Hi all, I wonder if I could get some help with a networking problem I have. I really hate networking – I always struggle with it. Here’s my setup:

MainPC – this connects the Internet via Virgin Media modem which is attached to the wireless Router via an Ethernet cable (I have Virgin Media cable broadband fwiw, and yes I have read the similar topic). The OS is Windows XP. I’ve set up a network called gillsman.local and a workgroup also called gillsman.local.

Laptop – I have a wireless card in the laptop and I’ve connected to the gillsman.local network, and I think I’ve successfully managed to join the gillsman.local workgroup, but I don’t know. I do know, however, that I have access to the Internet, so that’s all good. The OS is Windows Vista.

Printer – I have a printer that connects to MainPC via USB. In the Printers & Faxes option in Control Panel on my MainPC I’ve shared it and I now have the little hand icon on it.

Shared Folder – I have on my MainPC that I want to share on the network, and again, I’ve shared it.

Problem: Whilst my laptop can access the Internet, I can’t access any network resources such as the printer or the shared folder. Why is this? When I go into the Network options in Vista I can see only the Laptop and the router, but not the MainPC. I tried to Add A Printer over the network, but again, this didn’t work. Can anyone help me out with this please? I’m not a Vista expert at all, so I might need basic instructions as well. Thanks!