Hi Gang!

I just ordered a Dell laptop. It will be running XP home just like the desktop I already have. I want to set up a wireless network between the two machines. My question is this. If I want to share all files between both machines, do I need to install the basic program on both machines or will the laptop "read" both the programs and the associated files from the desktop. For example, do I need to install my Quicken program on the laptop inorder to work with the Quicken files located on my desktop? This will be my first networking attempt, so all help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!!

Simply sharing the files needs no special setup outside of the networking basics. BUT in order to run the program from both machines, it needs to be installed on both machines because of the need for support files that are installed within the operating system on each machine.

Thanks Masque. That's what I suspected.

You should also be aware that many applications will not allow you to access the same files at the same time while the machines are networked.In other words you won't be able to have the same data file open on both at the same time .

Some programs don't handle bit locking at all, and may corrupt the data file if two machines have it open at once.

This is getting less likely as time goes on (people have learned their lesson the first time they wrote the code), but it still occurs.

Best to set up test files before using production files if they're essential (like Quicken). If it's just a game file or whatever that isn't crucial and you don't have to worry about backing up, test away.