Computer Tips: How to Share a Printer Over a Wireless Network?

Basically wireless networks (Checkout "Computer Tips: How Setup Your Home Wireless Network") make it easy for you to boost your productivity around the office and in the home. One neat thing you can do with a wireless router is to share a printer with other computers on the network. The setup process is easy and only takes a few minutes, and you'll enjoy immediate access to the printer from all of your network's computers.


Here are the steps on How to Share a Printer Over a Wireless Network:

1. Connect your printer to one of your network's computers.
2. Make sure the printer's drivers are up-to-date. If they're old, you can download new drivers from the printer manufacturer's website.
3. Launch the Control Panel on the main computer. The easiest way of doing this is by opening the Start Menu and clicking on its shortcut.
4. Open the "Printers" or "Printers and Other Hardware" window.
5. Right-click the printer you want to share over the network and select "Sharing..." from the drop-down menu that appears.
6. Switch to the "Sharing" tab and click on the button labeled "Change sharing options." Then, check the box next to the "Share this printer" option.
7. Create a network name for the printer, and enter it into the appropriate field. Make the name something you'll remember so you know which printer to access.
8. Click "OK" to save the changes and make the printer available over the wireless network.

This Computer Tips on How to Share a Printer Over a Wireless Network? hoped help you or at least point you on the right direction. I do hope this steps would be helpful to all of you. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.  And for my friend bino.

Computer Tips: How to protect your wireless network

Having a Wireless networks are a great way to share files, printers, and your Internet connection to any computer in your home. With the use of wireless network adapter installed on your portable computer, you are no longer tied to your desk and have the mobility to use your computer anywhere. You can communicate with friends, read the news, and surf the Web anywhere you can receive a wireless network signal. See steps on How Setup Your Home Wireless Network.

But there are some risks. Since Wireless networks don't stop at the walls of your home. Yes, In fact, it often extend more than 300 feet from your wireless router considering some of new technologies nowadays. If you are living in an apartment, dorm, or condominium, you may have dozens of neighbors who can access your wireless network. If you live in a house, your neighbors and even people on the street or the house across the street can may be able to connect to your network.

Here are the common implications why you should consider reading this article on "Computer Tips: How to protect your wireless network"

1. Slowdown your Internet performance. Imagine you are just checking a website and and the other one on the network is downloading movies and other stuffs. It divides your bandwidth or in simple terms your Internet connection speed. A website that would load in instant will we loading for 30 seconds or more. Thats not good, right? Not to consider when you are opening more than one web pages.

2. Others can Share and access computers and spread dangerous software. Since other can access your network it is also possible that they can also access your shared files and could infect your computer also with virus and spywares. Other can also Monitor the Web sites you visit, read your e-mail and instant messages as they travel across the network, and copy your usernames and passwords. Send spam or perform illegal activities with your Internet connection.

How to protect your wireless network

Protecting your Network is like protecting your self from theft and other outside threats. You can protect your wireless network by using the same method banks use to protect your password when you log on to their Web sites: encryption. Yes, Encryption scrambles data on your wireless network so that only computers that have the encryption key can read your communications.

Here are some wireless encryption:

64-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection). This is the original wireless encryption standard, it is now outdated. The main problem with it is that it can be easily "cracked." Cracking a wireless network means defeating the encryption so that you can establish a connection without being invited.

128-bit WEP. An updated, more secure version of the original WEP. However, skilled attackers can still crack 128-bit WEP in a few hours or less, giving them access to your network.

WPA-PSK (also known as WPA-Personal). A more secure alternative to WEP, but because it is newer, it is not as widely supported. Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 supports WPA, so this type of encryption is the best choice if you plan to connect only Windows XP computers to your wireless network. However, if you have wireless devices that don't support WPA, such as media extenders or wireless cameras, you'll have to use WEP on your network instead.

You might also see the security method called "WPA-Enterprise." As the name suggests, this method of network encryption is designed for business use. Setup for WPA-Enterprise is more complex than for other types of encryption, and it requires special network infrastructure.

WPA2. The newest type of wireless encryption, WPA2 provides the highest level of encryption available. WPA2 encryption should be your first choice if your wireless router and all of your wireless computers and devices support it.

Even though one type of encryption may be better than another, any type will dramatically improve your network's security by making you a more difficult target.

Can wireless encryption be "cracked"?

The short answer is, "Yes". Any encryption can be cracked. An individual with knowledge of computers and networking, and who is willing to spend a few hours researching free "hacking" tools, can crack encryption in a few hours (or less). However, most users who want to connect without authorization lack the expertise to crack wireless encryption, even relatively weak 64-bit WEP. In a crowded neighborhood with numerous unprotected networks, anyone looking for a free connection will likely choose the unprotected network rather than spend the time to crack your wireless encryption. Therefore, even WEP encryption offers better protection than not having encryption enabled at all.

Here are some Computer Tips on How to protect your wireless network and Here are some tips to keep your data safe when using wireless networks:

1. If you use WEP encryption, change your encryption key once a month. If someone manages to learn your key, they will be locked out again when you change it.

2. Don't connect to unprotected wireless networks—it's possible for someone to monitor your Internet usage and even record your passwords.

3. If you do connect to an unprotected wireless network, don't visit a Web site that requires a password unless the Web site is encrypted. To find out if it's encrypted, look for a lock symbol in the lower-right corner of your browser.

4. SSL secured Web site icon - That is when you see the pod lock on the lower right hand corner of the web browser.

5. If you use WPA-PSK to encrypt your network, set a long passphrase of at least 20 random characters. Better yet, use the full 63 characters by typing a sentence you can remember—just don't make it something that's easily guessed, like a line from a movie.


This Computer Tips on How to protect your wireless network? help you or at least point you on the right direction. I do hope this steps would be helpful to all of you. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.

Computer Tips: How to Fix Slow Internet Connection

Having a Slow Internet Connection? Isn't it irritating when suddenly one day your Internet is slowing down or loading slowly. And you have already called your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and and they said that they have already checked your internet connection on there side and it is perfectly fine.




Here are some Computer Tips on How to Fix Slow Internet Connection that you can try before calling them:

1. Delete cookie files.
a. From the Start menu, click Internet Explorer.
b. On the toolbar, click Tools, and then click Delete Browsing History.
c. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, click Delete Cookies.
d. In the Delete Cookies dialog box, click Yes.

2. Clear History files.
a. From the Start menu, click Internet Explorer.
b. On the toolbar, click Tools, and then click Delete Browsing History.
c. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, click Delete History.
d. In the Internet Options dialog box, click Yes.

3. Delete Temporary Internet files.
a. From the Start menu, click Internet Explorer.
b. On the toolbar, click Tools, and then click Delete Browsing History.
c. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, click Delete Files.
d. In the Delete Files dialog box, click Yes.

Note: You may complete all of the above steps, plus delete form data and Internet passwords, by clicking the Delete all button in the Delete Browsing History dialog box.

4. Reset Internet Explorer to the default settings.
a. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
b. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
c. Click Reset, and then click Close.
d. Click OK twice, and then close Internet Explorer.
e. Re-open Internet Explorer, and then try to browse the Internet.

5. Run and Update your anti-virus and anti-Spyware. Being online in the Internet could make your computer vulnerable to viruses and spywares online so make sure that your anti-virus and anti-spyware is always updated and run them always.

6. If using a dial-up connection, open Device Manager and update modem drivers.

This Computer Tips on How to Fix Slow Internet Connection is I think the some simplest steps and maybe most of us who are technically inclined knows this steps but based on my experience some of us forgot this basic steps. I do hope this steps would be helpful to all of you. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.

Computer Tips: Troubleshooting Cannot Access Secured Websites

Isn't it irritating when suddenly or if you really cannot access a website that is secured. Cannot open your Email, Bank sites and some social networking websites..

Here are some Computer Tips in Troubleshooting "Cannot Access Secure Websites" :

1. Check and ensure your browser is secure. 

If the problem is with just one Web site, try to access another secure Web site. If there is not another secure Web site that you access on a regular basis, try this link: http://www.verisign.com/advisor/check.html.

2., Delete your Cookies, Temporary Internet Files and History. 

If the problem appears to be with one Web site

    * Windows XP:

   1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
   2. On the General tab, click Delete Cookies, and then click OK.
   3. Click Delete Files, and then click OK.
   4. Click Clear History.
   5. To save changes, click OK twice.

    * Windows Vista

   1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
   2. On the General tab, click Delete, and then click Delete Cookies.
   3. Click Yes.
   4. Click Delete History, and then click Yes.
   5. To save changes, click Close, and then click OK.

3. Add the Web site to the list of trusted sites.

1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click Trusted Sites.
3. Click Sites, and then type in the URL.
4. Click Add, click Close, and then click OK.
5. Make sure the address is not listed under Restricted Sites

4. Re-register the following DLLs used by Internet Explorer. 

For Windows XP Only 

- From Start > Click on Run > Type the following DLL files in the Run dialog box:
For Windows Vista 

- Click Start. In the Start Search dialog box, type:

    * Regsvr32 urlmon.dll
    * Regsvr32 softpub.dll
    * Regsvr32 wintrust.dll

Press ENTER. Click OK at the confirmation message.

5. Check the certificates. Check the date and time. Secure Web sites typically have certificates that expire. If the date and time are incorrect, it can cause difficulties accessing secure Web sites.

6. Check for viruses or Spy ware. The most common cause of this kind of problem is Spyware or virus infections.

7. Check for security software such as firewalls or pop-up blockers.

1. Make sure that security software was not recently installed or parameters changed. This includes Internet security packages.
2. If so, try temporarily disabling the new software. If that resolves the issue, consult the help files or documentation for a way to configure the software correctly.
3. Try temporarily disabling any other security software such as firewalls (including the Windows Firewall), anti-virus, Ghost Surf, Pre-empt or pop-up blockers.
4. To disable the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Pop-up Blocker: a.) In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options. b.) In Internet Options, click the Privacy tab, and then click to clear the Pop-up Blocker option.
5. If temporarily disabling any of these fixes the issue, try configuring them to work properly with secure Web sites.

8. Make sure that Internet Explorer settings are correctly set.

    * For Windows XP

1. Open Internet Explorer, and then from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab.
3. On the Security tab, click each of the icons at the top of the window, and then click Default Level.
4. Click the Content tab. Click ClearSSLState (if available), and then click OK.
5. If Parental Controls are enabled, click Disable.
6. Click Auto Complete. Click Clear Forms, and then click OK. Click Clear Passwords.
7. Click OK twice to save the changes.
8. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Under the Security section, select Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0.
9. Click the Connections tab. Click LAN Settings, and then click to clear everything in the Proxy Settings section.
10. Disable third party browser extensions.

    * If using Windows XP with Service Pack 2:

1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Manage Add-Ons.
2. Click to select an add-on, and then click Disable.
3. Click OK.

    * If not using Service Pack 2:

1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. On the Advanced tab, click to clear Enable Third Party Browser Extensions (requires reboot).
3. Click OK, and then shut down Windows and restart the computer.

    * For Windows Vista

1. Open Internet Explorer, and then from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab.
3. On the Security tab, click each of the icons at the top of the window. Click Default Level for each.
4. Click the Content tab. Click ClearSSLState (if available), and then click OK.
5. If Parental Controls are enabled, click Parental Controls, click the account, and then click Turn Off Parental Controls.
6. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Under the Security section, select Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0.
7. Click the Connections tab. Click LAN Settings, and then uncheck the Use a Proxy server for your LAN checkbox. Click OK twice.

9. Disable third party browser extensions.

1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, point to Manage Add-ons, and then click Enable or Disable Add-Ons.
2. Click OK.

10. Run System Restore if the problem has just recently occurred.

11. Make sure that the cipher strength is at least 128-bit.

• Open Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer, from the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer. Check the Cipher Strength.

• If it is less than 128 bit but greater than 0, download the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack from the Microsoft Web site.
• If the cipher strength is 0 bit, follow the instructions at this Web link on the Microsoft Web site.

12 Check if more than one user account is affected.

1. If there is another account on the computer, try accessing secure Web sites using that account. If there is not another account, create one and then try accessing secure Web sites.
2. If the other account works, then try resetting the following registry keys:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders should be set to: C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Application Data.
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders should be set to: %userprofile%\Application data.

3. Log out and then log back in.

4. If this does not fix the difficulty, copy all of the user's documents (including e-mail) to the new account and then delete the old account.

13. Re-register all of the Internet Explorer and security related DLLs that have not been already registered.

    * For Windows Vista

   1. Click Start.
   2. In the Start Search dialog box, type the following commands and press ENTER. A confirmation message appears after each one. Click OK when prompted.

    * Regsvr32 dssenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 mssip32.dll

    * For Windows XP

   1. From the Start menu, click Run.
   2. In the Run dialog box, type the following commands. A confirmation message appears after each one. Click OK when prompted.

    * Regsvr32 initpki.dll
    * Regsvr32 dssenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
    * Regsvr32 sccbase.dll
    * Regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
    * Regsvr32 mssip32.dll
    * Regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

Note: If running Windows XP service pack 2, from the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type: iexplore /rereg. Press ENTER.

14. If running Windows XP, check that the cryptographic service is running.

1. From the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type: services.msc. Press ENTER.
3. Locate the cryptographic service, right-click and then from the menu click Properties.
4. If the service is not running, change the startup type to Automatic, and then click the Start button.
5. Click Apply.
6. If prompted, click Restart Windows.

15. Check to see if FIPS compliant encryption is enabled (Windows XP Professional only). Some secure Web sites may not be accessible if this is enabled. To disable it, try the following steps.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, open Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.
3. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Local Security Policy.
4. Expand Local Policies, and then click Security Options.
5. In the right pane, under Policy, double-click System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing, and then click Disabled.
6. Try Windows Updates from the Microsoft Web site.

16. Check for hardware difficulties. If a router is being used, try bypassing the router. If a cable/DSL modem is used, try power-cycling the modem.

I do hope that this Computer Tips in Troubleshooting Cannot Access Secured Websites help you or at least point you on the right direction. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.

Computer Tips: CD/DVD optical drive not working properly

One of our common problems with computers that we might encounter in our daily computer like is the CD/DVD optical drive not working properly.

Basic Computer Troubleshooting Steps for CD/DVD optical drive:

1. Restart the computer. By doing this it will refresh your computer and upon booting it will try to initiate all the devices connected. You may check also if there is a light indicator on your CD/DVD optical drive that lights up upon starting again your computer.

To restart your computer :
Click Start, Shut Down, select Restart, then click OK. If the computer still does not restart:
a. Press and hold the power button (about five seconds) until the computer turns off.
b. Press the power button again to turn the computer back on.

2.Try a different disc of the same type in the drive to see if it will play. It could be the CD that has the problem since some CD's /DVD's cannot be recognize since there are some minor scratches on the CD/DVD or the media itself is defective.

3. Make sure the computer recognizes the CD and/or DVD drives. You can check it under My Computer or Devices with Removable Storage area

a. To check under My Computer: Click Start, then click My Computer. (Click on the image below for larger view).

b. Check the Devices with Removable Storage area for any optical drives. (Click on the image below for larger view).


4. Check Device Manager for the CD/DVD drives status in Device Manager.

For Windows XP:

    * To open Device Manager: Click on Start, Right-click the My Computer, select the Properties, Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.

    * Click the plus sign (+) in front of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers or DVD/CD-ROM drives. (Click on the image below for larger view).

    * Make sure there is not a red "X" on any device. If a device has a red "X", right-click the device, then select Enable.
    * Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on any device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click the device and uninstall, then on the top menu bar click on Scan for new hardware changes to reinstall the driver.

For Windows Vista:

    * To open Device Manager: Click the Start button. In the Start Search dialog box, type dev, then click Device Manager.

    * Locate the lDE ATA/ATAPI controllers or CD/DVD-ROM drives. (Click on the image below for larger view).
    * Click on the entry to expand the list and make sure there is not a down arrow in front of a device. If a device has a down arrow in front of it, right-click on the device, then click Enable.
    * Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on the device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click on the device, then on the top menu bar click on Scan for new hardware changes to reinstall the driver.

5. Remove upper and lower filters. After you have uninstalled and reinstalled your CD /DVD, still unable to use your CD/DVD Optical drive, have the following problems and errors:

    * Cannot access the optical drive in My Computer.

    * Get the following error messages in Device Manager:

   1. The device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device (Code 31).
   2. A driver for this device was not required, and has been disabled (Code 32 or Code 31).
   3. Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)

    * "error code 39" error message.
    * Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)

To Remove Upper and Lower Filters.

1. a. For Windows Vista: Click Start menu, point to All Programs, Accessories, and then click Run.
b. For Windows XP: Click on Start menu, then click on Run

2. In the Run dialog box, type: Regedit. Click OK.

3. In the User Account Control dialog box, click Continue.

4. In the Registry Editor window, locate and then click to select the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class/{4d36e965-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}

5. From the File menu, click Export.

6. In the File name dialog box, type: Savedkey, and then click Save. This is for Backup purposes

7. Click the REG_MULTI_SZ data type UpperFilters file, and then from the Edit menu, click Delete. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.

8. Click the REG_MULTI_SZ data type LowerFilters file, and then from the Edit menu, click Delete. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.

9. In the Registry Editor window, from the File menu, click Exit.

10. Shut down Windows and restart the computer.

6. Check if it is Detected in Bios Settings and Re seat the cables.

You may try to check the bios settings and reseat the cables or try using another IDE cable to connect your CD/DVD optical drive on your computer and try all the steps again.

If after reseating the cables and doing all the steps again, your CD/DVD optical drive is still not working.

    * I would recommend you to contact your manufacturer to have your CD/DVD optical drive replaced or for any further troubleshooting.
    * You may consider buying a new CD/DVD optical drive since it is possible that it is already defective.

I do hope this post on "Computer Tips: CD/DVD optical drive not working properly", have provided you with as much information as possible or at least point you in a right direction. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.Thanks.

Need Help On Computers?

Way back, I think that was around the early 2007 I have watch the show that is called "Call for Help", well it is a show that very similar to my work as a call center agent...Aside from talking to persons that even the don't know where is the "Enter Key".(Sigh!!!) It also feels good when they appreciate small things like showing them how to copy and paste there pictures from one folder to the other.

Anyway...This post "Need Help On Computers?" is for those persons on the web that is looking for answers on on the web for there computer technical or non technical questions.

You can email me your question on "mtausa18@gmail.com" or post a comment on this post and I would be glad to answer or post the answer here in my blog "My Online Computer Tips", to the best of my abilities.

I am also open to all creative criticism, comments and suggestions on all my previous and future post. That way we both learn and improve our ideas because I believe that “By ignorance we mistake, and by mistakes we learn” .

Thanks for your time reading and hope to hear from you....