If the driver is not already installed, Windows prompts you to install the proper driver.

Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network Give everyone with a printer a list of basics to check in case the printer has a problem so that you don’t have to do simple troubleshooting. Checking basics first You’re probably familiar with all the common problems and solutions. Just to review, how- ever, make sure that you check the following first when you have a printer problem: ✦ The printer is turned on and is online. ✦ The printer has paper, toner, or ink, and no printer doors are open or ajar. ✦ The paper tray is in the appropriate position. ✦ All plugs and cables are firmly and securely attached to both the printer and the com- puter. Make sure that all cables are connected to the appropriate ports. ✦ The printer cable is not nicked or damaged in some way. ✦ You have at least 3MB of free disk space on the computer attached to the printer. The spooler can’t work without the free disk space. ✦ The appropriate printer is selected in the program’s Print dialog box. ✦ The printer driver is installed and working. If any of the printer’s software configuration has changed or might be corrupted, delete and then reinstall the driver in the Printers folder. ✦ Have you installed new hardware that could be conflicting with the addressing or interrupts? ✦ Have you installed new software that might have changed the printer’s configuration files? ✦ Has anyone on the network made changes to the printer’s configuration? Windows 98 includes a Print Troubleshooter in Online Help that you might try. Choose Start ➪ Help. On the Contents tab, choose Troubleshooting. Windows XP also has a Print Troubleshooter in the Help feature. Locating the problem You can perform several tests to see if the problem is in your printer, in your cable, in your computer, or with the network. Locating the problem is the first step toward solving it. Before continuing with the following suggestions, you should switch printer cables to see if the prob- lem is the cable. ✦ Turn the printer off and then back on, and try printing again. You might even want to turn the computer and the printer off, count to five slowly, and then turn it back on, just in case something is corrupted in memory. ✦ Next, run the printer’s self test. If the test fails, the problem is inside the printer. It could be a bad part, an open door, an askew cartridge, or some other problem. ✦ Try printing locally instead of over the network. Try printing from both Windows and MS-DOS to see if the problem is related to the operating system. If you can print from MS-DOS but not Windows, it’s a Windows problem. Note Small Business Tip Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers Troubleshooting a local problem You should try printing from another program, such as Notepad or WordPad, to see if the problem is with your program or something else. If you can print from one program but not another, the problem is with the program that doesn’t print. See your software documenta- tion for more information. If you cannot print from any program, try removing and then reinstalling the printer driver to see if that takes care of the problem. To remove a printer driver, open the Printers folder, select the icon of the printer with the problem, and then press the Delete key. Reinstall the printer driver as explained previously in the section “Installing the printer.” If all else fails, check the printer’s Properties dialog box for any changes in ports or other configurations. Troubleshooting a network problem Check your network connection to see if your computer can communicate with the computer attached to the printer. If your computer can, then you might check the printer’s shares. Next, check the remote computer’s printer driver, and perhaps remove it and reload it. If your computer cannot communicate with the computer that’s attached to the printer, check your network cables and plugs. Check the logon as well; if you entered the wrong user- name, the computer might not communicate with the rest of the network. Summary In this chapter, you learned about printing on a network. You learned about the following topics: ✦ Understanding basic printing ✦ Installing and deleting a network printer ✦ Setting options for the printer ✦ Managing workgroup and clientserver network printing ✦ Printing between OSs ✦ Troubleshooting printer problems In the next chapter, you learn about accessing the Internet from a network. ✦ ✦ ✦ Adding the Internet, E-Mail, and an Intranet I n this part, you learn to expand your network to the Internet and to broaden the network’s definition by adding e-mail and an intranet to your home network. Chapter 16 shows you various ways of connecting your entire net- work to the Internet, including configuring your network for the Internet. Chapter 17 shows you how to work with and secure e-mail in your network. Chapter 18 shows you another method of communica- tion over the Internet — chat programs. And Chapter 19 explains how to set up an intranet, a network within your network that enables your family to use HTML and other Internet technologies. ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In This Part

Chapter 16 Accessing the Internet

Chapter 17 Using E-Mail

Chapter 18 Using Chat Programs

Chapter 19 Setting Up an Intranet

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ IV IV Accessing the Internet T he Internet might be the reason you bought a computer in the first place. The Internet opens a world of possibilities to your family — research, shopping, libraries of information, and more. You can send e-mail to friends and meet new people from other states, even other countries. You can find out about the latest movie at the theater or send greeting cards. The potential is limitless. If you have a home network, you can unlock the Internet’s potential for your entire family. Understanding Internet Access Most homes with PCs have at least one Internet account. Kids might use the account to play games, to e-mail friends, and to gather informa- tion for school. Mom and Dad might use the Internet to e-mail family and friends, look for prices on golf carts and digital cameras, read the news, check the weather, make stock investments, bid on auctions, and more. Perhaps one or more family members want to create a Web page or subscribe to e-zines electronic magazines. Figure 16-1 illustrates a home page on the Internet. This site adver- tises entertainment links to music, games, and movie clips. You can even design your own Web pages to put on the Web. Add to home and personal use the fact that many people work in their homes instead of in a traditional office. People working in home offices need the Internet for a variety of reasons — checking competi- tors, advertising with their own Web pages, e-mailing customers, sending and receiving work-related files, and perhaps even running an e-commerce site. Figure 16-2 illustrates a business Web site that offers online help with your computer problems. You can locate a variety of products and services on the Web. 16 16 C H A P T E R ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In This Chapter Understanding Internet access and connections Understanding access equipment Sharing Internet connections Understanding Web browsers Applying protection for your connections ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ Part IV ✦ Adding the Internet, E-Mail, and an Intranet Figure 16-1: You can find anything on the Web. Figure 16-2: Find businesses, products, and services on the Web.