2-member wireless network with balky laptop connection

First - I'm a newbie - only couple of into the networking game.

In summary - my Toshiba laptop would only half the time attach to the network. Creates a lot of frustration.

My system is
1. Dell Dimension 2400 with TrueMobile 1300 Desktop Wireless Adaptor. Printer hooked up here. Internet dial-up here, too.

2. Toshiba Satellite Pro with built-in Wireless card (details unknown at present)

3. Old Gateway P2, 233 MHz with Netgear MR814v2

I only want to printer share at this time, mostly so wife can work on the laptop wherever and not have to plug/replug.

PUNCH LINE
========
I learned that when the battery on the laptop is pretty low (say 50% or so), it didn't usually link to the network successfully. This was repeatable by plugging/unplugging the laptop. Maybe it cuts power to the wireless radio. But it seems pretty bulletproof when on AC, pretty poor results on battery. And that's with everything in one room.

Future
=====
the Gateway doesn't recognize the printer on the Dell. I'll have to check firewalls - I know the Dell and Toshiba firewall are down.

Can the gateway ping the dell?

I'm not at home right now...

Haven't "pinged" per se.

I have transferred files between computers with good success, so I think pinging the Dell from the Gateway is pretty much a done deal. True?

But when I look to add a network printer, the Gateway doesn't see it. The laptop did, though.

I guess that if you can share files, then you can ping ok. What os are the two computers running?

Dell, laptop are XP
Gateway is Windows98

Do you have the guest account enabled on the xp computer with the printer?

I don't really know... I'll check.

I should comment that the printer works fine from the laptop (XP), not from the Gateway (W98).

I ensured that the guest account is enabled. Still can't find the printer when I use the "Printers" utility to add a network printer. Laptop still sees the printer, though.

I tried brute-forcing the printer by adding it as a printer not currently on-line. Still no dice.

On any of your computers are you using accounts with passwords, or is everything without a password? Can you think of anything that you've done (or haven't done) to the laptop, which you haven't done to the gateway?

No passwords on anything.

I can't THINK of anything done to the laptop not to the Gateway. But it seems there must be something, huh? Other than the differences in XP and W98, nothing spectacular.

I just find it really strange that you can share files, but can't access the printer. I'm not really sure, but perhaps some of these links might lead you to a solution:

http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread.../615/qid/833572

http://www.winnetmag.com/WindowsNet...king_41245.html

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article04-108

I'm not sure that these are really going to help, especially since you say that you can already share files. But I think it would be worth setting passwords on all the accounts and making sure that these were the same on all computers.