Setting up a temporary ‘ad hoc’ network

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	TOP STORY Setting up a temporary ‘ad hoc’ network
	By Fred Langa When you need a quick way to share files between two Windows PCs that aren’t normally connected, an ad hoc wireless network is the way to go. Everything you need is already built into Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Here’s how to set up an ad hoc network on wireless PCs.

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The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/top-story/setting-up-a-temporary-ad-hoc-network/ (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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I get to step 14 but my second laptop is Vista and I don’t get the same screen to change from Public to Home so though I am connected I can’t communicate or transfer info back and forth? What can I do to get my Vista laptop from Public to Home Network in conjunction with the other Seven Laptop?

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Can this be done to this computer by someone else without my knowledge or permission?

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Can this be done to this computer by someone else without my knowledge or permission?

Welcome to The Lounge, Stanm!

Connecting to an ad hoc network, like connecting to any wireless access point network, is strictly voluntary on the part of the computer user who is making the connection. HOWEVER, if your computer is set up to automatically connect to networks, you can get into big trouble very fast if you are trying to connect to a network in a public environment, such as an airport, a library or a hotel. There, a so-called “Man in the Middle” can hijack your automatic connection, connecting you to his/her/their own ad hoc network instead of to the actual wireless access point of the real wireless network. For this reason, whenever you connect to a wireless network in a public place, make SURE the network is listing as a Wireless Access Point, and NOT an ad hoc network (the symbols or icons will be different, as illustrated in Fred’s article). And make SURE your wireless networking settings are set NOT to automatically connect to ANY type of network. But as I said in the beginning, you always have a choice to connect or not to connect, unless you have your wireless network settings set to automatically connect to any available nearby network.

When I do not need a Network Connection, I go to my System Tray and manually turn off my Wireless Radio Signal. This prevents any accidental connections.

-- rc primak

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Fred, how do you create the red circles to show which command to use in the copied diagloge box, or do you have a program to create them.

Budd

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I know that this a temporary connection. Do you have a script to repeat the connection? Or can it be saved to re-start later?

At the end Fred says “When you’re through using your new network, simply disconnect both laptops from the ad hoc connection.“. How do we do the disconnect? Is there something on the screen to disconnect? Do we just hit the X in the upper right corner? or?

Thanks
Chris Coddington

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Using an ad hoc connection is it possible to link an XP computer to a wireless printer? I ask because I don’t have a router and would linke to use the printer wirelessly with my laptop. Can this connection be a permanaent one?

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I get to step 14 but my second laptop is Vista and I don’t get the same screen to change from Public to Home so though I am connected I can’t communicate or transfer info back and forth? What can I do to get my Vista laptop from Public to Home Network in conjunction with the other Seven Laptop?

Hello adwohc, and welcome to the Lounge!

Go to your Vista Network and Sharing Center, locate your network name with the type of network, either Public or Private label within parenthesis, and then look to the right side of that line for Customize written in blue. Click Customize and you will see a dialog box allowing you to change your network type to Private (which is for Home or Work), or to Public when you are in public wifi hotspots.

Here is a MS link with more details on the matter. Be sure at least Network Discovery and file sharing are on, and you might consider public folder sharing, and possibly printer sharing.

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OK, if you are using computers with different OSes – I have an XP and Win 7, which directions do you follow? Does it matter?

"She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined.
She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot."
--Mark Twain

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Is there any way to set up a working adhoc WiFi network mixing Win XP Pro and Win 7?

I tried to do so with one XP Pro laptop, one Win 7 Pro laptop, and one Win 7 Home laptop, following the instructions here and at the XP links provided. No matter how many times I try, and no matter which laptop I set up as the host, the two Win 7 laptops can access each other and transfer files back and forth, but the Win XP laptop refuses to join them. I can see the Win XP laptop on the network map page, but it shows up on the bottom of the screen, disconnected from the other two laptops, with the message, “The following device cannot be placed on the network map”. I did make sure to use 56-bit encryption on all three laptops for compatibility with Win XP.

Double-clicking on the Windows XP laptop on the network map page produces the following error message:

Network Error
Windows cannot access \[WXPP laptop name; in my case, the name was WXPP-EMB]
Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there might be a problem with the network. To try to identify and resolve network problems, click Diagnose.
Error code: 0x80070035
The network path was not found.

Clicking on Diagnose resets the network cards, and certainly does not resolve the problem.

See attached PNG.

33303-Adhoc-error-message

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