Windows 7 / Networking

Opening the Network Connections Window

You do most of your work in this tutorial in Windows 7's Network Connections window, and Windows 7 gives you two main ways to access this window:

  • In the Network and Sharing Center, click the Change Adapter Settings link in the Tasks list.
  • Select Start, type connections, and then click View Network Connections.

If you've previously created a direct broadband Internet connection, a dial-up Internet connection, or a connection to a VPN, you see icons for each connection. However, you always one or both of the following two types of icons:

  • Wired-These Ethernet connections take the default name Local Area Connection, and you can recognize them by the RJ-45 jack shown with the icon. If you have more than one Ethernet NIC installed in your computer, you see a wired connection icon for each one (with subsequent connections named Local Area Connection 2, and so on).
  • Wireless-These connections take the default name Wireless Network Connection, and you can recognize them by the green signal bars shown with the icon.

When you're in the default Tiles view, both wired and wireless icons show the name of the network to which they're connected (or the icon shows Disconnected if no current connection is present) and the name of the NIC through which each connection is made. (Details view shows you more data, such as the current connectivity setting-such as Access to Local Only or Access to Local and Internet-and the network category.) If the network connection currently has a problem, you see a red X added to the icon and the connection's Status field may display an error message (such as Network cable unplugged).

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In this tutorial:

  1. Setting a Small Network
  2. Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network
  3. Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name
  4. Connecting to a Wireless Network
  5. Working with Windows 7's Basic Network Tools and Tasks
  6. Accessing the Network and Sharing Center
  7. Setting Up a Homegroup
  8. Activating Homegroup Connections
  9. Creating a Homegroup
  10. Joining a Homegroup
  11. Accessing the Homegroup
  12. Changing Homegroup Settings
  13. Turning Off Homegroup Connections
  14. Viewing Network Computers and Devices
  15. Displaying a Network Map
  16. Viewing Network Status Details
  17. Customizing Your Network
  18. Managing Network Connections
  19. Opening the Network Connections Window
  20. Renaming a Network Connection
  21. Enabling Automatic IP Addressing
  22. Confirming That Windows 7 Is Configured for Dynamic IP Addressing
  23. Displaying the Computer's Current IP Address
  24. Setting Up a Static IP Address
  25. Displaying the Current DNS Addresses
  26. Specifying the Static IP Address
  27. Using a Network Connection to Wake Up a Sleeping Computer
  28. Disabling a Network Connection
  29. Managing Wireless Network Connections
  30. Opening the Manage Wireless Networks Window
  31. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
  32. Working with Wireless Connection Properties
  33. Modifying Connection Properties
  34. Modifying Security Properties
  35. Renaming Wireless Connections
  36. Reordering Wireless Connections
  37. Creating User-Specific Wireless Connections
  38. Removing Wireless Connections