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Applies to all editions of Windows 7

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Add a device or computer to a network

Depending on the operating system your computer is running and whether your network devices support newer technologies, the steps for adding a device or computer to the network will vary. For more information about setting up a network, see Setting up a home network.

Show all

To add a wireless computer running Windows 7 or Windows Vista Service Pack 2 by using a push button

If your router supports Windows Connect Now (WCN), or Wi‑Fi Protected Setup (WPS), you can add a computer to the network by following these steps:

  1. Turn on the computer.

  2. Open Connect to a Network by clicking the network icon (Picture of the wireless network icon or Picture of the wired network icon) in the notification area.

    A list of networks currently available is displayed.

  3. Click your network, and then click Connect.

  4. Instead of typing a security key or passphrase, press the Wi‑Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button on the router. The router will automatically set up the computer to connect to the network and apply the network's security settings.

    Picture of Windows Connect Now helping you add a computer to the network Windows Connect Now helps you add a computer to the network.
Note

Note

WCN sets up the network connection with security turned on by default. You can change the security settings later if desired.

To add a wireless computer running Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP by using a USB flash drive

If your settings are saved to a USB flash drive, you can use the flash drive to add computers to your network. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Log on to the computer that you want to add to the network.

  2. Plug the USB flash drive into a USB port on the computer.

  3. For a computer running Windows 7 or Windows Vista, in the AutoPlay dialog box, click Wireless Network Setup Wizard.

    For a computer running Windows XP, in the USB flash drive dialog box, click Wireless Network Setup Wizard.

    You might be prompted to restart the computer.

Note

Note

To save your wireless network settings to a USB flash drive, insert a USB flash drive into the computer, and then follow these steps:

  1. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then click Network and Sharing Center.

  2. In the left pane, click Manage wireless networks.

  3. Right-click the network, click Properties, and then click Copy this network profile to a USB flash drive.

  4. Select the USB device, and then click Next.

  5. Follow the instructions in the wizard, and then click Close.

To manually add a wireless computer running Windows 7

  1. Log on to the computer.

  2. Open Connect to a Network by clicking the network icon (Picture of the wireless network icon or Picture of the wired network icon) in the notification area.

  3. Choose the wireless network from the list that appears, and then click Connect.

  4. Type the network security key or passphrase if you are asked to do so, and then click OK.

    You'll see a confirmation message when you are connected to the network.

  5. To confirm that you added the computer, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see icons for the computer you added and for the other computers and devices that are part of the network.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. For more information, see Enable or disable network discovery.

To manually add a wireless computer running Windows Vista

  1. Log on to the computer.

  2. Click the Start button Picture of the Start button‌, and then click Connect To.

  3. Choose the wireless network from the list that appears, and then click Connect.

  4. Type the network security key or passphrase if you are asked to do so, and then click OK.

    You will see a confirmation message when you are connected to the network.

  5. To confirm that you added the computer, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see icons for the computer you added and for the other computers and devices that are part of the network.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. To turn network discovery and file sharing on, click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, under Sharing and Discovery, change the settings you want.

To manually add a wireless computer running Windows XP

  1. Log on to the computer as an administrator.

  2. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

  3. Click the Computer Name tab, and then click Change.

  4. If the workgroup name is not WORKGROUP, change the name to WORKGROUP, and then click OK. Otherwise, click Cancel to close the Computer Name Changes dialog box.

    If you have to change the workgroup name, you will be prompted to restart your computer. Restart the computer, and then continue with the steps below.

  5. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.

  6. Click the wireless network connection icon, and then, under Network Tasks, click View available wireless networks.

  7. Choose the wireless network from the list that appears, and then click Connect.

To add a wired (Ethernet) computer running Windows 7

  1. Plug the computer into a hub, switch, or router and then turn it on. (If your home has Ethernet wiring and you have a jack in the room where the computer is, you can plug the computer into the Ethernet jack instead.)

  2. To confirm that you added the computer, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see icons for the computer you added and for the other computers and devices that are part of the network.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. For more information, see Enable or disable network discovery.

To add a wired (Ethernet) computer running Windows Vista

  1. Plug the computer into a hub, switch, or router and then turn it on. (If your home has Ethernet wiring and you have a jack in the room where the computer is, you can plug the computer into the Ethernet jack instead.)

  2. To confirm that you added the computer, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see icons for the computer you added and for the other computers and devices that are part of the network.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. To turn network discovery and file sharing on, click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, under Sharing and Discovery, change the settings you want.

To add a wired (Ethernet) computer running Windows XP

  1. Plug the computer into a hub, switch, or router and then turn it on. (If your home has Ethernet wiring and you have a jack in the room where the computer is, you can plug the computer into the Ethernet jack instead.)

  2. Log on to the computer as an administrator.

  3. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

  4. Click the Computer Name tab, and then click Change.

  5. If the workgroup name is not WORKGROUP, change the name to WORKGROUP, and then click OK.

    If you had to change the workgroup name, you will be prompted to restart your computer. Restart the computer, and then continue with the steps below.

  6. click Start, and then click My Network Places.

  7. In the left pane, under Network Tasks, click View workgroup computers.

  8. Choose the computer from the list that appears, and then click Connect.

To add a wireless device

To add a Bluetooth enabled phone, keyboard, mouse, or other wireless device to your computer, follow the instructions in Connect to Bluetooth and other wireless or network devices. To add a wireless device to your network, such as a wireless printer or print server, follow these steps:

  1. Turn on the device.

  2. Follow the instructions that came with the device to add it to your network.

  3. When you're finished adding the device, log on to a network computer.

  4. To confirm that you added the device, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see an icon for the device. If the device is a printer, you might need to enable printer sharing so that other computers on the network can use it.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. For more information, see Enable or disable network discovery.

To add a wired device

  1. Turn on the device and plug it into a hub, switch, router or into a computer that's plugged into a hub, switch, or router. The device should now be connected to the network.

  2. To confirm that you added the device, do the following:

    Open Network by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.

    You should see an icon for the device. If the device is a printer, you might need to enable printer sharing so that other computers on the network can use it.

Note

Note

If you don't see icons in the Network folder, then network discovery and file sharing might be turned off. For more information, see Enable or disable network discovery.

To add a printer

  • You can add a printer connected directly to your computer (called a local printer), add a printer to the network, or connect to a shared printer. For more information, see Install a printer.

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