Member Avatar for ernieshrew

Sorry all and I apologise in advance for asking such a basic question that I am sure has been asked before (just point me to the correct thread if it has ;) ) but......
I have a netgear wireless router with 2 laptops connected wirelessly to the internet, no problems there, both connect and work ok. My question is how can I connect the 2 laptops together wirelessly to share files, I have run the network setup wizard but had no luck, I am obviously doing something wrong but just work out what it is. A step by step idiots guide would be handy :confused:

Thanks in advance
Ernie

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Nice result — 's hint sorted it for . For anyone else who has both laptops on the same wireless router but still cannot see each other, here are concise, practical checks and a quick troubleshooting flow that go beyond the basic OS sharing setting that fixed this thread.

  • Check IPs and subnet: run ipconfig or ifconfig on both machines. They should be on the same network (eg. 192.168.1.x with a 255.255.255.0 mask). A 169.254.x.x address means a DHCP problem.
  • Router features: ensure the clients are on the main SSID (not a Guest SSID) and that "AP/client/guest isolation" is turned off; many routers block client-to-client traffic by default.
  • Network profile and firewall: set the OS network type to Private/Home (not Public) and allow local network discovery/sharing in any firewall or security suite.
  • Name resolution vs direct access: if browsing fails, try the direct path using the IP (for example \\192.168.1.5\share) to bypass name-resolution issues. If that works, look at workgroup names and local name resolution.
  • VPNs and VPN clients: a VPN on either laptop often prevents local LAN access — temporarily disable it for testing.
  • Permissions and compatibility: check share-level and filesystem permissions and be aware that modern Windows versions disable SMBv1; don’t re-enable legacy SMB unless you isolate the hosts and understand the risks.
  • Quick test flow: verify IPs, ping the other machine, try the UNC path, then check router isolation and firewall rules.

Security note: do not expose Windows shares to the Internet; for frequent file exchange consider a secure NAS, SFTP, or cloud sync instead of opening insecure protocols.

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Member Avatar for Bench

If they're both connecting to the router, then there's nothing wrong with the network - you need to configure both machines with File & Print sharing, and enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.

look in the properties for the network connection on both machines, and make sure File & Print sharing is installed. Then look at the advanced TCP/IP Properties, and ensure that NetBIOS is enabled.

Member Avatar for ernieshrew

If they're both connecting to the router, then there's nothing wrong with the network - you need to configure both machines with File & Print sharing, and enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.

look in the properties for the network connection on both machines, and make sure File & Print sharing is installed. Then look at the advanced TCP/IP Properties, and ensure that NetBIOS is enabled.

Thank you worked a treat :)

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