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How can I connect the computers on my local area network for file sharing, etc. without connecting each computer to the internet?

Anonymous
2023-02-22T01:59:01+00:00

Currently, in order for my computers to access each other for file and printer sharing, etc., I have to connect each machine to the internet using my Internet Service Provider's connection tool. Since my computers are all discoverable, drives set for sharing and have a common workgroup, this works fine. As soon as I disconnect one of these machines from the internet, that machine can no longer be seen by the others. I'm essentially trying to build an intranet locally with the option to connect to the world wide web at my discretion. Any clues would be much appreciated.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-02-22T02:36:33+00:00

    Hi, I’m Nicole, I’ll be happy to help you out today.

    To connect your computers to a local area network (LAN) for file sharing without connecting each computer to the internet, you can follow these general steps:

    1. Connect all computers to a common network: You can do this by using a router, switch, or hub. Connect each computer to this device using an Ethernet cable or via Wi-Fi.
    2. Assign unique IP addresses to each computer: To enable communication between the computers, each computer on the network should have a unique IP address. You can do this by configuring the network settings on each computer to use a static IP address or by enabling DHCP on the router.
    3. Enable file and printer sharing: Configure the sharing settings on each computer to allow other computers on the network to access its shared resources, such as files and printers. Ensure that each computer is part of the same workgroup.
    4. Access shared files and printers: Once sharing is enabled, you can access shared files and printers on other computers by using their network name or IP address.

    By following these steps, you should be able to set up a LAN for file sharing and printer sharing without requiring an internet connection. Note that if you later want to connect to the internet, you can do so by connecting the router to an internet source and configuring its internet settings accordingly.

    You can also post the same query on Learn Microsoft which is a technical community platform where most of the members were IT professionals that would greatly help you with the issue and could give you more options if possible.

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/quest...

    Regards.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-14T14:52:20+00:00

    Thank you so much Nicole,

    I met with some success using your solution with computers that have both wifi and ethernet connections. That way I can optionally connect to the internet with wifi while maintaining a connection across my local area network using ethernet cabling.

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