Home Networking Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Home Network

One of the nifty advantages to a home network is that you can sit in front of one computer and access files on any other computer on the network. For example, perhaps Mom usually works at the computer in the den, and saves her files on that computer. Suppose one of the kids is using the den computer when Mom wants to work on a document. Before the network arrived, Mom would have to ask (or order) Junior to move so that she could work. With a network-enabled house, Mom can use any free computer, and just reach across the network to work on her files. I'm sure this contributes to a more harmonious family atmosphere. Of course, if you have more users than you have computers, you can still expect to have some discordant moments in your household.

In this chapter I'll provide some tips, tricks, and workarounds for the annoyances you might run into as you access all the computers on your network. I'll cover the problems you encounter in network windows (Network Neighborhood and My Network Places), methods for connecting to other computers quickly, and ways to solve connection problems when you can't find computers on your network.