Domain vs. Workgroup Conflict

I have a laptop for work that is part of a secured corporate DOMAIN. I want to connect this to my home network, which is using a WORKGROUP. All I want to do is share files and resources from my home network WORKGROUP to my domain-registered work laptop.

I have ADSL (always on) through a wireless D-LINK router.

//Mod edit: This post moved to a more appropriate forum from
the "Windows XP/NT/2000/2003" forum.

What operating system are you running?

So far as I know, which is not very far at all, you do this by defining a new user profile. Hopefully someone with some experience will be able to outline the steps to take.

There is some (confusing) info here:
http://www.chicagotech.net/workgroupnet.htm

and a Microsoft document here which says you can't... you shouldn't... but here's how:

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/broadban...ps_domains.mspx

hth

Thanks for the information. I am running XP PRO SP2 on all machines...

I am having the same problem and have not yet been able to solve it. I have a laptop from work that is part of a domain and I have a home computer on a workgroup. Both run Win XP Pro.

I want to be able to utilize the printer (attached locally to my home PC) using my laptop over my home wireless network. I use Zone Alarm Pro firewall on my home PC, and have set up the IP address of my laptop as "trusted." This allows me to ping my home computer from my laptop. But I cannot get past that point. If I try to browse to \HOME I get "network path not found."

I have tried changing the workgroup name on the home PC to match the domain name on my work PC but that did not work.

Thanks for any help!

Keith Frank

The solution will be found by configuring your home routing device correctly. You need to use the administrative console to configure something called the DMZ to allow your printer to be accessible from the internet. You may want to specify that it be allowed access only to your laptop from work for example.

Same idea out to bhiggins; administer the home router to allow access (file and print sharing) by your work computer via the internet (DMZ).

This in addition to having the local network file and print sharing in order (which is assumed because these things already work from the home side between different computers).

Thanks a bunch, but I'm still having problems. I can go to the wireless router control panel and I see the DMZ section. It asks for IP address. I entered the IP address of my home computer (with a wired connection to the router and the local printer I want to access connected via USB) into the control panel and it appeared that this setting was accepted.

Now what? I have my laptop (from work) at home and via wireless connection can access the internet via my wireless router. What I don't seem to be able to do is to connect to my home computer or the local printer connected to it. I am able to ping my home computer from my laptop. I did have to tell the firewall on my home computer (Zone Alarm) that the IP address of my laptop was "trusted" in order for the laptop to be able to ping the home computer.

What am I missing?

Keith,

I may have misinterpreted your need. Instead of trying to access a home network/printer FROM your workplace, what you want is to bring home your work PC, which is domain-configured, and have it work with your file and print shares on the home network... correct?

OK, first thing to remember... do NOT take that computer out of it's domain.

Since you can use the work laptop on the home network (gets out to the internet) have you tried just getting directly to a home computer via a UNC naming convention? ie. \\computer\sharename where 'computer' is the name of the machine and 'sharename' is the volume or folder being shared.

Instead of the DMZ for the router see if you can find the toggle for UPnP (universal plug and play) which should make the router show every resource that a machine could have access to in the network neighborhood. The disadvantage to this is you get a new, semi-annoying network connectoid called "internet connection" but it's really no big deal; just a confusing way to think of your router.

You are correct...you understand what I want to do. By the way, thanks so much for trying to help me out. I really appreciate it.

I have tried to connect from my laptop to my home computer (named "home") by trying "\home" to no avail. I also tried "\homedad" (I log onto my home computer as "dad"). All I get is "The network path was not found." I am able to ping my home computer by using the IP address, however.

I found the UPnP toggle on my router and it is enabled.

Can you thing of anything else I might try?

UNC convention = \\computername\sharename (that's two backslashes followed by the name of the computer or server, then a single backslash followed by the name of the share) or just \\computername which should then show a window with what shares are accessible.

You're sure of your shares set up on the home computers? The printer has been shared for instance (note: printers and shared 'devices' are not accessible via the UNC; think file-sharing). Make a test of your My Documents or some random folder on the home computer; right-click and elect specifically to share a folder. You might also try sharing something from the work laptop and try and see it vice versa from the home PC.

If the UNC way isn't working, try browsing the "My Network Places" window. It used to be much more direct but you should still be able to find/browse the "Entire Network" and drill down to "Microsoft Windows Network". You may have to start with the "View Workgroup Computers" mode and then keep your eye on the 'Other Places' pane on the left side, bottom.

I did try the UNC convention - \\home (double backslash) - and I thought that's what I put in my post. I guess I didn't proof read it very well. For some reason, in my post, the first backslash disappeared in each instance. But I digress. . .

When I try to access \\home from my laptop, I get "The network path was not found."

I have made sure that my printer is shared, and some folders are shared, but I still cannot see them. (I can ping the computer, however.)

I tried browsing the My Network Places to no avail. I don't see the "View Workgroup Computers" mode or the "'Other Places" pane either.

I had a similar problem and solved it for the printer on workgroup desktop computer.

Add a printer NEXT
Select "A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer" NEXT
Select "Connect to a printer on the internet or a home or office network"
In the URL box type \\ComputerName\PrinterShareName
Then Click next.

where,
ComputerName is the name of the computer that is attached to workgroup with the printer
PrinterShareName is the share name of the printer attached to the workgroup computer.

Example,

My laptop is called leia and is part of a domain, but I want to use the printer that is part of my workgroup while I'm at home.
Leia connects to the router using an ethernet cable, but could use WiFi as well.
The Workgroup is called "WORKGROUP" and has been set up on some PCs in my home
The desktop is "AMIDALA" connected by WiFi to the router
The printer is "LaserJet" connected to Amidala by USB cable


To access this printer using Leia,
in the URL line I would put "\\AMIDALA\LaserJet"

Keep in mind that the printer would only be accessible when connected to the router through which the home workgroup exists.