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User Guide Wireless Network

1. Computer or Peripheral Turned Off If you turn off a HomeFree computer that computer and any peripher als connected to it e g a printer or a modem will no longer be accessi ble to any other computers on the network For example suppose you ve set up a HomeFree network with three computers Computer Name Features Mom s Computer Is a laptop computer It accesses the Internet via the Fam ily Computer over the HomeFree network and prints to the printer connected to Dad s computer Dad s Computer Has a printer attached It accesses the Internet via the Family Computer over the HomeFree network Family Computer Has a modem attached and serves as the Internet Com puter for this network It prints to the printer attached to Dad s computer The figure below shows this network Solving Network Connection Problems The table below shows the effects of turning off each of these com puters and peripherals Device Name Effect of Turning Off this Device Mom s Computer Other computers cannot connect with Mom s Computer i e they cannot transfer files to it or play games with it Dad s Computer Other computers cannot connect with Dad s Computer and no one can print Printer No one can print but other computers can still connect with Dad s computer Family Computer Other computers cannot connect with Family Computer and no one can access the Internet Modem No one can acc
2. Make sure the modem is connected to a phone line that is not in use Insert the HomeFree CD ROM in the drive Click Start on the task bar and choose Run Type D Start exe in the text entry box If your CD ROM drive uses a letter other than D substitute that letter for D Choose Internet Service Providers from the main menu Choose the ISP you want and click Install Follow the instructions on screen to open an ISP account and set up Internet service If you have any problems during this process contact the ISP s Customer Service department for help Diamond Multimedia Systems does not provide support for setting up Internet service Installing an Internet Browser Any computer from which you want to access the Internet must have a browser Currently the two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator from Netscape Corporation and Internet Explorer from Microsoft We ve included browsers on the HomeFree CD ROM that you can install on any computer that needs one To install a browser from the HomeFree CD ROM 1 Insert the HomeFree CD ROM in your drive and wait a moment for the drive to spin up Click Start on the task bar and choose Run Type D Start exe in the text entry box If your CD ROM drive uses a letter other than D substitute that letter for D Choose Internet Utilities from the main menu Choose the browser you want click Install and follow the instructions on the screen Uninstalling Ho
3. first person action genre is more popular than ever But the role of the computer is shifting from adversary to facilitator In the latest multi player games the computer provides an elaborate framework for the game including staging and live action scenes Your screen enemies and there can be many are under the control of other people sitting at computers in other rooms of your home or thanks to the Internet across town in another city or even in another country And if blasting things to smithereens is not your cup of tea there are plenty of alternatives such as adventure exploration games where you and your teammates can explore exotic alien worlds and solve mind bending mysteries and puzzles There are even multi player computer versions of classic board games such as Chess and Go If a 51 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 52 friend or relative lives far away you can still challenge them to a sporting game of Internet Chess Multi player Gaming Modalities Multi player games come in two basic varieties a Games which reside on each player s hard drive Games which reside on an Internet server Games in the first category are sold in the software games section of Checking Network Connections To play Internet based multi player games each player simply con nects to the Internet and signs on to the Web site supporting the game If the game has an associated fee you ll have to register and set up a billing
4. Congratulations You have successfully completed the HomeFree network installation DIAMOND These resources are currently available on My Network Computer Moonbeam Folder Transfer Printer Adobe postsc 0 m e Printer Epson stylus 4 Printer Acrobat dist Printer Acrobat pdfw Computer Sundance r e e Folder Transfer Printer Laserjet 6mp z Printer crobatd y ireless Printer Adobepsp A Printer Hpdeskje Network Click Finish to complete Setup A Important The list of shared network resources in the Network Connections screens should be the same on all of your computers If any computer shows a different list from the others see Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 Congratulations Your HomefFree installation is now complete and you can begin enjoying the benefits of wireless home connectivity Opening an Internet Account If you want to set up Internet Service but haven t yet done so on any of your computers we ve included Internet starter kits on the Home Free CD ROM You can set up Internet service by following the instructions below A Note You ll need a credit card number and expiration date in order to open an account with an ISP over the Internet You can also open an ISP account by phone 35 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 36 To open an ISP account from the HomeFree CD ROM 1 Turn on your Internet Computer If it has an external modem turn it on
5. A glossary of important terms used in this guide a A Typical HomeFree Setup A picture of a typical HomeFree net work and a brief description of its main features a HomeFree Reliability A quick look at the features that maintain the reliability of HomeFree data transmission a HomeFree Security A summary of the features built into Home Free that ensure privacy and security of your data 13 Chapter 2 An Overview of HomeFree The Magic of Wireless Any sufficiently advanced technology is virtually indistinguishable from magic Arthur C Clarke HomeFree is such a technology When you plug HomeFree ISA PCI or PC Cards that you purchased into two computers and start transmit ting data from one end of your house to the other without any wires it seems like magic Wireless is unquestionably the best technology for connecting PCs and peripherals in your home or small office With HomeFree there s no need to open walls to snake cables around your house Simply plug a HomefFree card in each of your PCs install the software and you re up and running HomefFree integrates seamlessly with Win dows 95 and Windows 98 Your computers will function the same as always but with the added benefits of connectivity You can locate your computers anywhere inside or outside your house within a 100 foot circle you can even take your laptop out in the yard and stay connected Some Useful Terms There are a few ter
6. MB Windows 95 Windows 98 Internet Service Provider Modem Model Speed Collect this information from your other computers Computer Manufacturer Model Processor Speed RAM Memory MB Windows 95 Windows 98 Contacting Customer Support TECHNICAL SUPPORT Supra BBS Email 541 967 2444 techsupt diamondmm com Fax on Demand Web Site 1 800 380 0030 or www diamondmm com 541 967 2424 FTP Telephone ftp diamondmm com M F 5AM 7 PM Technical Support Wizard database search Sat 8 AM 4 PM PT http itvweb diamondmm com vweb 541 967 2450 Fax CUSTOMER SERVICE 541 967 2401 phonel 800 468 5846 CompuServe fax 408 325 7408 GO SUPRA emailcusto merser vice diamondmm com 99 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 100 Index A accessing the Internet 40 adding a computer 70 adding a new printer 77 America Online accessing the Internet 68 instrulctions for Internet access 41 Assistant See HomeFree Assistant B bonding two phone lines 41 browser definition 14 installing from CD ROM 36 minimum requirements for 36 C cable modem connecting to the Internet with 68 can t find printer on 95 can t transfer over network 96 cards see hardware changing your modem 74 checking network connections 53 56 Combo Pac 9 computer adding to existing network 70 73 not detected during installation 89 removing Internet Computer 74 removing permanently from network 3 removing printer
7. See Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting the problem Checking Connections using Network Neighborhood In addition to the HomeFree Assistant you can access the Network Neighborhood a feature built into Microsoft Windows to determine which computers and printers are connected on your HomefFree net work Finding out which computers are connected To view the computers in your network neighborhood 1 Double click the Network Neighborhood icon located on your Windows desktop The Network Neighborhood window displays any other comput ers currently accessible on your HomeFree network as shown in the example below 3 abject s 2 Examine the network connections list on each computer All the lists should be the same If the Network Neighborhood does not show computers that should be connected see Solving Network Connection Prob lems on page 57 to diagnose and correct the problem 55 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Ifall of your computers appear in the Network Neighborhood but you are still having problems completing file transfers printing or accessing the Internet over your network there may be obstacles inhibiting the data flow on your network See Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting the problem Finding out which printers are connected You can also use Network Neighborhood to dete
8. 28 You paged through the screens to install the HomeFree drivers but when you finished your Windows desktop appeared and you never saw the HomefFree Installer screen shown in the section Naming the Computer and Installing HomeFree on page 30 Windows did not find the HomefFree driver at the default location or the location you entered When you clicked Next or Finish at the end of the driver installation Windows exited without install ing the HomefFree driver However since Windows did detect the HomefFree ISA PCI or PC card it flagged this device as not being installed correctly To correct this problem follow the instructions below to remove the error flag and repeat the driver installation To reinstall the HomeFree driver 1 Right mouse click the My Computer icon on your Windows desk top and choose Properties from the pop up menu The System Properties dialog box appears Click the Device Manager tab Locate the Diamond HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card It will appear under Other Devices You may have to click the plus sign next to Other Devices to expand this section You should see a bright yellow question mark and or an excla mation mark in a yellow circle next to the Diamond HomeFree card as shown above indicating that there was a problem with the device driver for this card Important If the HomeFree card does not appear in the list or if it does not have a yellow exclamation f
9. Assistant and network changes To check network connections with the HomeFree Assistant 1 Goto any computer on the network 2 Click Start on the task bar and choose Programs HomeFree gt HomeFree Assistant 53 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 3 Choose Check Network Connections from the menu The Network Connections screen appears listing the names of any computers transfer folders and printers that are currently connected on your HomeFree network as shown in the example below ee A Note If you have three or more computers on your network it s a good idea to run the network connections check on all of them to make sure that each one is communicating with all the others 4 Examine the network connections list on each computer All the lists should be the same Ifacomputer is missing from a network connections list see Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting the problem If one of your printers is missing from a network connections list or if you re having problems printing to a printer that is on the list see I Can t Print to a Network Printer on page 95 If all of your computers and printers appear on the network connections lists but you are still having problems complet ing file transfers printing or accessing the Internet over your 54 Checking Network Connections network there may be obstacles inhibiting the data flow on your network
10. Folder Not Created cccseccceceeeees 97 Cannot Find DHCPClient Error Dialog 98 Before You Contact Customer Support 99 Contacting Customer Support eseese eesse 99 1s gt EEE E EN 101 Chapter Introducing HomeFree HomeFree is a revolutionary technology that enables two or more PCs located anywhere in your home or small office to communicate without wires With HomeFree your computers can Share your fastest Internet connection Share printers and other peripheral devices Transfer files Play games between two or more computers HomefFree can transmit data through walls and between floors of a typical home or small office at distances up to 100 feet and at speeds up to one megabit per second You can locate your computers wher ever you want without the hassles of drilling holes and snaking cables through your walls Unlike wired office networks you ll find that HomeFree is a snap to install and easy to use There are no servers or hubs and no need fora system administrator Your computers will function just as they always did but with the added advantages of wireless connectivity Chapter 1 Introducing HomeFree About this User Guide This user guide will help you install use and maintain your Home Free wireless network It is divided into six chapters Chapter 1 Introducing HomeFree contains general informa tion about HomeFree installation documentation a
11. Internet Computer 33 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 34 To install more computers on your HomeFree network 1 Install on Other Computers x Click the Yes button then click Next The Install on other computers window appears Install on other computers DIAMOND 1 Take the HomeFree Installer disk to the next computer to continue 2 Return to this computer AFTER you have finished installing HomeFree on all new computers If this screen is still present 0 m e click Help Free Wireless Network A Important Leave this computer turned on with the window shown above open on the screen For security reasons it needs to be actively communicating on your HomeFree network when you install the other computers Remove the HomeFree CD ROM from the drive and take it to the next computer to be set up Turn back to Installing the HomeFree Hardware on page 23 and begin installing the HomeFree hardware on the next com puter When you ve installed HomeFree on the last computer 1 Click No in answer to the question Would you like to install HomeFree on another computer Click Next Simultaneously each computer searches the network for shared resources computers transfer folders and printers Each com puter then displays a Network Connections screen listing all of the shared resources found as shown below Opening an Internet Account Shared Resources x
12. Internet Computer is surfing the Web 15 An Overview of HomeFree Chapter 2 An Overview of HomeFree 18 HomeFree Reliability HomefFree incorporates sophisticated wireless technology to provide an extremely high level of reliability It transmits and receives data in a special high frequency band to avoid conflicts with cordless phones baby monitors and other common wireless devices you may have It also includes collision avoidance technology that is constantly adjusting the transmission signal to deliver error free data transmis sion HomeFree Security Your HomeFree network provides a high degree of security There s no need to worry when transferring your banking investment or home business files between computers on your network HomeFree employs spread spectrum frequency hopping technology which simply means that it randomly switches transmission frequencies very rapidly on 79 different channels This makes it extremely diffi cult to intercept and decode the data transmissions Furthermore you need not worry about interference or eavesdrop ping by other wireless networks in your neighborhood or apartment building You could have several HomeFree networks running in the same room and the computers on any one of these networks would never sense the presence of the computers on any of the others Installing Chapter HomeFree This chapter guides you step by step through the process of i
13. able to other computers over your network Here are some tips to help you diagnose and remedy common network printer problems Make sure the printer is turned on and that its host computer is also turned on and has not switched into a sleep or hibernation state Make sure that your computers are connected and communicat ing properly See Checking Network Connections on page 53 95 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 96 If your computers appear to be connected i e they show up on the network connections list but your are having problems transferring files printing or accessing the Internet over the net work something in your home or office may be blocking or limit ing network data transmission See Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting this problem Make sure your computer can see the printer Check network con nections using the HomefFree Assistant and look for the printer in the Network Connections list See Checking Connections using the HomeFree Assistant on page 53 Alternatively check for the printer in your Network Neighborhood See Checking Connec tions using Network Neighborhood on page 55 Make sure that File and Print Sharing is enabled on your comput ers See Enabling File and Print Sharing on page 42 Make sure that the printer is set up as a shared printer on the computer to which it is connected Se
14. begin with Step 5 in the instructions on the next page to make this your Internet Computer You added a new computer to your First add the new computer to your network HomeFree network and you want See Adding a Computer to Your Network it to be your Internet Computer on page 70 for instructions Then change the Internet Computer follow ing the instructions below You want to remove the existing First change the Internet Computer follow Internet Computer from your net ing the instructions below work and you must choose a dif ferent computer to serve as the Then remove the old Internet Computer Internet Computer See Removing a Computer from Your Net work on page 73 for instructions You decide to switch your Internet Follow the instructions below to change your Computer among your existing Internet Computer computers for example after upgrading a modem 67 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 68 Following are the instructions for changing your Internet Computer A Note If you have a cable modem or if you are using America Online as your ISP skip directly to Step 1 below Otherwise before you begin write down the name of the Dial Up Networking pro file the user name and the password that you use to connect to the Internet through your ISP on your current Internet Computer To change your Internet Computer 1 Make sure that no one is using the Internet over your
15. computer from a remote location You might include a person s name or a house hold location as part of the name for example Bob sLaptop FamilyPC or DenComputer 2 Click Next The installer builds a driver database and copies more files from the HomeFree CD ROM At this point Windows may ask you to insert your Windows 95 or Windows 98 CD ROM A Note If you don t have a Windows installation CD ROM try typ ing the following path in the Location box C Windows Options Cabs After Windows finishes copying the necessary system files there may be a long pause while it updates your system settings Windows then displays an alert asking if you want to restart your computer so that the system changes you ve made can take effect 3 Click Yes After the computer restarts you ll see a dialog box for choosing a des tination directory for the HomefFree files The installer copies the HomeFree program files to that directory The first time through the Installer asks you to confirm that the cur rent computer is in fact the first one that HomeFree is being installed on If you answer Yes and indicate on the next screen that you want to share this computer s Internet connection the Installer sets up your shared Internet connection as described in the next section On computers other than the first one the installer finishes the installation as described in the section Finishing the Installa
16. computer has a modem and is going to become your new Internet Computer set up Internet service on this computer now following the instructions provided by your ISP If not skip to step 4 See Setting up Internet Service on the Internet Computer on page 21 If one of your computers is already set up as your Inter net Computer you can use the same access phone number user name and password when you set up a Dial Up Networking con nection on the new computer However you may need to update the modem settings if the new computer uses a different modem See Changing Your Modem on page 74 Note If you have a cable modem or if your are using America Online as your ISP skip directly to Step 4 below Otherwise before continuing write down the name of the Dial Up Networking pro file user name and password that you use to connect to the Internet through your ISP on your current Internet Computer You ll need to re enter this information on the new computer Turn on all of the existing computers on your HomeFree network and make sure they are communicating with each other See Checking Network Connections on page 53 On each existing computer click Start on the task bar and choose Programs HomeFree HomeFree Assistant Choose Add a new HomeFree Computer from the Assistant s main menu 71 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 72 10 When you ve finished each of the existing computers on your
17. from the HomeFree CD ROM Please contact Diamond Customer Service or visit our Web site for instructions See Contacting Customer Support on page 99 Chapter 1 Introducing HomeFree System Requirements In order to use the HomeFree network your computers must meet the following minimum system requirements Desktop Computers Laptop Computers Microsoft Windows 95 or 98 Microsoft Windows 95 or 98 486 33 CPU or better 486 33 CPU or better 8 MB RAM 16 MB recommended 8 MB RAM 16 MB recommended 10 MB free hard drive space 10 MB free hard drive space 1 free PCI or ISA if you purchased 1 free Type II PC Card slot the Combo Pac card slot CD ROM or floppy disk drive CD ROM or floppy disk drive Product Registration Before you forget please take a moment to register your product from the CD ROM that came with HomefFree You can register your infor mation with a modem or by printing and sending us the registration form To register your HomeFree network product Insert the HomeFree CD ROM in the drive Click Start on the Windows task bar and choose Run Type D Start exe in the text entry box If your CD ROM drive uses a letter other than D substitute that letter for D 4 Choose Register Your Product from the main menu You only need to send in one registration It is not necessary to com plete the registration from each computer 10 Getting Help Getting Help In addition to this User Guide we
18. likely stored on your C drive Write down the following path and enter it in the path box if you are asked to insert the Windows CD ROM during the driver installation C Windows Options Cabs Printers Make sure any printer you want to use with HomeFree is functioning properly If you haven t already 1 Connect the printer to a computer 2 Install the printer software following the manufacturer s instruc tions 3 Test the printer to make sure it is working A Note You can always install a printer at a later time Internet Computer All of your HomeFree computers can be on the Internet at the same time using a single Internet connection modem cable modem ISDN line etc If you want to have shared access to the Internet you ll need to set up one computer as your Internet Computer If you don t want HomefFree to provide shared Internet access skip this sec tion and proceed with the installation A Note You can always set up the Internet Computer at a later time Getting Ready to Install HomeFree 1 Select one of your computers to serve as your Internet Computer 21 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 22 Go to your Internet Computer and make sure the Internet con nection is working properly Phone line is plugged into the modem Modem if external is turned on Internet browser is installed and working i e you can con nect to the Internet and view Web pages Write down the following inform
19. ll also need to update the modem settings in the Dial Up Networking con nection for your ISP HomeFree uses this Dial Up Networking connec tion to provide shared Internet access for all of your computers Changing Your Modem A Note If you re using America Online as your ISP skip these instructions and update your modem settings directly in the America Online program on your Internet Computer To change the modem on your Internet Computer 1 Install the new modem and driver software following the manu facturer s instructions Double click on the My Computer icon on your Windows desk top In the My Computer window double click on the Dial Up Net working folder J Dial Up Networking PIES File Edit View Connections Help Dial Up Networking X Make New Connection My Connection 2 object s Ui In the Dial Up Networking window right mouse click on the icon of the Dial Up Networking connection that you use to connect with your ISP and choose Properties from the pop up menu 75 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 76 The General tab should be active If not click on it to bring it to the front ee Compaq Presario 144 Data Fax Voice Configure 5 Choose your new modem from the Connect Using drop down list 6 Click OK Adding Removing or Moving a Printer This section provides instructions for adding a new printer to your network removing a printer or moving an existing printe
20. network should be displaying this screen A Install the HomeFree hardware and software on the new com puter following the HomeFree installation instructions on pages 23 34 in Chapter 3 If you have more computers to add to your HomeFree network choose Yes in answer to the question Would you like to install HomefFree on another computer Then repeat the installation steps in Chapter 3 If this is the last or only computer you re adding choose No in answer to the question Would you like to install HomeFree on another computer Click Next Simultaneously all your computers search the network for shared resources i e computers Transfer folders and printers Each computer then displays a Network Connections screen listing the shared resources found Important The list of shared network resources in the Network Connections screens should be the same on all of your computers If any computer shows a different list from the others click the Removing a Computer from Your Network Help button on that screen to troubleshoot missing network con nections The new computer is now installed on your HomeFree network A Important If the new computer is going to replace your existing Internet Computer you ll need to run the HomefFree Assistant again to set up that change See Changing Your Connection to the Internet on page 67 Removing a Computer from Your Network You
21. shown in the right hand diagram on the facing page may or may not be able to communicate with the other computers on your HomeFree wireless network Solving Network Connection Problems After moving the out of range computer closer to the others check its connections status using the HomeFree Assistant or the Network Neighborhood You may be able to reestablish a connection by simply re orienting the computer or moving it slightly A Note Even if your computers are located within 100 feet of each other too many walls enclosures or other obstacles in the trans mission path can create enough interference to reduce or inhibit the flow of data between them If all your computers appear on the network connections lists but you are still having trouble transferring files printing or accessing the Internet over the net work you may either have to identify and remove transmission obstacles or move the computers closer together until they can communicate reliably 61 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 62 Other Connection Problems If your computers are turned on not asleep or hibernating and located within a 100 foot circle but you are experiencing either of the following problems something in your home or office may be block ing or limiting network data transmission a A computer or printer becomes temporarily disconnected from the network and does not appear in the network connections list or in the Network Neighborho
22. the HomeFree drivers Windows will either display a wizard or the New Hardware Found dialog box as shown on the next page You tell Windows where to look for the drivers Note The HomefFree drivers are located on the HomeFree CD ROM Windows finds the drivers and installs them Note Windows may also need to install certain system files from the Windows CD ROM Installing the HomeFree Software If you see a wizard Update Device Driver Wizard Insert the HomeFree CD ROM in the CD drive click Next and fol low the instructions on the screen Let Windows search for the driver and when you tell Windows to look for your CD ROM make sure you uncheck the floppy check box and check the CD ROM check box Note The wizard on your screen may differ slightly from the one pictured above If you see a dialog box New Hardware Found WS GETauILGhVEn Insert the HomeFree CD ROM in the CD drive click OK and fol low the instructions on the screen 29 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 30 A Important If neither a wizard nor the New Hardware Found dialog box appears on your screen Windows has failed to detect the HomeFree hardware Turn to the section HomeFree Card Not Detected by Windows on page 82 before continuing with the software installation Naming the Computer and Installing HomeFree Installing the HomeFree Software A Tip Choose a name that will easily identify this
23. the Shared As radio button Click OK To make sure that the printer is available on the network check net work connections again from each of your computers 43 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Installing a Shared Printer on Another Computer If you want to access a shared printer over your HomeFree network you must first install it on the computer from which you want to print You can install the printer over the network using Network Neighborhood A Note Depending on the printer s manufacturer and model Win dows may ask you to insert the floppy disk or CD ROM contain ing the printer drivers To install a printer over the network 1 Double click the Network Neighborhood icon on the computer where you want to install the printer 2 In the Network Neighborhood window double click the icon of the computer that the printer is connected to The printer should be listed as one of the shared resources avail able on that computer If it does not appear there make sure that it is set up as a shared printer 3 Click on the printer s icon to select it and then choose File Install The Add Printer Wizard appears on your screen 4 Follow the instructions in the Wizard to install the printer Accessing a Shared Printer Over the Network You access a shared network printer the same way you d access a printer that s directly connected to your computer To print to a network printer 1 From any Windows application c
24. white ISP Internet Service Provider A company that sells Internet accounts and services ISP software is included on the HomeFree CD ROM Network Two or more computers connected together so they can exchange information Traditional networks use cables to connect the comput ers HomeFree uses radio waves similar to cellular phones PC Card A pocket sized circuit card adhering to the PCMCIA standard used for adding peripheral devices e g modems or network adapters to laptop computers HomefFree is a Type II PC Card PCI Card A standard type of circuit card used for adding peripheral devices e g modems or network adapters to desktop PCs PCI cards are installed inside a PC PCI connector slots are color coded white to dis tinguish them from ISA slots which are longer and colored black A Typical HomeFree Setup The drawing on the following two pages shows how the HomeFree network might be set up in a typical home The same principles apply for a small office As you look at the drawing notice the following things a The laptop in the yard is playing a game against the computer with the printer in the family room The laptop is also receiving a file from the computer in the kitchen a The computer in the study next to the kitchen is sending a file to the printer in the family room a The computer in the kitchen is retrieving email from the Internet through the Internet Computer in the front room a The
25. your HomeFree network a Sharing Printers How to use any printer on your HomeFree net work a Transferring Files How to transfer files from one computer to another over the HomeFree network a Playing Games How to play multi player computer games at home or over the Internet using your HomeFree network a Checking Network Connections How to find out if the comput ers on your HomeFree network are communicating properly a Solving Network Connection Problems How to diagnose net work connection problems and reestablish communication 39 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Sharing the Internet Computer One of the greatest benefits of HomefFree is that all the computers in your home or small office can be on the Internet at the same time through a single Internet connection it s no longer necessary for you to get off the Internet so others can use it or vice versa You can be checking your email while other family members are surfing the Web or playing Internet games Getting Ready for Internet Sharing In order to access the Internet from any computer on your HomeFree network there are three things you must check One of the computers must be set up as your Internet Computer Gi If you have not yet set up your Internet Computer see Setting up Internet Service on the Internet Computer on page 21 Then fol low the instructions in Changing Your Internet Computer on page 67 to set up yo
26. 0 Removing a Computer from Your Network 73 Removing the Internet Computer 74 Removing a computer attached to a printer 74 Changing Your Modem os iasssivessntasesxcionsavecvetaseasens 74 Adding Removing or Moving a Printer 76 Adding a New Printer eeeeeeeeeeeereereeeererrrss 77 Removinga Printet sccssciccceninieccsecrnei 77 Moving a Printen oes ecesccissciscesasccvssvadpesesessinensosde 79 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Homefree I m Having Trouble Installing HomefFree 82 HomeFree Card Not Detected by Windows 82 Do Not Have a Windows CD ROM 83 Which File Should Keep seee 83 The HomefFree Drivers were Improperly Installed 84 HomeFree Hardware Not Functioning Properly Error Dialog 86 No System Resources Available for Homefree 87 Homefree User Guide HomeFree Cannot Detect Other Installed Computers 2 2sesdceceivecstsseds 89 Installer Can t Set Up Internet Computer 91 HomefFree Software Installation Not Completed 92 I m Having Network Connection Problems 93 Computers are Not Showing Up On my NetWork ae eee teen ener ee ee re eae 93 Can t Connect to the Internet eee 94 Can t Print to a Network Printer 000 95 Can t Transfer a File c cc ceeccceseeccceeeceeeeeeees 96 I m Having Other Problems with HomefFree 97 Transfer
27. HomeFree network that all browsers have been closed and that the Dial Up Networking connection is closed on the existing Internet Com puter 2 Goto your existing Internet Computer click Start on the task bar and choose Programs gt HomeFree gt HomeFree Assistant 3 Choose Update Internet Settings from the HomeFree menu You ll see this screen Changing Your Connection to the Internet 4 Choose Remove Internet Sharing from this computer and click Yes on the warning screen that follows This computer is no longer your Internet Computer 5 Go to the new Internet Computer and set up Internet service on it if you haven t done so already See Setting up Internet Ser vice on the Internet Computer on page 21 6 Run the Homefree Assistant on the new Internet computer by clicking Start on the task bar and choosing Programs HomeFree HomeFree Assistant 7 Choose Update Internet Settings from the Assistant s main menu You ll again see the window shown on the previous page 8 Choose Make this the Internet Computer and click Continue on the confirmation screen that follows You ll see an Internet Setup window on your screen A Note If you have a cable modem or other direct Internet connec tion or if you are using America Online as your ISP the Internet Setup window will not appear on your screen 9 Choose your ISP Dial Up Networking connection from the drop down list and enter your Internet account u
28. Internet directly from your Internet Computer Click Start on the task bar and choose Programs HomeFree HomeFree Assistant Choose Update Internet Settings from the Assistant s main menu An Internet Setup window will be displayed on your screen Choose your new ISP Dial Up connection from the drop down list and enter your user name and Password in the appropriate boxes Click OK Your Internet Computer is updated to access the Internet through your new ISP Adding a Computer to Your Network If you want to connect a new computer to your HomeFree network you must first run the HomefFree Assistant on all of the existing com puters and then install the HomeFree hardware and software on the new computer When you finish installing HomeFree on the new computer your network configuration settings are automatically updated on all of the computers Here are the steps for adding a new computer to your HomeFree network Adding a Computer to Your Network To add a new computer to your network 1 Set up the new computer following the manufacturer s instruc tions If this computer is going to be directly connected to a printer external modem scanner or other peripheral besides Home Free install those devices now Important Do not install the HomeFree hardware or software yet you ll do this at a later step Turn on the new computer and make sure it is functioning prop erly as a stand alone computer If this
29. Sharing In order to share a printer with any computer on your HomefFree net work there are four things you ll need to check File and print sharing must be enabled in the Windows Network ing Control Panel See Enabling File and Print Sharing on page 42 The printer must be connected to a computer on your network and both the computer and the printer must be turned on The printer must be set up as a shared printer on the computer to which it is connected If the printer is being shared its name will appear on the list of shared resources when you check network connections and its icon will appear in the Network Neighborhood under the com puter to which it is connected See Checking Network Connec tions on page 53 The printer must be installed on any other computers from which you want to use it via the network If you want to add a new shared printer to a computer on your net work see Adding a New Printer on page 77 Setting Up a Shared Printer If you don t see a printer when you check network connections See Checking Network Connections on page 53 and you d like to share it follow the steps below To share a printer on your HomeFree network 1 4 5 Go to the computer that s connected to the printer On the Windows task bar click Start Settings Printers In the Printers window right click on the printer s icon and choose Sharing from the menu Click
30. User Guide Homerree Wireless Network Desktop Pac Combo Pac FCC Certification For home and office use This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential instal lation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or televi sion reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the fol lowing measures a Reorient or rotate the receiving antenna a Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected a Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help Modifications to this device not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user s authority to operate this device 1998 Alation Systems Inc formerly Not Limited Inc All Rights Reserved Alation Systems Inc assumes no responsibility for errors or omissio
31. account typically by credit card A Note Internet based games may require downloading a sizeable set of game files to your hard drive Checking Network Connections It is possible for one or more of your computers to become tempo rarily disconnected from the network for various reasons There are two ways you can quickly determine the connection status of all the computers and peripherals on your network a Checking Connections using the HomeFree Assistant a Checking Connections using Network Neighborhood A Note Even if your computers and printers are displaying a con nected status too many walls enclosures or other obstacles in the transmission path can create enough interference to reduce or inhibit the flow of data between them If all your computers and printers appear on the network connections lists but you are hav ing trouble transferring files printing or accessing the Internet over the network see Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting the problem Checking Connections using the HomeFree Assistant The HomeFree Assistant software is automatically installed on each computer in your HomeFree network You can use the HomeFree Assistant to determine which computers and peripherals are con nected to your network The HomefFree Assistant also enables you to make certain changes to your network setup See Chapter 5 for more information about the HomefFree
32. and 74 removing temporarilly from network Z3 computer names characters allowed in 30 connections See network connections Customer Support 99 D data transmission problems See network connection problems default printer setting the 45 deleting transferred files 49 Desktop Pac 9 DHCPClient error dialog on laptops 98 Dial_Up Networking ISPs that don t use 41 Dial Up Networking updating after modem change 75 driver definition 14 installation problems 84 installing the HomeFree 28 30 101 HomefFree User Guide 102 transferring 46 49 transferring with Network Neighborhood 48 G games See multi player games H hardware Combo Pac 9 Desktop Pact 9 installation 23 27 installation overview 22 installing a PC card 27 installing a PCI card 24 27 installing an ISA card 24 27 ISA card 15 ISA slots 25 not functioning properly error 86 PC card 15 PCI card 15 PCI slots 25 help available types of 11 Internet support 12 online 12 Start Here Poster 11 hibernation See sleep state HomeFree Combo Pac 9 Desktop Pac 9 features and benefits 7 14 hardware not functioning properly 86 network connection problems 93 no system resources to install 87 overview of installation 22 package contents 9 purchasing individual cards 9 reliability 18 security 18 software installation not completed 92 system requirements 10 typical setup 15 uninstalling 37 HomeFree Assistant 66 73 adding a computer with 70 73 changin
33. any of your computers to have access to the Internet over your HomeFree network A Note for Internet users whose ISP does not use Windows Dial Up Networking Your Internet Computer may not automatically connect to the Internet when you launch a browser from any HomeFree computer If this is the case you ll have to manually log onto the Internet from the Internet Computer in order to provide shared Internet access to the rest of your network A Note for laptop users When you install HomeFree on a com puter its browser is automatically set up to access the Internet over your HomeFree network If you want to access the Internet using the laptop s modem while you re away from home you must manually open a Dial Up Networking connection to your ISP before launching your browser If you have problems connecting to the Internet via your HomeFree network there may be an easy solution See I Can t Connect to the Internet on page 94 to diagnose common problems Using Two Phone Lines for Your Internet Connection Shotgun is Diamond s exclusive technology that bonds together two modems to work over two ordinary phone lines For example if you have a 33 6K modem and you add a speedy Shotgun enabled SupraExpress 56K modem to your PC you get download speeds up to 41 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 42 89 6K The SupraSonic II with Shotgun technology integrates two 56K modems on one board for speeds of up to 112K See our we
34. are To completely remove HomeFree from a computer you ll also need to remove the drivers and the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card To remove the HomefFree drivers and hardware from a computer 1 Right mouse click the My Computer icon on your Window desk top and choose Properties from the pop up menu Click the Device Manager tab in the System Properties dialog Click the plus sign next to Network Adapters to display the list of currently installed adapters 4 Select the Diamond Multimedia HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card and click Remove In the dialog that follows confirm that you really want to remove this device Click OK When Windows asks if you want to restart your computer now answer No Instead shut down the computer and remove the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card 7 Restart the computer Using HomefFree Chapter HomeFree was designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Win dows That is Windows functions just as it always did with HomeFree working unobtrusively in the background But with HomefFree you ll have access to shared network resources in addition to those already available on each computer In other words you don t have to learn anything new about Windows or any of your applications to use HomefFree This chapter provides complete instructions for using your HomeFree network It contains six sections a Sharing the Internet Computer How to access the Internet from any computer on
35. ation on a piece of paper and keep it handy You ll need to enter this information during the software installation The name of the Dial Up Networking profile you are using to connect to your ISP Your User Name that you set up with your ISP Your Password that you use to connect to your ISP Your Domain if your ISP requires you to use one Installation Overview The HomefFree installation will build your wireless network one com puter at a time starting with your Internet Computer On each com puter you ll first install the hardware and then the software Here is a quick summary of the installation steps for each computer Install the desktop ISA PCI card or the laptop PC card Start up the computer Windows copies the HomefFree drivers from your installation CD ROM Windows may also need to copy certain system files from the Windows CD ROM The HomeFree installer asks you to name the computer to identify it on your network and then it restarts your computer if neces sary On the Internet Computer you must select your Internet dial up profile and enter your User Name and Password for your ISP account The Internet Computer restarts again When you ve installed HomeFree on the last computer HomeFree sets up the shared resources computers printers Transfer folders for all the computers on your wireless network Installing the HomeFree Hardware You re now ready to install HomeFree on your computer
36. b site at www diamondmm com for more information Enabling File and Print Sharing The next two sections provide instructions for sharing printers and transferring files over your HomeFree network However you ll need to make sure that File and Print Sharing is enabled in the Windows Networking Control Panel on each of your computers Following are instructions turning on File and Print Sharing if it s not already enabled To enable File and Print Sharing on a HomeFree computer 1 On the Windows desktop right click on the Network Neighbor hood icon and choose Properties from the pop up menu Click the File and Print Sharing button Check both boxes in the File and Print Sharing dialog if they re not already checked 4 Click OK to close the File and Print Sharing dialog and click OK again to close the Network Properties dialog If you changed the status of either file sharing or print sharing you ll have to restart the computer in order for these changes to take effect Sharing Printers With HomefFree any computer in your home or small office can access any printer even if the printer is connected to a computer in a different room You no longer have to buy a printer for each of your computers Likewise the days of carrying floppy disks to the com puter with the printer are over You can be using your laptop in the backyard and send your work to a printer in the den Sharing Printers Getting Ready for Printer
37. can permanently remove a computer from your HomeFree net work by uninstalling HomeFree from it For instructions see Unin stalling HomeFree on page 37 Removing a computer from the network will affect the network in one of two ways If the computer has no peripherals attached to it then removing it will simply make it unavailable for file transfers or multi player games If you remove the computer serving as your Internet Computer or if you remove a computer attached to a printer not only will the computer become unavailable but all the other computers on your network will lose access to the shared resources i e the Internet or printer In these cases to avoid losing network func tionality you must revise your network configuration before you remove the computer as explained below Note Computers that are temporarily turned off out of range sleeping or hibernating will have the same effects on your network as computers that you ve intentionally removed from the network However you can diagnose and correct these tempo rary problems by following the instructions in Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 73 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 74 Removing the Internet Computer If you plan to remove the computer that serves as your Internet Com puter and you still want to access the Internet from other computers on your network you should first change your Internet Com
38. d run Setup exe from your hard drive following the instructions in the section HomeFree Software Installation Not Completed on page 92 If there is a bright yellow question mark and or an exclama tion mark in a yellow circle next to the Diamond HomeFree card in the Network Adapters section most likely there are not enough system resources IRQs available to install HomeFree To confirm this select the Diamond HomefFree card in the Net work Adapters list and click Properties You ll see a message indi cating that the HomeFree driver is conflicting with other devices If you click the Resources tab the message box below the Resources window specifies the conflicting IRQs If you are knowledgeable about setting IRQs you can try to free up system resources to solve this problem Otherwise contact Diamond Technical Support for help solving this problem No System Resources Available for HomeFree Problem Solution During the installation of the HomefFree drivers a Windows error dialog appeared stating that one or more Registry Keys were invalid and that installation of HomeFree could not continue This type of error message generally appears when a computer does not have enough system resources IRQs available to install HomeFree You can confirm this problem by checking the status of the HomefFree driver If there isan IRQ problem you ll need to free up system resources in order to continue the Home
39. d To list on other network comput ers you can remove it from the list To remove a computer from a Send To list 1 Double click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop Right click on C and choose Find from the menu Type SendTo in the Find All Files window and click Find Now Note The SendTo folder is generally located in the C Windows directory but some computer manufacturers may move it to a dif ferent location Playing Games 4 Double click on the SendTo icon that appears in the window at the bottom of the Find All Files dialog The Send To window opens displaying the current contents of the Send To list 5 Drag the icon for the computer you want to remove to the Recy cle Bin and empty the bin Playing Games HomeFree wireless technology adds a new dimension to PC gaming You and other family members or friends can sit at different PCs in your home and compete head to head in a battle of wits skill or adventure In addition you can connect with a growing community of gamers on the Internet About Multi Player Gaming Over the past two decades computer games have evolved from sim ple stylized arcade shoot em ups into fantastic computer generated worlds Pushing the envelope in multimedia computing power PC games now feature lifelike animated 3D graphics room filling digital sound and a wide variety of game genres and play modalities Multi player Gaming Genres To be sure the notorious
40. dd a new computer to the network All of the existing HomeFree computers In addition you can run the Homefree Assistant on any computer to see which computers and peripheral devices are actively connected on your network See Checking Network Connections on page 53 To run the HomeFree Assistant Click Start on the task bar and choose Programs HomeFree HomeFree Assistant The remaining sections in this chapter provide step by step instruc tions for making various changes that affect your HomeFree network 66 Changing Your Connection to the Internet Changing Your Connection to the Internet If you make either of the following changes to your HomefFree Inter net connection you ll need to update the settings on your Internet Computer using the HomefFree Assistant a Changing Your Internet Computer a Changing Your ISP This section provides instructions for making each of these changes Changing Your Internet Computer Why change your Internet Computer The table below shows the four main reasons and what you ll need to do in each case Reason for Change What to do When you installed HomeFree you First set up Internet Service on your chosen chose not to provide shared Inter Internet Computer See Setting up Internet net access over your network but Service on the Internet Computer on you now want to make one of your page 21 computers the Internet Computer for the network Then
41. e Setting Up a Shared Printer on page 43 Make sure that you ve installed the shared printer on the other computers on your HomeFree network See Installing a Shared Printer on Another Computer on page 44 for further instruc tions If everything else seems OK but the printer does not show up under its host computer in the Network Neighborhood it may not be properly set up as a shared network printer Re install the printer following the instructions for Moving a Printer on page 79 Can t Transfer a File Problem Solution The computer to which you want to transfer a file does not appear in the Send To list or in your Network Neighborhood You probably have a network connection problem To diagnose the problem do the following Make sure that your computers are connected and communicat ing properly See Checking Network Connections on page 53 I m Having Other Problems with HomeFree If your computers appear to be connected i e they show up on the network connections list but your are having problems transferring files printing or accessing the Internet over the net work something in your home or office may be blocking or limit ing network data transmission See Solving Network Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting this problem If the destination computer s name was not installed in this com puter s Send To list you can man
42. e printer you want to remove and press the Delete key 6 If Windows asks if you want to remove files that were only used by this printer answer Yes 7 Goto each of the other computers on your HomeFree network and repeat steps 4 6 The printer and its icon is now deleted from all of the computers on your network Adding Removing or Moving a Printer Moving a Printer If you need to move a printer from one computer to another you should first uninstall the printer from the computer it s attached to and then install it on the computer you want to move it to as if you were adding a new printer Here are the steps to follow To move a printer 1 Go to the computer that is currently attached to the printer and remove the printer following the steps in the section Removing a Printer on page 77 The printer will be removed from all of your computers Go to the computer where you want the printer connected and add the printer following the instructions in the section Adding a New Printer on page 77 79 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 80 Troubleshooting Chapter HomeFree This chapter describes some problems you may encounter with your HomefFree network and it provides suggestions for solving these prob lems In most cases you ll be able to diagnose and solve these prob lems quickly and easily following the suggestions provided A Note If you re having a problem with your Home
43. efinition 15 illustration 23 installation 24 27 not detected by Windows 82 ISA slots 25 ISP See Internet Service Provider L laptop accessing the Internet from home 41 using with office network and HomefFree 98 Index M modem changing 74 updating Dial Up Networking connection 75 moving a printer 79 multi player games about 51 getting ready to play 52 playing 51 53 N names See computer names Netscape Navigator 14 installing from HomeFree CD ROM 36 network 95 adding a new computer to 70 advantages of wireless 14 can t transfer files over 96 definition 15 printing over the 44 reliability of HomeFree 18 removing a computer from the 73 removing a printer from 74 removing computers from 37 security of HomeFree 18 setting a default printer on 45 terminology 14 15 typical wireless setup 15 network connection problems 93 97 computers out of range 60 61 computers turned off 58 59 large metal objects 62 proximity to walls 63 sleep or hibernation state 59 water 62 network connections checking 53 56 effects of sleep state on 59 effects of turning off devices 59 problems with 57 reestablishing 57 63 103 HomefFree User Guide 104 Network Neighborhood 55 56 finding available printers in 56 finding which computers are connected 55 installing a printer 44 transferring a file with 48 network printer finding in Network Neighborhood 56 setting as default 45 O online help 12 out of range effects on n
44. end To list on another computer 1 Double click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop Right click on C and choose Find from the menu 3 Type SendTo in the Find All Files window and click Find Now A Note The SendTo folder is generally located in the C Windows directory but some computer manufacturers may move it to a dif ferent location 49 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 50 A Double click on the SendTo icon that appears in the window at the bottom of the Find All Files dialog The Send To window opens displaying the current contents of the Send To list Double click the Network Neighborhood icon on the Windows desktop In the Network Neighborhood window double click on the icon of the HomeFree computer that you want to add to the Send To list on this computer Note If the computer you want to add does not appear in your Network Neighborhood you may have a network connections problem See Checking Network Connections for help diagnosing and solving the problem Drag the Transfer folder from the Network Neighborhood window to the Send To window Note Windows will create a shortcut to the Transfer folder in the Send To list You can rename this shortcut if you like t The shortcut to the other computer will now appear in this com puter s Send To list Removing a Computer from Your Send To List If you remove a computer from your HomeFree network and you no longer want it to appear in the Sen
45. er screw handy you ll need it later Important Most Pentium PCs have two types of slots ISA and PCI The ISA slots are colored black to distinguish them from the PCI slots which are smaller and colored white Make sure you choose a slot that matches your HomeFree card The following illustrations only show ISA slots 25 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 26 6 Carefully insert the HomeFree card in the open ISA PCI slot Holding the card by its edges slip the plastic antenna cover at the end of the card through the opening and align the connector pins at the bottom of the card with the front end of the slot the end closest to the opening Press gently but firmly until the card is fully seated in the slot Do not rock the card from end to end rocking can damage the slot Instead press the card straight into the slot Do not force the card If the card won t snap into the slot pull it out and try again Pp AW A Note The HomefFree ISA card will not completely fill the second segment of pin receptacles in the ISA slot When the card is correctly installed the antenna cover will pro trude slightly from the back of the computer 7 Replace the slot cover screw to secure the card in place Installing the HomeFree Hardware 8 Close the case 9 Plugin the computer 10 Turn on any peripheral devices such as the monitor a printer or an external modem then turn on t
46. erring Files With HomefFree transferring files between computers is easy fast and reliable You can transfer large files at the click of a mouse no more copying files to multiple disks in order to transport them from one computer to another Simply select the file you want to transfer and choose a computer for the destination It s that easy The Transfer Folder During installation the HomefFree Installer places a special Transfer Folder on the C hard drive of each computer File Edit View Help When you send a file from one computer to another the file is auto matically stored in the Transfer folder of the destination computer as shown below C Transfer OF Xx File Edit View Help jes Transfer z w Shopping list doc Ezi Mary s painting bmp 4 object s 10 5K 4 Transferring Files 47 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Sho Open e Extract to e Extract to folder Waio transfersphotos e Create Self Extractor EXE Send To Cut y 3 Floppy A Copy 53 Desktop as Shortcut Create Shortcut I Mail Recipient Delete 3 My Briefcase Rename 3 E Symantec WinFax Starter Edition Properties Zip 100 I y Transferring Files Method Two To transfer a file using Network Neighborhood 1 Double click the Network Neighborhood icon on your Windows desktop and locate the destination computer in the Network Neighborhood window 2 Double click the icon of the dest
47. ess the Internet but other computer can still connect with Family Computer In all of these cases simply turning the computer or peripheral on will restore the lost network connection Computer in Sleep or Hibernation State Virtually all computers manufactured recently are green compliant meaning that they meet established energy conservation standards The implementation of green features which have names such as sleep or standby varies by computer brand and model But all green modes have similar functionality When the computer has been sit ting idle for a preset amount of time it automatically blacks out the display spins down the hard drive and switches into a low power standby mode As soon as you move the mouse or touch a key the computer wakes up and switches back to full power mode A Note In addition to a sleep and standby state most laptop com puters have a hibernation or suspend state in which the computer saves vital status information to a hard drive and then powers down completely When the computer is turned back on the computer is automatically restored to its previous state A computer in a sleep or hibernation state may or may not be available to the HomeFree network If it cannot process network signals while 59 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 60 in low power mode it will act the same way as a computer that is completely turned off A computer that has turned itself off in a hibernation
48. esscsossevnsssves 15 HomefFree Reliability s ccoscienndsnensdaseesessniedaesoscveces 18 Homekree eB orse iariii e naai 18 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree Getting Ready to Install HomeFree cee eeeeee 20 Pre installation Checklist ccccccssssseeceeeeeees 20 Installation Overview csseeesccccceeesseceeeeeaees 22 Installing the HomeFree Hardware 00008 23 Homefree User Guide Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Installing the HomeFree Software eeseeeee 28 Installing the HomeFree Driver seeeeeeee 28 Naming the Computer and Installing Homefree 30 Setting up the Shared Internet Connection 32 Finishing the Installation oss ses cnecreceaesinsiaseasesevss 33 Opening an Internet Account a ccdiissnciansnsevnvssncecas 35 Installing an Internet Browser eeeeeerereeeeeeee 36 Uninstalling Homef ree sssssseseeeseessssssssssssssreeseee 37 Sharing the Internet Computer s 40 Getting Ready for Internet Sharing 40 Accessing the Internet 40 Enabling File and Print Sharing ceeeees 42 Shanng Printers cenoeecccceinn eii 42 Getting Ready for Printer Sharing 04 43 Setting Up a Shared Printer 43 Installing a Shared Printer on Another COMputEer ss ssssisissseisisisssssis 44 Accessing a Shared Printer Over the Network 44 Making a Network Printer the Defau
49. etwork connections 60 P package contents 9 password for ISP 22 68 69 70 71 PC card definition 15 installation 27 not detected by Windows 82 PC card slot 27 PCI card definition 15 illustration 23 installation 24 27 not detected by Windows 82 PCI slots 25 PCMCIA card See PC card poster Start Here 11 pre installation checking printers 20 setting up the Internet Computer 20 22 Print dialog box 45 printer adding 77 can t find on network 95 choosing from the network 44 enabling file and print sharing 42 finding in Network Neighborhood 56 getting ready for sharing 43 installing over the network 44 moving 79 permanently removing 77 78 pre installation check 20 removing computer with 74 setting the default 45 setting up as shared 43 sharing via HomeFree 42 45 R range See out of range reliability of HomeFree 18 removing a computer effects of 73 removing a printer 77 78 retrieving transferred files 49 S security of HomeFree 18 sending files See transferring files SendTo list adding a Transfer folder 49 removing a computer from 50 sharing Internet access 40 printer setup 43 printers 42 45 Shotgun line bonding 41 sleep state effect on network connections 59 software installation 28 35 installation overview 22 software installation finishing 33 35 first computer 32 last computer 34 naming a computer 30 shared Internet connection 32 uninstalling HomeFree 37 standby See sleep state Star
50. fFree installation 87 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 88 Check the status of the HomeFree driver 1 Right mouse click the My Computer icon on your Windows desk top and choose Properties from the pop up menu The System Properties dialog box appears Click the Device Manager tab Locate the Diamond HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card It should be listed under Network Adapters or under Other Devices You may have to click the plus sign next to the device name to expand the section If there is a bright yellow question mark and or an exclama tion mark in a yellow circle next to the Diamond HomeFree card in the Network Adapters section most likely there are not enough system resources IRQs available to install HomeFree To confirm this select the Diamond HomefFree card in the Net work Adapters list and click Properties You ll see a message indi cating that the HomeFree driver is conflicting with other devices If you click the Resources tab the message box below the Resources window specifies the conflicting IRQs If you are knowledgeable about setting IRQs you can try to free up system resources to solve this problem Otherwise contact Diamond Technical Support for help solving this problem I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree HomeFree Cannot Detect Other Installed Computers Problem During the software installation in the section Naming the Computer and Installing HomeF
51. fFree network please check this chapter first to see if the problem is included here before contacting Diamond Multimedia Technical Support If the problem you re having is not covered here or if the sugges tions provided do not solve the problem then please don t hesi tate to contact us This chapter is divided into three main sections a I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree Page 82 a I m Having Network Connection Problems Page 93 a I m Having Other Problems with HomeFree Page 97 At the end of this chapter you ll find an information form about your network If you should need to contact Diamond Technical Support please print a copy of this form and fill it out first 81 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 82 I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree This section contains suggestions for solving some problems that may arise during installation If you encounter a problem that is not described here or if the suggestions here do not help you solve the problem please contact Diamond Technical Support You ll find all the necessary contact information in Contacting Customer Support on page 99 HomeFree Card Not Detected by Windows Problem Solution At the beginning of the software Installation in the section Installing the HomeFree Driver on page 28 neither the Update Device Driver Wizard nor the New Hardware Found window appears on my screen Windows is not de
52. ftware application Your Dial Up Networking con nection shows the wrong modem If you upgraded the modem on your Internet Computer be sure you also update your Dial Up Networking connection See Changing Your Modem on page 74 HomeFree Software Installation Not Completed Problem Solution The installer quit or you cancelled the installation before the HomefFree software was completely installed In other words the screen with the following message never appeared HomeFree has been successfully installed on this computer Would you like to install HomeFree on another computer If the HomeFree hardware and drivers are properly installed and working do not run Setup exe from the HomeFree CD ROM Instead you can manually restart the installer and complete the installation process as follows I m Having Network Connection Problems To run the HomeFree installer manually 1 Click Start on the task bar and choose Run 2 In the text box type C Hfsetup Setup ex 3 Click OK Answer the HomeFree Installer questions and finish the installa tion I m Having Network Connection Problems This section contains suggestions for solving network connection problems If you encounter a problem that is not described here or if the suggestions here do not help you solve the problem please con tact Diamond Technical Support You ll find all the necessary contact information in Contacting Cus
53. g Internet Computer with 67 69 changing ISP with 69 70 running the 66 uses 66 HomeFree driver installing 28 30 HomeFree drivers installation problems 84 HomeFree Network Neighborhood See Network Neighborhood installation can t set up Internet Computer 91 finishing the software 33 35 hardware 23 27 HomefFree driver 28 30 installed computers not detected 89 ISA PCI or PC card not detected 82 last computer 34 naming a computer 30 no system resources available 87 overview of 22 preparing for 20 problems with 82 92 shared Internet connection 32 33 software 28 35 terminated before completion 92 uninstalling HomeFree 37 Internet access via HomeF ree 40 accessing via America Online 41 accessing via modem on a laptop 41 cannot connect to 94 Internet browser See browser Internet Computer adding a new 71 73 changing the 67 69 changing the modem on 75 checking 22 definition 15 installing first 23 problems setting up 91 reasons for changing 67 removing from network 74 setting up 20 22 setting up for sharing 33 shared access through 40 updating Dial Up Networking after modem change 75 using 40 Internet connection changing 67 70 Internet Explorer 14 installing from HomeFree CD ROM 36 Internet service setting up 21 Internet Service Provider changing your 69 70 definition 15 opening account from CD ROM 35 user name and password 22 68 69 70 71 Internet sharing getting ready for 40 Internet support 12 ISA card d
54. g a deep sleep or hibernation state may disable the HomeFree Internet sharing soft ware If this happens on your Internet Computer you ll need to restart it in order to restore Internet sharing for your network If you are experiencing this problem you may want to turn off the sleep or hibernation feature on your Internet Computer Go through the section Checking Network Connections on page 53 and make sure all of your computers are communicating with each other If your computers appear to be connected i e they show up on the network connections lists but you are hav ing problems transferring files printing or accessing the Internet over the network something in your home or office may be Gi blocking or limiting network data transmission See Solving Net work Connection Problems on page 57 for help diagnosing and correcting this problem If you upgraded the modem on your Internet Computer be sure you also update your Dial Up Networking connection See Changing Your Modem on page 74 If everything seems ok but you still can t connect to the Internet close any open applications on the Internet Computer and restart it Then close any open applications on your computer and restart it as well When both computers have finished restarting try connecting again Can t Print to a Network Printer Problem Solution A printer that you installed on one of your computers is not avail
55. he computer To install a HomeFree laptop PC card 1 Simply plug the PC card into an empty Type II PC card slot A Note You do not need to turn off the laptop to insert or remove a PC card providing there is an available slot 2 If the laptop was not on turn it on now 27 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 28 Installing the HomeFree Software During the software installation four things happen The HomeFree driver is installed by Windows You name the computer and the HomefFree files are installed The shared Internet connection is set up on the Internet Com puter optional The installation is completed by setting up shared resources for all the computers on the network Installing the HomeFree Driver When you start up each computer Windows should automatically detect the HomeFree card you just installed and it will ask you to pro vide a driver enabling it to communicate with the new hardware Because different computers have slightly different versions of Win dows 95 and with the recent release of Windows 98 each of your computers may not detect and install the new hardware in exactly the same way The basic process is the same though and is summa rized below Steps for installing the HomeFree driver in Windows 1 Windows automatically detects the HomeFree ISA PCI card when you startup the computer or it detects the HomeFree PC card when you insert it in a laptop Windows asks for the location of
56. hoose Print from the File menu The Print dialog appears on your screen 2 Choose the printer you want to access from the drop down menu 44 Sharing Printers The example below shows the printer dialog from Microsoft Word with an Epson Stylus Pro 600 inkjet printer selected Enter page numbers and or page ranges separated by commas For example 1 3 5 12 Print what Document v Print All pages in range gt Options Cancel A Note The Print dialog box varies from one application to another In some cases it does not contain the printer selection drop down menu and you must click Setup and choose a printer from the Print Setup dialog box instead If you have trouble accessing a printer on your HomeFree network turn to I Can t Print to a Network Printer on page 95 for help diag nosing the problem Making a Network Printer the Default If you have more than one printer on your HomeFree network you can assign any one of them to be the default printer for a given com puter Then whenever you choose Print from the File menu of an application the default printer will automatically be selected To make a network printer the default on a given computer 1 Click Start on the task bar and choose Settings Printers to open the Printers window 2 Right mouse click on the icon of the printer you want and choose Set as Default from the popup menu 45 46 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree Transf
57. ination computer You should see a Transfer folder in the computer s window 3 Navigate to the folder containing the file you want to transfer 4 Drag the file icon from the source folder to the destination com puter s Transfer folder The file is copied to the Transfer folder on the destination computer A Note For any of these methods if the destination computer does not appear in the Send To list see I Can t Transfer a File on page 96 to diagnose the problem 48 Transferring Files Retrieving a Transferred File Files transferred to your computer from other computers are stored in the Transfer folder on your C drive To access transferred files a Navigate to the folder C Transfer Open the Transfer folder and locate the file you are looking for All files that have been transferred to your computer are saved in the Transfer folder Deleting a Transferred File You can remove files transferred to your computer the same way that you delete any files you no longer need from your hard disk To delete a file from your Transfer folder 1 Navigate to the folder C Transfer 2 Open the Transfer folder select the file you want to delete and drag it to the Recycling Bin or press the Delete key Adding a Computer to Your Send To List If one of the computers on your HomeFree network does not appear in the Send To list for transferring files you can add it manually To add a computer to the S
58. is case you ll need to free up system resources to continue the HomefFree installation The following instructions will help you determine the exact nature of the prob lem Make sure the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC Card is properly installed 1 If you have an ISA or PCI card installed in a desktop computer shut down the computer remove the HomeFree card and re insert it in a different ISA or PCI slot Make sure the card is seated all the way in the slot before closing the computer case 2 If you have a laptop eject the PC card and re insert it in the PC Card slot Make sure the card is completely plugged into the PC Card slot 3 Restart the computer Check the status of the HomeFree driver 1 Right mouse click on the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop and choose Properties from the pop up menu The System Properties dialog box appears Click the Device Manager tab 3 Locate the Diamond HomefFree ISA PCI or PC card It should be listed under Network Adapters or under Other Devices You I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree may have to click the plus sign next to the device name to expand the section If the HomeF ree driver is located under Network Adapters and there is no question mark or exclamation mark next to it the driver is installed properly and there are no obvious hardware problems Try running the HomefFree installer again Important Do not run Setup exe from the HomeFree CD ROM Instea
59. lag do not continue with these instructions Contact Diamond Technical Support 4 5 I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree Select the HomeFree card in the list click Remove and confirm that you really want to remove this device Click Refresh Windows will repeat the hardware detection process and display the wizard or dialog asking you to locate the HomefFree driver Be sure to read the driver installation screens carefully supply the correct location for the HomeFree drivers usually D for a CD ROM and insert the HomeFree CD ROM in the drive when prompted After the HomeFree drivers have been installed you ll be asked to restart the computer When you click OK there will be a pause while Windows reconfigures your system Then your computer will restart and the HomeFree 85 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 86 HomeFree Hardware Not Functioning Properly Error Dialog Problem After Windows has finished installing the HomefFree drivers the HomeFree Hardware Not Functioning Properly error dialog appears on your screen at the beginning of the software installa tion This message indicates that there is a problem with the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC Card on this computer Solution It is possible that your HomeFree hardware card is not properly seated in its slot However it is more likely that your computer does not have enough system resources IRQs available to install the HomefFree card In th
60. lt 45 Transferring Files ass aonnscnssdauascrinveeensexessaneiaiivacascan 46 The Transfer Folder c 5 ccccecessssseeceesesssecs esses 46 Sending Files to Another Computer 47 Retrieving a Transferred File ccceeceees 49 Deleting a Transferred File eseccceeceeees 49 Adding a Computer to Your Send To List 49 Removing a Computer from Your Send To List 50 Playing Games sta cvicuacinandaxevandennnvaxraaaenieiaxioasinens 51 About Multi Player Gaming 51 Getting Ready for Multi player Gaming 52 Checking Network Connections essere 53 Contents Checking Connections using the HomeFree ASssistant ccsscccssseeeseeees 53 Checking Connections using Network Neighborhood ss0ss0088 55 Solving Network Connection Problems 57 Computer or Peripheral Turned Off 58 Computer in Sleep or Hibernation State 59 Computer and Peripherals Out of Range 60 Other Connection Problems cccccccsseeeeees 62 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomefFree The HomeFreeASsistant cssscecsssseeceesceseeeseees 66 Changing Your Connection to the Internet 67 Changing Your Internet Computer 67 Changing Your ISP sac ss cccncensaedavicendaoeiansaunces 69 Adding a Computer to Your Network 7
61. manufacturer does not ship a Windows CD ROM with the computer the necessary Windows files for changing or updating your system are included on your hard drive In the dialog box requesting the Windows CD ROM proceed as fol lows 1 1 In the Path box of the dialog requesting the Windows CD ROM type the following C Windows Options Cabs 2 Click OK to have Windows search for the files in this location If Windows cannot locate the necessary files in this location con tact Diamond Technical Support for further help Which File Should I Keep Problem Solution During the HomefFree driver installation while installing certain Windows system files some versions of Windows display the fol lowing dialog A file being copied is older than the file currently on your computer It is recommended that you keep your existing file Do you want to keep this file It is not clear whether to answer Yes or No to this question You should keep your existing files Answer Yes whenever you see this question during the HomeFree installation 83 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 84 The HomeFree Drivers were Improperly Installed Problem Solution During installation of the HomeFree hardware Windows detected the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card you installed in this computer and it displayed the new hardware wizard or dialog screen shown in the section Installing the HomeFree Driver on page
62. meFree Uninstalling HomeFree A Note The section Removing a Computer from Your Network on page 73 discusses some potential problems that could occur as a result of uninstalling HomeFree from a computer on your net work It is advisable to read this section before you permanently remove a computer from your network You can permanently remove HomefFree from any of your computers by following these two steps Remove the HomeFree software delete the HomefFree folder and restart the computer Remove the HomeFree drivers shut down the computer remove the HomeFree ISA PCI or PC card and restart the computer Following are more detailed instructions for each of these steps Removing the HomeFree Software and Folder You can permanently remove the HomeFree software from a com puter by using the Add Remove programs utility in the Windows Control Panel If you are removing HomeFree from your Internet computer the HomeFree Internet sharing software will automatically be removed as well To remove the HomefFree software and folder 1 2 Click Start on the task bar and choose Settings Control Panel In the Control Panel window double click on Add Remove Pro grams Double click on HomeFree and confirm that you really want to remove this software If Windows asks about removing the shared file INETWH32 DLL keep this file 37 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 38 Removing the HomeFree Drivers and Hardw
63. ms used in this guide and on screen that you ll need to be familiar with Browser A software program that enables you to view pages on the World Wide Web Two browsers are commonly available 1 Navigator or Communicator from Netscape Corporation 2 Internet Explorer from Microsoft Corporation Browsers are included on the HomeFree CD ROM If one of your com puters does not have a browser you can install one Driver Software that tells your computer how to configure a particular piece of hardware such as a printer modem or a network card We provide drivers on your HomefFree installation CD ROM You don t need to worry about installing these yourself Windows will do this for you after you install the card and restart your computer 14 A Typical HomeFree Setup Internet The one computer in your HomeFree network that is directly con Computer nected to the Internet and provides shared access to the Internet for all of the other computers Before installing HomeFree you ll need to set up one of your computers as your Internet Computer If two or more of your computers have direct Internet connections you must choose which one will be your Internet Computer ISA Card A standard type of circuit card used for adding peripheral devices e g modems or network adapters to desktop PCs ISA cards are installed inside a PC ISA connector slots are color coded black to dis tinguish them from PCI slots which are shorter and colored
64. n the Access Type section click Full 9 Click OK to save these changes and exit from the sharing set up When you view this folder from your desktop or using Windows Explorer it will appear with a hand along the bottom edge indicating that it is being shared Cannot Find DHCPClient Error Dialog Problem Solution You have a laptop computer that is connected to a Windows NT server at your office and you also want to use this computer on your HomefFree network However when you try to connect to the HomeFree network the error dialog Cannot Find DHCP Cli ent appears You need to change a setting in the Network Neighborhood prop erties Proceed as follows 1 Right click on the Network Neighborhood icon on your Windows desktop and choose Properties from the pop up menu Click on the Configuration tab if it is not already active Click on Client for Microsoft Networks in the scrolling window Click Properties Uncheck the Log on to Windows NT domain check box nn bk WN Click OK twice to save this change and close the Network Neigh borhood set up panel Before You Contact Customer Support Before You Contact Customer Support In order to expedite calls to Diamond Technical Support please fill in the information about your network in the blanks below Your HomeFree product Serial Number Your Internet Computer Computer Manufacturer Model Processor Speed RAM Memory
65. nce your HomeFree network is up and running you can get online help at any time by clicking Start on the Windows task bar and choosing Programs HomeFree Help Product Contents Product Contents HomefFree is available in two different packages Desktop Pac Model HFDKISA XL1 for connecting two desktop computers Combo Pac Model HFCKISA XL1 for connecting a laptop com puter to a desktop computer Make sure you have the correct package for your configuration and check the contents lists below to be sure your package is complete If you should find any missing or damaged items please contact Diamond Customer Service at 800 468 5846 1 HomeFree ISA card 1 HomeFree ISA card 1 HomeFree PCI card 1 HomeFree PC Card Installation CD ROM Installation CD ROM Start Here poster Start Here poster Getting Started or online User Guide Getting Started or online User Guide A Note If you need to connect an extra desktop PC or laptop to your HomeFree network you can purchase individual HomeFree desktop or laptop cards from Diamond Multimedia Customer Ser vice or directly from our Web site See the back cover of this User Guide for contact information Note If one of your computers does not have a CD ROM drive you can obtain a set of HomeFree installation floppy disks from Diamond Customer Service Alternatively if you have both a CD ROM and floppy drive on another computer you can create your own set of installation floppies
66. nd product registration Chapter 2 An Overview of HomeFree describes some of the main features of the HomeFree wireless technology and explains some general networking and Internet terminology used on HomefFree screens and in this guide This information may be par ticularly helpful if you ve never used a computer network Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree provides detailed instructions for installing HomeFree and setting up your wireless network You can use this chapter as a supplement to the Start Here poster Chapter 4 Using HomeFree explains how to share your Inter net connection share printers transfer files from one computer to another and play games using two or more computers simulta neously It also includes instructions for checking and reestablish ing network connections Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree gives instructions for updating your HomeFree network when you make changes such as adding a new computer adding or removing a printer and changing the computer that serves as your Internet Computer Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree helps you diagnose and solve installation network connectivity and other problems If You Don t Like to Read Manuals If you don t like reading user manuals and just want to get started Open the Start Here poster and follow the installation instruc tions Refer to Chapter 3 in this guide if you need additional help with the installation and setup O
67. ns in this doc ument Nor does Alation Systems Inc make any commitment to update the information contained herein HomeFree is a registered trademark of Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc Windows Windows 95 Windows 98 Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Netscape and Netscape Navigator are registered trademarks of Netscape Corpora tion AOL and America Online are registered service marks of America Online Inc WinNAT is a registered trademark of RouterWare Inc All other trademarks belong to their respective owners Part Number 75550008 002 Version 1 06E Contents Chapter Introducing Homefree About this User Guide is checcnscasaccsassonowsavercerncetiarass 8 If You Don t Like to Read Manuals 000000000e 8 Product Contents eseeeesssesessessecersssececessereceosssere 9 System Reguirements oirionn 10 Product Registration Ls sassy cepaassauoastacenetionivaenseties 10 Genn Hap creniero aiiai 11 Start Here Postet eec cnco iaeei aniisi 11 Getting Started STs pene ee eee ene nee eer en 11 Online Help aicccessaicanarancantednduntansnetnadvasdsessnccartosia 12 PNG NET SUPE ecin n 12 HomefFree Telephone Support occci cscs sesicecegevssc 12 Chapter 2 An Overview of Homefree The Magic of Wireless cccccscccsscceeceeeeeecees 14 Some Useful Terms oi6 cocci seheiissinciteeeessac nee 14 A Typical HomefFree Setup o css ccscsseses
68. nstalling your HomeFree hardware and software This chapter has two main sections a Installing the HomeFree Hardware a Installing the HomeFree Software You ll install both the hardware and software on your computers one by one building your wireless home network as you go You can either refer to the Start Here poster or the more detailed instructions in this chapter to guide you through the installation Should you encounter problems while installing HomeFree on any of your computers please refer to the section I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree on page 82 for help This chapter also includes the sections Opening an Internet Account and Installing an Internet Browser in case you want to access the Internet from your network but haven t yet set up Internet service Finally should the need ever arise the section Uninstalling Home Free is included at the end of the chapter 19 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 20 Getting Ready to Install HomeFree Before you begin installing HomeFree please go through the checklist below Pre installation Checklist Windows 95 or Windows 98 CD ROM Have your Windows Installation CD ROM or floppy disks handy Windows may ask you to insert them during the installation If your computer came with Windows pre installed but without a Windows CD ROM the necessary Windows files for changing or updating your system are most
69. od when you check network con nections a All your computers and printers seem to be connected i e they appear on the network connections lists but you experience problems when transferring or printing files or when connecting to the Internet over the network Here are some obstacles that may interfere with wireless data trans mission Large metal objects Large metal objects such as a metal desk can interfere with wireless data transmission For example if you ve located the computer that s having connection problems under an all metal desk where it is enclosed by metal on three sides the desk may be blocking its trans mission signals Try moving the computer next to the desk or on top of it to see if the computer can connect with the network A Note Even a wooden desk can cause some interference if the computer is placed under the desk and there are many walls between this computer and others on the network Large bodies of water HomeFree s very high frequency radio waves cannot transmit through water For example if you locate a computer directly in front of a large fish tank a computer on the other side of the tank may not be able to communicate with it Relocating the computer away from the fish tank should solve this problem Solving Network Connection Problems Interference from a wall If you locate a HomeFree computer too close to a wall the wall may interfere with the connection to other computers on
70. or suspend state will not be available to the network Since green features vary from computer to computer you will have to experiment to determine the effects of sleeping or hibernating computers on your HomeFree network On some computers you can adjust or even turn off the sleep or hibernation timer from Windows by clicking the Start on the task bar choosing Settings Control Pan els and double clicking on the Power Management icon in the Con trol Panels window In most cases you can simply wake up a sleeping computer that isn t responding to the network Refer to the user manual that came with your computer for instructions on waking it from a sleep or hibernation state A Note In order to ensure that all the computers on your HomeFree network have Internet access verify that your Internet Computer can communicate with the network while it is in a sleep or standby state If necessary turn off the sleep or hibernation fea ture on the Internet Computer Computer and Peripherals Out of Range If you move a computer out of range of the network that computer and any peripheral devices connected to it may become unavailable to some or all of the computers on the network just as if the com puter were turned off In order to ensure that all of your computers can communicate with each other you should place them so that they all lie within the boundary of a 100 foot imaginary circle A com puter lying outside this range as
71. other com puters See Installing a Shared Printer on Another Computer on page 44 for instructions Removing a Printer When you physically remove a printer from a computer the printer is not automatically uninstalled from Windows Like a ghost its icon remains in the Printers folder of any computer on which it was installed and its name remains on the list of available printers that appears in Print dialog boxes There s no harm in leaving the name and icon of a printer that has been removed on your network com puters but there s less chance for confusion if you uninstall the printer on each computer The steps below will guide you through the process of unistalling a printer from its computer and the other computers on the network 77 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 78 To permanently remove a printer from a computer 1 Turn off the printer and the computer that it s attached to 2 Unplug the printer s power cable and unplug the printer cable from the computer A Note If you are replacing this printer you can connect the new one at this time and turn it on 3 Restart the computer If you connected a new printer follow the manufacturer s instruc tions for setting it up 4 Click Start on the task bar and choose Settings Printers The Printers window appears as shown below 7 Printers Iof x File Edit View Help GA Printers v 4 object s 5 Click on the icon of th
72. puter to a different computer See Changing Your Connection to the Internet on page 67 for instructions After you ve set up a different computer as your Internet Computer then you can permanently remove the old one Removing a computer attached to a printer If you uninstall HomeFree from a computer that has a shared printer attached that printer will no longer be available over the network However its icon will still appear in the Printers folder on each of the other computers If you want to remove the printer and the computer you can manu ally delete the printer s icon from the Printers folder on each of the other computers See Adding Removing or Moving a Printer on page 76 for instructions If you only want to remove the computer but still have access to the printer from the other computers on your network you ll need to connect the printer on a different computer and install the printer software on that computer See Adding Removing or Moving a Printer on page 76 for instructions on moving a printer When you check network connections using the HomeFree Assistant when you restart all your computers HomeFree will automatically detect the printer s presence on the new computer and set it up to be shared You can also share it manually See Setting Up a Shared Printer on page 43 for instructions Changing Your Modem If you upgrade the modem on your Internet Computer you
73. r from one computer to another Whenever you check network connections using the HomeFree Assistant or when your restart all of your com puters HomefFree will detect any changes you ve made to your printer configuration and it will automatically install any new printers and update each computer s list of shared printers Thus printer changes are not included in the HomefFree Assistant However changing your printers does have an effect on your network as a whole so they ve been included in this chapter Adding Removing or Moving a Printer Adding a New Printer Adding a new printer to any of the computers on your HomeFree net work is very straightforward To add a new printer Go to the computer where you want to install the printer 2 Follow the manufacturer s instructions for connecting and install ing the printer 3 Test the printer on the computer it s attached to On each of the other computers on your network run the Home Free Assistant and check network connections See Checking Network Connections on page 53 for instructions 5 If the new printer does not appear in the Network Connections list on other computers share it manually following the instruc tions in Setting Up a Shared Printer on page 43 6 Test the printer from other computers on the network If you can see the printer but are unable to print to it from other computers you ll need to manually install it on the
74. rd modem with America Online dial up connection Cable modem ISDN or direct Internet connection Wired LAN Internet connection The table on the next page suggests possible reasons for this prob lem For each reason in the left column the corresponding right column provides instructions for what to do 91 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 92 Cannot Set Up Internet Computer Because Cannot detect a Dial Up Adapter modem connection on this computer Note This is not applicable if you have a direct connection to the Internet or if you access the Internet via a wired LAN connection Cannot detect a Dial Up Net working connection on this computer Note This is not applicable if you have a cable modem or if you re using America Online as your ISP What to Do Make sure that this computer has a working modem and that the modem is properly installed and functioning Refer to the instructions pro vided by the manufacturer of your modem for more information When you install a modem it is also necessary to set up a Dial Up Networking connection to your ISP on this computer Follow the instructions provided by your ISP to set up Internet service and check the connection to make sure you can connect to the Internet directly from this computer Note For America Online or other ISPs that do not use Windows Dial Up Networking you ll need to set up a dial up connection directly in the ISP s so
75. ree on page 30 you indicated that this computer was not the first one you were installing on your HomeFree network However HomefFree could not detect the presence of any other computers on your network so it displayed the following window on your screen Free Wireless Network Cancel The table on the next page suggests a number of reasons why HomeFree may not be able to detect the computer s you ve already installed For each reason the table provides a suggestion for what to check or try 89 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree Computers Not Detected Because 90 I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree Installer Can t Set Up Internet Computer Problem Solution In the Installer or the HomefFree Assistant you indicated that you want this computer to provide shared Internet access for all the computers on your network but HomefFree cannot detect any evi dence of an Internet connection on this computer Instead of asking for your User Name Password and Dial Up Net working connection it displays this window on your screen HomeFree Installer X Unable to detect a Dial Up Networking entry OIN TYIT of this computer For help diagnosing the problem click here Home ree Wireless Network To provide shared Internet access this computer must have some kind of Internet connection such as Standard modem with Dial Up Networking connection Standa
76. resources must be the same on all of your HomeFree computers Can t Connect to the Internet Problem Solution One or more of your computers cannot connect to the Internet through your Internet Computer Here are some tips to help you diagnose and remedy common network Internet connection problems If you are using America Online or another ISP that does not use Windows Dial Up Networking your Internet Computer will not automatically connect to the Internet when you launch a browser from another HomeFree computer First you ll need to manually connect to the Internet through AOL or your ISP from your Inter net Computer Once the Internet connection is established the other computers on your network can access the Internet by sim ply opening a browser Note for laptop users If you install HomeFree on a laptop com puter that is not your Internet Computer the laptop s browser will be set to automatically access the Internet over your Home Free network If you want to access the Internet using the laptop s modem while you re away from home you must manually open a Dial Up Networking connection to your ISP before launching your browser Make sure your Internet Computer is turned on and running properly If it has switched into a sleep or hibernation state wake it up See Computer in Sleep or Hibernation State on page 59 I m Having Network Connection Problems A Note On some newer computer models enterin
77. rmine if a printer is available on a particular computer To determine if a network printer is available 1 Double click the Network Neighborhood icon located on your Windows desktop 2 In the Network Neighborhood window double click the icon of the computer that is directly connected to the printer you re checking A window opens for that computer displaying its shared hard drives folders and printers as shown in the example below a Cyclops of Xx File Edit View Help E Cyclops v 4 object s A Note If the computer you re checking has a printer attached but the printer does not appear in this window make sure that you can print directly from that computer For more information see I Can t Print to a Network Printer on page 95 56 Solving Network Connection Problems Solving Network Connection Problems If HomeFree is properly installed on each of your computers and if all the computers and their peripherals are turned on and located within a 100 foot circle it should perform properly However there are two main types of connection problems that you may encounter with HomeFree a A computer or printer becomes temporarily disconnected from the network and does not appear in the network connections list or the Network Neighborhood when you check network connec tions a All your computers and printers seem to be connected i e they appear on the network connections lists but
78. s You can either follow the instructions below or use the Start Here poster to install the hardware For instructions on completing the software installation on each computer turn to Installing the HomeFree Soft ware on page 28 Installing the HomeFree Hardware In this section you ll install the HomeFree hardware either the HomeFree ISA PCI card in a desktop computer or a HomeFree PC card in a laptop The ISA and PCI desktop computer cards are in bags that are marked with their slot type ISA or PCI If you ve mixed them up or just want to double check see the illustrations of the gold connectors below ISA card PCI card A Important Install HomeFree on the Internet Computer first If you don t plan to access the Internet over the network then you can begin with any computer A Note If you re installing a HomeFree PC card in a laptop skip to page 27 23 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree To install a HomeFree ISA or PCI card in a desktop computer 1 Turn off the computer Ee 2 Open the case A Note Your computer may differ slightly from the one pictured above If you have any problems removing the case refer to the documentation provided by the computer manufacturer 24 3 4 5 A Installing the HomeFree Hardware Touch the chassis to ground yourself Unplug the computer Locate an empty ISA or PCI slot and remove its slot cover Keep the slot cov
79. ser name and pass word in the appropriate boxes 10 Click OK You ll be asked to restart the computer After restarting this computer will be your new Internet Computer Changing Your ISP If you decide to switch to a different Internet Service Provider you will need to set up your new Internet service on the Internet Com puter and then run the HomeFree Assistant Follow the steps below A Important If you are changing from a standard modem to a cable modem or if you are switching from a standard ISP to America Online do not follow the instructions in this section Instead contact Diamond Technical Support for help changing your ISP 69 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree 70 To update your ISP settings 1 7 Make sure that no one is using the Internet over your HomeFree network that all browsers have been closed and that the Dial Up Networking connection is closed on the Internet Computer Go to the Internet Computer and follow the instructions pro vided by your new ISP for setting up Internet service You ll create a new Dial Up Networking connection that includes your new ISP s access phone number your user name and pass word Note Write down the name of the new Dial Up Networking pro file user name and password You ll need to enter them again when you update your ISP settings in the HomeFree Assistant When you ve finished setting up your new Internet service make sure you can connect to the
80. t Here Poster Index software installation not completed 92 Transfer folder not created 97 which Windows driver files to keep 83 about 11 Start Here poster U using 23 support uninstalling HomeFree 37 Internet 12 Update Internet Settings See Internet online help 12 connection user name SupraSonic II 42 telephone 12 for ISP 22 68 69 70 71 suspend system requirements 10 T Technical Support 99 telephone support 12 Transfer Folder 46 Transfer folder See sleep state W Windows CD ROM installing without 83 wireless network advantages of 14 typical setup 15 wizard HomefFree driver installation 29 adding to SendTo list 49 deleting files from 49 not created 97 removing from SendTo list 50 retrieving files from 49 sending files to 47 transferring files 46 49 transmission See data transmission troubleshooting can t connect to Internet 94 can t find printer 95 can t set up Internet Computer 91 can t transfer files 96 computers not showing up on network 93 don t have Windows CD ROM 83 hardware not funcitoning properly 86 HomefFree drivers improperly installed 84 installation problems 82 92 installed computers not detected 89 ISA PCI or PC card not detected 82 no system resources available 87 105 Homefree User Guide 106
81. tecting your HomeFree hardware a If you are installing an ISA or PCI card in a desktop computer turn off the computer and re trace your steps through the hard ware installation Make sure the connector pins are properly aligned and firmly seated in the connector slot Then turn on the computer and see if one of the windows appears a If you ve installed a PCI card in a desktop computer turn off the computer and move the PCI card to another white PCI slot Turn on the computer and see if Windows detects the card in the new slot a If you are installing a PC card in a laptop make sure that it is plugged in all the way Then try re booting to see if one of the windows appears a If you ve tried the above suggestions and still neither window appears on your screen your computer may not be set up for Plug amp Play hardware detection Please fill out the system information sheet at the end of this chapter and then contact Diamond Tech nical Support A representative will walk you through the process of manually installing the HomefFree drivers I m Having Trouble Installing HomeFree Do Not Have a Windows CD ROM Problem Solution During installation of the HomeFree drivers Windows displayed a dialog requesting that you insert your Windows 95 or Windows 98 CD ROM to continue However your computer came with Windows pre installed and a Windows CD ROM was not included in the package Generally if a computer
82. tion on page 33 A Important If you re installing HomeFree on the second or any subsequent computer and the Installer still asks if it is the first one then your computers are not communicating properly See HomeFree Cannot Detect Other Installed Computers on page 89 to diagnose and correct the problem 31 Chapter 3 Installing HomeFree 32 Setting up the Shared Internet Connection A Note If this is not the first computer you re installing or if you are not planning to access the Internet from your HomefFree net work skip this section In order to enable all the computers on your network to access the Internet the installer must configure the Internet Computer for shared Internet access The installer only goes through the following steps on the first computer which is why you must begin the instal lation with your Internet Computer After you confirm that this is the first computer the Installer asks if you want this computer to share its Internet connection If you answer Yes you ll be asked to enter your ISP information Network For Help press F1 lt Back oe A Note The window displayed on your screen may differ slightly from the one shown above If you have a cable modem or other direct Internet connection or if you are using America Online as your ISP this window will not appear on your screen Installing the HomeFree Software To set up Internet sharing on your
83. tomer Support on page 99 Computers are Not Showing Up on my Network Problem Solution When HomeFree displays Network Connections lists on each of your computers the lists are not the same In other words a com puter connected to the network does not appear in a network connections list A Note The Network Connections lists are automatically displayed on each computer at the end of the initial HomeFree installation see page 33 and after adding a new computer to the network see page 72 You can display the list manually on any computer by choosing Check Network Connections on the HomeFree Assistant menu see Checking Network Connections on page 53 One or more computers are turned off sleeping or hibernating out of range or experiencing some type of transmission interfer ence 93 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 94 Go through the section Checking Network Connections on page 53 and make sure all of your computers are communicating with each other Important In order for your HomeFree network to function prop erly each computer must be communicating with all of the other computers on your network If you have three or more computers connected to your network make sure that you don t have a situ ation where one computer is communicating with a second one but is out of range of a third one In other words when you check network connections the lists of shared network
84. ually add it to the list See Add ing a Computer to Your Send To List on page 49 for instructions If everything else seems OK but the destination computer still does not show up in your Network Neighborhood try restarting both the source and destination computers I m Having Other Problems with HomeFree This section contains suggestions for solving other HomeFree prob lems If you encounter a problem that is not described here or if the suggestions here do not help you solve the problem please contact Diamond Technical Support You ll find all the necessary contact information in Contacting Customer Support on page 99 Transfer Folder Not Created Problem Solution During the software installation HomeFree did not automatically create a shared Transfer folder on this computer s C drive You can manually create the folder and set it up to be shared To create a shared Transfer folder on your C drive 1 2 3 4 Double click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop Double click on the C drive In the C window choose File New Folder Rename the new folder Transfer and click next to the folder to save the new name 97 Chapter 6 Troubleshooting HomeFree 98 5 Right click on the Transfer folder and choose Sharing from the pop up menu In the Sharing Setup panel click the Shared As radio button The Share Name will already be set to Transfer on A I
85. ur Internet Computer The Internet Computer and its modem must be turned on and active on the HomeFree network See Checking Network Con nections on page 53 Any computer from which you want to access the Internet must have a browser installed e g Netscape Navigator Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer Gi See Installing an Internet Browser on page 36 if you need to install a browser on any of your computers Accessing the Internet Once your Internet Computer and HomeFree network are set up and running accessing the Internet is simply a matter of opening a browser or email program from any computer on the network 40 Sharing the Internet Computer To access the Internet from any computer on the network a Double click the Internet icon on your Windows desktop or click Start on the task bar and choose your browser from the Programs menu If the Internet Computer is not already connected to the Internet it will automatically dial into your ISP and connect This may take a moment if it is not already connected You can now use the Internet just as you did when connecting directly from a single computer A Note for America Online Users If you are using America Online AOL as your ISP the Internet Computer will not automatically connect to the Internet when you launch a browser from another HomeFree computer You must manually log onto AOL from the Internet Computer in order for
86. ve created a number of other sources of information about HomefFree including Start Here poster a Getting Started Guide a Online Help Internet Support 11 Chapter 1 Introducing HomeFree 12 Online Help The HomeFree software installer places a set of online help files on each computer in your HomefFree network These help files include most of the information in this user guide plus additional technical and troubleshooting information To access the HomeFree online help files m Click Start on the Windows Task Bar and choose Programs HomeFreeHomeFree Help Internet Support We have also included both the online help files plus the electronic versions of this user guide in the HomeFree product section of the Diamond Multimedia World Wide Web site The address of our home page is www diamondmm com homefree HomeFree Telephone Support If you run into problems installing or using HomeFree that you can not diagnose or solve using the troubleshooting procedures in Chapter 6 or the information sources listed above we also provide customer service and technical support by telephone HomeFree Telephone Support Customer Service 800 468 5846 Technical Support 541 967 2450 An Overview of hater HomeFree This chapter provides an overview of the HomeFree network It includes the following sections a The Magic of Wireless A brief introduction to wireless network ing a Some Useful Terms
87. you experience any of the following problems Transferring or printing files takes an exceptionally long time Transferring or printing a file results in a Windows error mes sage stating that the target computer or printer is not avail able on the network Connecting to the Internet over the network launches your browser which stalls and eventually times out with a message that it cannot locate the server for the URL you have selected There are four common reasons why one or more computers or peripherals may not be able to communicate properly over your HomeFree network a A computer or peripheral device is turned off a A computer switches into an energy saving sleep or hiberna tion mode a A computer is out of range of other computers on the HomeFree network a An object an enclosure or another 2 4 GHz device is interfering with data transmission Any of these situations can cause computers to become temporarily disconnected Either or both of the last two situations are typically responsible for seemingly connected computers to have transmission problems such as those listed above 57 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 58 The remainder of this section discusses each of these situations and provides suggestions for reestablishing or improving network connec tions in each case Also see the section I m Having Network Con nection Problems on page 93 for additional troubleshooting information
88. your HomeFree 63 Chapter 4 Using HomeFree 64 Maintaining Chapter HomeFree Since your computers now communicate with each other and share resources you ll need to update the HomeFree configuration on one or more of your computers whenever you make changes that affect the network For example if you change your Internet Computer the network must be re configured to communicate with the Internet through the new computer This chapter introduces The HomeFreeAssistant a program used for Checking Network Connections and for updating your network whenever you make the following changes a Changing Your Connection to the Internet a Adding a Computer to Your Network In addition this chapter provides instructions for making other changes that don t require the HomefFree Assistant but do affect the network These include a Removing a Computer from Your Network a Changing Your Modem a Adding Removing or Moving a Printer 65 Chapter 5 Maintaining HomeFree The HomeFreeAssistant D ee The HomefFree Assistant is a network maintenance application that you ll need to run on one or more of your computers in any of the following situations To Make this Network Change Run the HomeFree Assistant on Change Internet service providers Your Internet Computer Move your Internet Computer from Both the existing Internet Computer and one computer to another the new Internet Computer A

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