How to set up, connect to, manage
and configure networks in Vista
Windows Vista includes many tools, screens and
features for setting up, connecting to, managing and
configuring networks. This section covers all of
Windows Vista's features for doing that, and it
includes basic information for setting up and
connecting to networks and network connections.
Change Workgroup or Domain
Change the workgroup or domain to which a PC is
attached.
To open
Control Panel → [System and Maintenance] → System
→ Change Settings → Computer Name tab
Description
The Networking and Internet Control Panel and the
Network and Sharing Center both have one surprising
shortcoming: They do not offer a way to change the
workgroup or domain to which your PC is currently
attached or to easily connect to a new domain or
workgroup. So you may think that there is no way to
perform both tasks.
In fact, though, they're both easy to do, as long
as you know where to look. And you'll have to look
in a surprising place—on the Computer Name tab of
the System Properties dialog box (Figure 7-8). You
can also reach it via Control Panel → [Network and
Internet] → Network and Sharing Center → Network
Discovery → Change Settings.
The System Properties dialog box,
which lets you connect to a domain or workgroup and
change your domain or workgroup
Click Network ID to launch a wizard that will
allow you to join an existing domain or workgroup.
Click Change and the dialog box shown in Figure 7-9
appears. Select either Domain or Workgroup, and
enter the name of the domain or workgroup to switch
to a new one.
Switching to a new domain or
workgroup
Connect to a Network
Connect to a network or the Internet.
To open
Click the network icon in the System Tray →
Connect or disconnect
Control Panel → [Network and Internet] → Connect
to a network
Control Panel → [Network and Internet] → Network
and Sharing Center → Connect to a network
Description
Once you've set up a network connection (see "Set
Up a Connection or Network" later in this chapter),
use the "Connect to a network" screen (Figure 7-10)
to connect to any network—wired, wireless, VPN or
dial-up.
Choosing a network to which you want
to connect
Connecting is straightforward: Double-click the
network to which you want to connect, or highlight
it and click Connect. When you're connected to a
network, disconnect from it by clicking Disconnect.
This screen is primarily designed for wireless,
dial-up and VPN connections. If your only connection
to a network is via an Ethernet cable, you won't
even get to the screen shown in Figure 7-10 when you
choose to connect. Instead, you'll be told that
you're already connected to the network. Want to
disconnect? There's a simple, physical solution for
you -- unplug your Ethernet cable.
Making the wireless connection
The "Connect to a network" screen has
really been designed for wireless
connections, not wired ones. It's a way
to quickly and easily make a connection
to a wireless network, not only when
you're at home or work, but also when
you're at a public hotspot.
To connect to a wireless network,
click the network icon in the System
Tray, and you'll see the screen shown in
Figure 7-11.
Screen indicating that
wireless networks are available
Click "Connect to a network," and a
list of all nearby wireless networks
will appear, as shown in Figure 7-12.
You may see multiple networks on the
"Connect to a network" screen that are
unfamiliar to you. That's because
Windows Vista finds any wireless
networks within range. For each wireless
network, in addition to seeing the name
of the network, you'll also see whether
it is secure and protected by
encryption, or unsecured. At the far
right of the listing for each network,
you'll also see the strength of the
network's wireless signal. For more
details about any network, hover your
mouse over it. You'll be shown, for
example, whether the network is 802.11b,
802.11g or some other Wi-Fi standard.
Browsing through the
list of available networks
To connect to a network, highlight it
and click Connect. If it's not protected
by encryption, you'll see a warning. If
you want to connect anyway, click
Connect Anyway. Once you make the
connection, you'll be asked whether you
want to save the network, and if so,
whether you want to connect to it
automatically whenever you're in range
(Figure 7-13). If it's a network to
which you often connect, it's a good
idea to save it and connect to it
automatically. Later on, you'll also be
able to manage this wireless network, if
you save it now. (For details, see
"Manage Wireless Networks" later in this
chapter.)
Configuring the network
to connect automatically
Next, a screen appears, asking you
what type of settings should be applied
to the network—whether it is a home,
work, or public location (see Figure
7-14). This will determine the kind of
security that will be applied to the
network; home and work network
connections require less security than
public connections.
Choosing the type of
network
Choose which type of network it is
(you can always change this later; see
the upcoming section, "Manage Wireless
Networks"). You're now connected, and
you can use the network.
Manage Network Connections:
\windows\system\ncpa.cpl
Configure and manage your network
connections.
To open
Control Panel → [Network and
Internet] → Network and Sharing Center →
Manage network connections
