy print server, you can also attach the 3d printer to the mini pc and share the printer with Windows networking.

 

[USAFRet]

If you own usb based 3d printer and want to share then

1. you need a printer server (usually an adapter with a usb & network port)
2. a router with usb printer support

Whether it works only when you test it. So make sure you can return the product easily.

mini pc no different from regular desktop pc except it uses very little electricity so you can run 24/7 and don't have to worry the electricity bill.

If you don't want to buy print server, you can also attach the 3d printer to the mini pc and share the printer.

Printing with a 3D printer is NOT the same as a print server for inkjet/laser printers.
Not even close.

 

[lantis3]

Printing with a 3D printer is NOT the same as a print server for inkjet/laser printers.
Not even close.

So what's the difference? I don't have experience. Can you give a brand / model and I probably can do some research.

 

[USAFRet]

So what's the difference? I don't have experience. What's your brand / model and I probably can do some research.

I have a couple of 3D printers.
Bambu, 2 different Enders.

Generally, a multi step process.
CAD, slicer, which then produces a .gcode file.
That gcode is what the printer uses.

That file just needs to be in a place accessible to the printer. With my Enders, I do all the prelim work on my PC, save the resultant gcode to a place on the NAS.
The printer looks at that space and does what is needed.

NOT a traditional 'print server' like you use with an inkjet.


And printing with the Bambu Carbon is different than the Enders.

 

[lantis3]

@USAFRet I mean how do you connect to the PC? If it's not USB, then how?

At least this Ender is using USB

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVmvKfBkrto

 

[USAFRet]

@USAFRet I mean how do you connect to the PC? If it's not USB, then how?

At least this Ender is using USB

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVmvKfBkrto

The Bambu is WiFi.
One of the Enders is ethernet (could be USB if I wanted), the other is ethernet and WiFi.

Again, 3D printer connectivity is NOT the same as inkjet/laser.

 

[lantis3]

The Bambu is WiFi.
One of the Enders is ethernet (could be USB if I wanted), the other is ethernet and WiFi.

Again, 3D printer connectivity is NOT the same as inkjet/laser.

So they are networked already. OP's 3D printer is not.
So what's the argument here? OP should just reveal what he has.

And of course 3D printer is not inkjet/laser. But what all printers do is accept commands or scripts from PC and do the printing.

 

[USAFRet]

So they are networked already. OP's 3D printer is not.
So what's the argument here? OP should just reveal what he has.

As said, a central device, to hold whatever shared files. Word docs, gcode, whatever.
A NAS is ideal.

The cheap but very messy way is shared folders on each system. This, of course, relies on that system being ON when you need it.

 

[USAFRet]

If the 3D printer in question relies on only USB, and we do not know, then some remote connection is needed. TeamViewer, TinyVNC, RDC in windows...something like that.

 

[lantis3]

As said, a central device, to hold whatever shared files. Word docs, gcode, whatever.
A NAS is ideal.

The cheap but very messy way is shared folders on each system. This, of course, relies on that system being ON when you need it.

I suggested the same, didn't I? OP has a choice. mini pc or NAS.

 

[USAFRet]

I suggested the same, didn't I?

And so did I.

I want any PC in the house to be able to grab any file off of any other PC in the house. The PC's are all connected via either hardline or wifi to a netgear router.

This requirement basically speaks to needing a NAS. Network Attached Storage.
(and not any file, just the shared ones).

 

[USAFRet]

I suggested the same, didn't I? OP has a choice. mini pc or NAS.

We got off on this tangent with the difference between a traditional "print server", and a 3D printers needs.

 

[lantis3]

I'll stop and you take over.

 

[USAFRet]

So @Squids4daddy - Now that you might be completely lost...questions?