1 PC on a personal and business network simultaneously
I work for a company that disallows the addition of software to the Windows 2000 PCs it provides to its associates. The company is also quite limited in its leverage of technology at this point and I wanted the ability to scan all documentation into electronic files for all of ym customers. So, a few years ago, I added a Windows XP Pro PC to the company's DHCP network. This PC is connected to the company's network by wired ethernet and to my personal office network wirelessly (via a Lynksis USB network adapter). This PC houses my document scanning software, all electronic files used by my office, and it is also used as a print server to share network printers that are connected to the company network with laptops (running Windows XP) that are wirelessly connected only to my personal network. This gives me the ability to scan all documents into individual customer files and still have access to these documents through the company PCs without having to install client software on the company PCs (which I am unable to do). This also makes printing to all printers in the office possible from all PCs in the office, company-owned or otherwise.
For some time now, I have been having a problem whereby the wireless network connection on the Windows XP Pro PC will somehow disconnect or otherwise stop working. Regularly throughout the day, I attempt to print from my personal laptop (which is wirelessly connected to my personal network) to the shared printer connection on the Windows XP Pro PC only to get an error message that the printer cannot be found. I have to go to the Windows XP Pro PC, disable the wireless connection, and re-enable the wireless connection before I am able to print. This fix usually works for an hour or so, then I end up having to disable and re-enable the wireless connection again. I have tried changing the IP lease time on the wireless network to different settings thinking that the problem was that the lease was expiring during the day but this does not help.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem may be and how to fix it? I've thought about replacing the USB wireless network adapter with another hard-wired network adapter and connecting the Windows XP Pro PC to my personal network by wire rather than wireless but I don't want to do this unless it will help.
Help! :confused:
