I am wanting to set up a network in my home so that I can transfer files between computers and connect to a new wireless capable printer that I have. I have a wireless adapter in my laptop and am connected to the internet through a linsys wireless router through a cable modem. Do I need more hardware to start a home network?

Do your other PCs have wireless adapters also? If so then you have all that you need. Right click on my computer and then click the computer name tab. From there you can join a workgroup. Add all the computers to the same workgroup and they should be talking after a reboot.

Code Poet, thanks for the reply. I do have another computer with a wireless adapter. After going through the process of trying to create a home network using the "set up a home or small office network" wizard built into my Windows XP operating system, it seems that it should be very easy. But I have had no success.
My laptop computer is acting strange and may be the reason why I cannot create the network. I can no longer connect to the internet properly. The computer tells me that it recognizes my wireless access to the internet (wireless router) and claims that it is connected, but I cannot receive any data, only send. The fault is not with the router, because it woks fine with my other compters.
I thought that since my laptop claims that it is connected to the router, that I could still create the network and the laptop would recognize it. Maybe that was a bad assumption!
I have tried to fix the problem with my laptop, but have had no success there. It looks like I am due for a trip to the computer repair shop! Such a shame; I finally get some internet speed and a new wirless printer and my system craps out on me! Note: the wireless printer is not the culprit. Though I bought the printer prior to the problems, it was still in the box when the internet connection problem crept up.

Huh oh. Sounds as though you may have some malware. Have you tried posting over in that forum? Good luck getting things straightened out.

Code is right, may be worth your time to post a log and see if malware is the cause of your connection issues. The forum is listed here. Be sure to read and follow the "Preparation Guide" before posting your log.

If they find your computer "all clean" then I wouldn't be surprised if a corrupted driver is the cause of the wireless connection issue. I see it happen all the time when I'm repairing computers.

Back to the networking issue... If you have different Operating Systems on the computers that can make home networking set-up a little trickier. So, once you get checked for malware and figure out the wireless connection issue post back up here and let us know a little more about the computers you are trying to connect. We can provide some detailed instructions with the right information from you.

Feel free to PM me when you post about the networking issue again. Just to let me know you're back.