IT Queries: Computer problems answered

NAT Connection error

Eric had a problem playing a multiuser game with a “nat connection error” appearing on the game. NAT, or Network Address Translation, allows Internet traffic to be get through a router to the computer it is intended for.

The simplest solution for this is to turn the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) on in the router settings. Another option is to enable port forwarding however to do the the latter, it requires knowing the technical features of the specific game.

 This answer originally appeared as an answer on PC Rescue’s ABC program on 15 August 2008.

I would like to network my laptop to my pc both have xp So i can get internet on my laptop – Julie

Network detals XP to Vista – Lawrence

We’ve covered the issues with networking previously. Check out this post.

I wish to connect two PC’s to one laser printer. Is it possible to achieve this by just using cables or do I need to go to wireless?

You can do either. Wired is faster and more reliable but wireless doesn’t require stringing cables around your home or office.

To network any device you need a network adapter. A wired one has a plug where the ethernet cable plugs in while a wireless one will have a radio built into it and may or may not have a aerial.

If your printer has either, or both, of these connections it’s a matter of either just plugging it into the network or entering the wireless network’s name and security details.

Should you not have either of these, you’ll need to buy an adapter that plugs into the printer which may be available from your printer manufacturer or you’ll need a print server.

Print servers plug into your printer’s USB port at one end and the network at the other. Note that a lot of multifunction printers don’t like this setup.

The final way is to just plug the printer into one of the computers and just share it across the network.

How can i find the conflicting IP address on the LAN? there is a message appearing in on the lower right corner of my screen “Windows error there is a conflicting address”.

The problem is you have a device with the same address on your local network. Either one of the devices is set manually or your router is giving out the wrong addresses.

The first thing to do is reset all the devices on your network. We have instructions for resetting the Windows computers on a previous page. You’ll have to do this with everything connected to your network; X-boxes, Air Ports, DVR, etc.

If that doesn’t work, turn off all your devices and restart your router. Wait a few minutes then start turning your devices back on. That should force the router to give out addresses in an orderly fashion.

Should one of the devices have a fixed IP address, the router may need to be set to exclude that address. You’ll have to read your router’s manual for  instructions on doing this.

How do I go about networking both XP and Vista computers?

You’ll need to setup file sharing on both computers. Microsoft have instructions for sharing in XP here and for Vista here. You’ll need to connect both to a switch or a router either wirelessly or through Ethernet cables.

There are some tricks. We find lots of problems with firewall and security programs. Microsoft have instruction on changing the built in Windows firewall settings on their website.

You also need to make sure that all the folders you want to share have had their sharing enabled and permissions granted.

Troubleshooting network problems can be fiddly so if you find it’s taking too long you should call a computer tech to have a look.

When I look at my network in Windows Vista I see the Vista computers and my router but none of my Windows XP computers. 

Vista’s network mapping function relies on a protocol called Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) protocol. This isn’t part of Windows XP.

You can download and install the necessary programs for XP to use this service from the Microsoft website.

As far as we’re aware, there isn’t a LLTD add in for Apple Macs. If you want to use a mixed Mac and Windows network with these functions, it’s probably best to use the Apple Bonjour service.

I’m trying to share files between Windows XP machines. When I try to access anything on the computers I get an error saying “You may not have permission to use this network resource”.

I’ve shared my folders but still can’t seem to access anything?

There’s a number of issues that can be causing it. Microsoft have a comprehensive run down on the common causes for this problem on their website.

If none of the solutions on that page fix the problem, you may want to check if you have a firewall blocking the file sharing service. If you do, you’ll have to allow file sharing or add your network to firewall’s trusted zone.

Many thanks for your help.   One more question though, to connect my BT Broadband through a wireless connection, do I have to use the recommended BT Adaptor connector.

If it’s the BT Wireless Hub, then any wireless adapter, including those built into most laptops, can do it.

On the hub, you’ll find the wireless encryption key and it’s just a matter of entering that when asked to by your computer or setup program.

Full instructions on using the BT product can be downloaded from their website.

“Everytime I open my computer before I log in there is error message “a duplicate name exist on the network”. I already change the computer name on the properties then change computer name. then when I re-start my Computer nothing happen. still the error appears before I log in.

You should check you are actually changing the name. Open the Control Panel by clicking Start, Settings, Control Panel and then click System.

In the System properties click the Computer Name tab. This is where you may be being misled as the “Computer Description” box is different to the computer’s name. The actual name is below under the “Full Computer Name” heading.

To change this, click the “Change” button. Choose a name different to all the other computers on the network and put this in the Computer name box. Keep clicking okay until the computer says it needs to restart and let the computer reboot.

This should clear the problem. If it doesn’t click Start, Run and type ipconfig /flushdns. This should wipe the computer’s memory of other addresses and should get rid of the message on restart.

How do I share Microsoft Office templates on my network?

It’s a good idea to share standard documents and layouts across the entire business network. It avoids having too many versions being sent out to customers and suppliers.

To do this, first create the standard documents and make sure they are correct. Then save them as templates (.dot or .xlt in Word and Excel).

Then create a folder on one of your shared network folders. Make sure this folder or drive is marked read only for most people as you only want authorised staff to change the documents.

Once you’ve set this up, copy the templates to that folder.

Then on each machine, you will have to open Word click on the Tools menu, choose Options and File Locations.

Highlight the Workgroup Templates item, click modify and enter the network address of the template folder (eg \\server\data\templates).

Save and restart Word. You’ll have to repeat the process on Excel.

The result of this is when staff go to create a new document or spreadsheet from a template, all the standard templates will now appear under the general tab.