2 pc's running xp 1 printer how and what do i need to network them?

I'd suggest a central location that has a computer. I installed mine in my home office, since that's where I keep most of my computers. You might want to install it on a kitchen computer. Whatever you do, don't put it in your kids' rooms. You might never get to it. And don't put it anywhere that you expect privacy; otherwise, someone might startle you at the wrong time with a 20 page list of colorful jokes.

In the continuing saga of my home network, I bought an inexpensive printer to test with Windows XP. Once I decide where to put my new printer, installation was a snap. I plugged my new printer, a popular inkjet printer from that small garage startup, in to a computer running Windows XP, and the operating system automatically recognized it. Windows XP briefly displayed a balloon in the taskbar that said, "Found New Hardware," followed by the name of the printer. A full minute didn't pass between the time I plugged the printer in to the computer and the time I was printing. I didn't have to do jack in order to install the printer, and you'll have the same experience—it just works.

After I installed my new printer on the computer, I wanted to use it from other computers. I even wanted to print from my laptop computer, sitting on the patio, connecting to the network with a wireless NIC. Before I could do that, I had to share the printer. Windows XP doesn't automatically share printers, which is a good thing when you don't want to share your toys.

To share the printer, I opened the Printers and Faxes folder on the computer that was connected to my printer.

To open the Printers and Faxes folder

• Click Start and then click Control Panel.

• Click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.

• In the Printers and Faxes folder, I clicked the printer's icon and, in the tasks pane, I clicked Share This Printer.

• I opened the printer's Properties dialog box, and clicked on the Sharing tab.

• I clicked Share Name, and then clicked OK.

That's it—the printer was immediately available for other computers to use.

Now that I had a network printer, I was ready to connect to it and print from other computers on the network.

To connect to the printer

• I opened Control Panel, and clicked Printers and Other Hardware.

• I clicked Add a Printer.

• Instead of adding a local printer, though, I clicked Printer Connection and then browsed the network for the printer.

The whole process took less than a minute before I was printing to the network printer as though it was connected to the computer.

See The link its given print screen also

http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/WinXP/printing....

You need to first have a network card installed in each pc. And then connecting the PCs with a networking cable. Both the PC's should have same IP address scheme and subnet mask. I hope this will answer

convinced that's; no situation with XP, Vista, Win 2000, Win ME and Win ninety 8; won't be able to have more beneficial than 4 once you've Win ME, Win ninety 8. in case you pick to percentage an information superhighway connection, get a router and assign LAN IP addresses through DHCP If no longer, and consider in straightforward words 2 contraptions to community us a cat5 bypass cable and assign static LAN IP addresses to each computer in similar subnet; I recommend 192.168.a million.2 and 192.168.a million.3 for IP addresses; subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.a million.2. those will replace in case you get a router later.

You need:

1 netcard (10/100M) in each computer

1 cable to connect the computers.

Configure the LAN (TCP/IP) giving IP address to each computer

Than you can share files and printers between the computers.

Makiavel