poltr1 | I found a workaround.....

...to my Windows networking problem.

The Windows application layer might not think I have a network, but if I go deeper to the physical level, I have one. I can ping the systems. And I can probably ftp between them, if I open up the right port (21). So.....why not run an ftp server on the laptop, and an ftp client on the desktop? That'll enable me to do what I mostly want to do: transfer files between the laptop and the desktop.

I initially chose the Home FTP Server from snapfiles.com. After some iterations futzing with the configuration -- I needed to set up an account and a virtual directory on the server -- I was all set. I fired up the command prompt on the desktop, connected to the laptop, and transferred a couple of files.

The next iteration of this is to use the FileZilla client on the desktop, and the FileZilla server on the laptop.

Of course, I need to keep security in mind, so I need to remember to close off port 21 after I shut down the ftp server. And I should only run the ftp server when they're connected.

As Oliver Wendell Jones would say, "Piece o' cake."

Shout-outs: Happy birthday