Windows 7 / Networking

Working with Windows 7's Basic Network Tools and Tasks

With your network hardware purchased, unpacked, plugged in, and connected, your network should be up and running. For the most part, you'll be using your network for useful tasks such as sharing files, streaming media, making backups, and accessing the Internet. However, it's inevitable that some of your network chores will be network related, because even the smallest networks demand a certain amount of administration and configuration. These network tasks range from simply viewing the current status of the network to viewing the computers and devices attached to the network to customizing settings, such as the network name.

These are all basic network chores, and if you're the person who's wearing the Network Administrator nametag in your home or office, you need to know how to perform these chores. Fortunately, none of this is at all complex, so it won't take much time away from your more useful or interesting pursuits. This section tells you everything you need to know.

[Previous] [Contents] [Next]

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