Trying to connect two computers

I am fairly certain you need to use a crossover cable. There are directions online on how to turn a regular Ethernet cable into a crossover one. You don't even need anything special other than some wire strippers and some electrical tape.

Just Google it and follow the directions.

William

I can try to explain. When you plug an Ethernet cable into the wall it reverses the wires thus you get a connection. Hooking a computer to a computer does not allow the wires to reverse like they do when you plug them into the wall and thus you do not get a connection. If I am wrong someone please correct me.

I had the same problem as you when I tried to network two computers. Took some time with Google to figure it out. Making a crossover cable is not hard at all. Just match the wires up.

If you need any help finding directions (I doubt it) let me know and I'll help you look.

William

Couldn't have quoted it better myself.

Thanks for the info. I learned some thing new today . I usually have to get a switch for this kind of work, but now I can do it faster.

In order to use a crossover cable you need to set your computers ip's manually since there is no DHCP(Like that found in your router unless you enable the computer to do it, but its easy to just manually set ip's)

If you do not do this the computers will not see one another

If you are just copying files from computer to computer just manually set the ips to something like

Comp 1

ip : 192.168.1.1
mask : 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.1.2

Comp2

ip : 192.168.1.2
mask : 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.1.1

This should allow the computers to work together. also make sure they are on the same workgroup.

What prevents a cable from working normally is that you have cables as follow(example please correct if i have it wrong)

1. send +
2. send -
3. receive +
4. not used
5. not used
6. receive -
7. not used
8. not used

the cross over crosses the send and receive so when ones sends it sends to the other computers receive. With out this you are just sending to the other computers own sending wires and those to not normally listen.

There is something called Auto MDI-X that allows any cable to be used the ports will auto adjust to the cable in use. Its normally on routers and switches, but it may be on new network cards now. That would explain how jonyb222 gets it to work.

The general rule is when connecting like devices(computer to computer | router to router | switch(or router to switch without uplink port) use cross over and unlike(computer to router | Switch to computer | Router to switch with uplink port[uplink is just a crossed port anyway]) use straight through. That said, most new routers and switches all have auto mdi-x, so cable type is not so important any more.

If that is true then you have done what Future shop, Best Buy and another computer store couldn't (well actually Future shop had the answer but they took very long to find it and weren't as precise)

I remember doing that once. Good times, good times. Ever try to do your first LAN gaming get-together with only two people only to find out an Ethernet cable does not a suitable network make? I did. Went to my friend's house with all my computer gear to do just that. Epic fail. But we did eat an entire bag of Oreos and played countless hours of Halo 2 in the process. Which is almost the same thing. Not really.

AUTO MDIX is the reason, it has been around on switches for years... it effectively reverses the wires for you. Go look at switches and see how many have that now, and yes there are crossover cables, I have one in my closet for you stunned newbies.

They WERE basic stuff, right after the BAD old days of BNC coax and terminators

I stand corrected. MDI-X. my bad.

I actually never ran into them for the 8 years that I've been touching computers, I was ethternet all the way, cross-over looks like the stupidest thing ever to me (it is probly by blind luck that all my comps switched by themselves)