TYVWN is mainly for Windows XP operating systems but says you don’t need XP to go wireless. In 287 pages of 12 colorfully laid out chapters it leads you through types of networks, system requirements (including Pentium III 733 MHz processor, 128 MB of memory and at least one 30 GB hard drive), installing network hardware and software, using software and/or XP configuration utilities, sharing folders and printers, using various kinds of security and much more. There was a very good explanation of the different network technologies that are available and some advantages and disadvantages of each. For those of you with other wireless devices such as PDA’s and Palm’s, a chapter I just glanced at was about connecting with and synchronizing data with them. We may venture into those spheres later.

TYVWN has a great table of contents, but I was wishing for a more extensive index. Chapter headings are on odd numbered pages, and sub-headings are on even numbered pages in a larger typeface, which I found a bit confusing. I’d find a puzzling instruction on the left page with the big title and suddenly realize I was in the chapter for a different kind of network. In any case I was glad to have some kind of heading on all the pages, having been annoyed at other books that label chapters on their first pages exclusively.

The illustrations are beautiful and for the most part add quite a bit to the instructions. I very much appreciated the photographs of each dialogue box encountered at each step of a process. These were in consecutive order across the bottom half of the pages. Being a geezer, I had to use my magnifying glass at times to see them clearly. The top half of the pages was used for odd bits of information and some VERY important tips.

Even after going over what I thought were all the important parts of TYVWN for me, I ran into some difficulties. Some was due to my ignorance of whether or not my cable service provider was considered a network (it wasn’t); then there were vestiges of old Ethernet adapters on our computers. Did I have to use them bridged to the wireless network? (I didn’t have to use them.) Lastly, when trying to set up an Access List so that only our two computers could access our network, I must have clicked the Apply button in error after checking the Enable Access List box. By default, the NETGEAR Router Access List starts blank, and the computers you want to access your network have to be added to it. The instructions in both TYVWN and the Netgear Router setup site say to enable the Access List first, but if there are no computer names visible in the list, I suggest you click the add button first to list the computers you want to have access to your network, then check the enable box and THEN the Apply button. Enabling and Applying with no computers in the list denies all your wirelessly networked computers access to each other as well as to the Internet. I won’t drag you through the tale of woe required for me to get this corrected on our system.

After weeks of trial and error and reading what seemed like conflicting advice or not enough advice from TYVWN, Microsoft XP Help and the hardware manuals, I asked a woman at our church to agree with me in prayer about enabling our network. She did, and that night the Lord led me to go back to the troubleshooting chapter of TYVWN. It suggested using the Diagnostics Tool in Windows XP, which I had tried previously with no success. This time I noticed one of those very important aforementioned tips at the top of the page that said I should first turn off any firewalls running on the computers. I did this and then got the bright idea to try accessing the network before running any diagnostics tests. Voila! Thanks, Lord. It looks like the firewalls had been the main problem all along. Now our computers are talking to each other, and it was no problem to set up the desktop computer to share the printer attached to the laptop.

I would recommend TYVWN. It won’t have the answer to all your individual networking situations, as you can see from the glitches described above, but it has much good information, especially if you are new to networking as I am. Besides, if you get tired of trying to figure out your network, you can take a break and just enjoy the pictures.