Configuring a Local Area Network Between Two Computers

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A local network between two computers is a great way to conveniently and quickly transfer files. It can be used both for home use by connecting several computers in your home, and for work purposes. And despite the fact that Windows 10, like previous versions of Windows, has all the necessary tools for creating and configuring a local network, the procedure for creating it is somewhat complicated for ordinary users.

Creating a local network in the Windows 10 operating system

There are two main ways how you can create a local network. This is the creation of a wireless LAN via wi-fi, or the creation of a local network using a network cable. Both methods have both their pros and cons.

Creating a LAN using a cable

It is worth immediately indicating that you have a wi-fi router at home and all computers are connected to it, no additional efforts are required to create a network. There is already a connection between your computers, so there is no need to connect them additionally to each other. But in most cases, the need to create a local network arises when there is no such connection. In this case, you will need to connect computers directly to each other (modern models can easily be connected with a simple Internet cable). Then, first of all, you should make sure that the “Workgroup” parameter is assigned the same name on each of the connected devices. To do this, do the following:

  1. Press the WinX key combination and select the “System” section from the list (you can also right-click in the lower left corner of the screen to call this list).

Next, you need to configure network discovery settings. Enabled network discovery will allow you to interact with your computer on the local network, while disconnected will block this feature. It is good to be able to switch this parameter, for security reasons. This is done as follows:

  1. Right-click on the network connection icon in the tray (lower right corner of the screen).
  2. Select “Network and Sharing Center.”
  3. To the left of the main window, select “change advanced settings”.

This is already enough if the computers are connected via cables through a router. But if they are connected directly, a number of additional settings should be made. We do the following:

  1. Press the WinX keyboard shortcut.
  2. Select the “Network Connections” item in the list that appears.
  3. We select a network connection through your device and call the context menu by right-clicking on it.
  4. Go to the “Properties” of the device.
  5. Next, open the component properties (TCP / iPc4)
  6. And we set the settings as in the image below, taking into account the fact that the last digit of the IP address should be different for each computer on the local network.

Thus, we created and configured a local network through a network cable. Computers share each other’s files and printer, which will satisfy our goals.

If you still have questions about creating such a local network, you can watch this.

How to create and configure a wireless network via Wi-Fi connection

A wireless connection is more convenient for most users, although the connection through it may be less stable than we would like. To create it in Windows 10, you have to use the command line. But to simplify the process, which must be repeated every time you turn on the computer, we will immediately consider creating an executable file that will play this command. To do this, create a text file and enter the following block of commands:

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode = allow ssid = ”network-name” key = ”connection-password”

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

At the same time, the network name and password must be entered without quotation marks.

Further, when saving the file, we change the.txt format to.bat simply by changing the signature of the file format, after the dot in its name. The executable is ready. It should be launched every time you start your device.

After the network is started by this series of commands, another device can connect to it using the password you set for connection and the name of the network.

Configure access to folders on the created network

Now that the local area network between the two computers is installed, we’ll figure out how to open shared access to certain folders. Sharing can be configured both for any single folder, and for the entire drive. depending on your goals and the level of trust in the user of another computer. For this:

  1. Right-click on any folder for which you want to change access settings and select the “Properties” section.
  2. Go to “Access” and select advanced access settings.
  3. Only the item for sharing this folder will be available to you. Mark it.

Now it remains only to carry out security settings. To do this, in the folder properties, go to the appropriate tab and do the following:

  1. In the permissions menu for individual groups, click “Change.”
  2. In the next, choose to add a new group.

Thus, user access to the specified folder was configured. You can do this for any number of folders and users.

Adding a New Device

If you have already configured the local network according to the instructions above, then adding a new device for general use will not be difficult. To do this, just open the control panel of your computer, and go to the “Hardware and Sound” section, and then select “Devices and Printers”. In this folder you will see all connected devices. We do the following:

  1. Select the device for which you want to set sharing. For example, it could be a printer.
  2. By pressing the right button, we call the context menu of this device and select distributed “Printer Properties”.
  3. There, we go, as before, to the “Access” tab and find the item for sharing settings for this printer. Check the boxes to give this access.

Now that the device is open for sharing, you only need to connect it by acting through a computer on the local network. It is done like this:

  1. Select the user whose device you want to use and you should see the device in the public domain.
  2. Right-click on it and select “Connect.”

Connection Issues in Windows 10

If you correctly created and configured a local network, you should not have any special problems. Just make sure:

  • You enter the security key correctly when connecting to the local network via wi-fi
  • The cable is connected securely to both computers.
  • You have given all the necessary access and security rights.
  • All connected devices have the correct IP address if it is not set automatically.
  • In the settings, network discovery of your device is enabled.

In addition, there are a number of specific problems when connecting devices.

For example, if when you try to connect to the device, you receive a standard Windows error about the impossibility of this action, you should take the following steps:

  1. Click WinX
  2. In the list that appears, select “Computer Management”
  3. Next, you need to go to the “Services” section and find “Print Manager” in the list.
  4. Disable this service, restart the computer, and enable the service again. Most likely, your problem will be solved.

Removing LANs in Windows 10

Despite the fact that in most cases it is enough to disable device discovery on the local network using the method described above in this article, there is no need to keep local connections on the computer that are not used.

Therefore, we will consider how to delete an already created local network that we do not need.

This can be done in Windows 10 through the registry. To call it, click WinR and in the window that appears, enter the regedit command.

Caution, any incorrect registry change can harm your computer. You perform these actions at your own risk.

In the registry, follow this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ NetworkList \ Profiles

There you will find many traces of past network connections with specific names. Just delete those subsections that indicate you are no longer interested in network connections.

Configuring a Local Area Network Between Two Computers

We examined how to create a local network using a network cable and using a wireless connection. Now, you can organize a connection between your devices at home or at work for a comfortable and quick transfer of information.