Humbly, I Lay Myself At Your Mercy
<div class="IPBDescription">Setting up a network at home</div> I have a computer. It has access to broadband.
My flatmate has a computer. It does not have access to broadband. It would be nice if it did, however.
I asked Google. However, like an angry hobo, it shouted bewildering things at me. "BASE2! ETHERNET!", it yelled, only to throw some porn at me."TWISTED PAIR! QoS!" Not knowing anything about the Base Two or the Twisted Pair, I backed off carefully.
Is there a way to set up a simple network using something like "Cat5" cable? That's what was suggested to me, but both computers insist that a network device is not connected. The connection "wizard" from My Network Places doesn't seem to have worked: the two computers can't "see" each other.
My flatmate has a computer. It does not have access to broadband. It would be nice if it did, however.
I asked Google. However, like an angry hobo, it shouted bewildering things at me. "BASE2! ETHERNET!", it yelled, only to throw some porn at me."TWISTED PAIR! QoS!" Not knowing anything about the Base Two or the Twisted Pair, I backed off carefully.
Is there a way to set up a simple network using something like "Cat5" cable? That's what was suggested to me, but both computers insist that a network device is not connected. The connection "wizard" from My Network Places doesn't seem to have worked: the two computers can't "see" each other.
Comments
Bad, bad, bad and dangerous idea.
You need a cross-cable, and even then you have to be careful, because the IPs on both computers must be static and different.
EDIT: By the way, I've done a cross-cable many times. It works just fine, as long as you pre-set the IPs in the network config. Then plug it all in and you're ready. <i>Don't every try to use a cross-cable on a regular network with hubs/routers/etc!</i>
EDIT 2: It's a good idea I didn't read the original thread accurately enough... Thought you just wanted to connect two computers and nothing else.. Argh..
1: Make sure the drivers for the ethernet port that will be attaching the two are installed.
2: Attach them together with your ethernet cable (I know this sounds stupid, but make sure it's ethernet cable, the first time I did it, I couldn't figure out what was wrong, then I realized I was using phone cable :X, because it still fits in the hole just not all the way)
3: Run the network wizard on the first computer, aka the one that has the internet.
4: Click next until either a screen that says something about disconnected hardware comes up:
-Make sure the disconnected hardware it is talking about is not the one your are connecting through. If it isn't just check "ignore disconnected hardware"
5: or if one comes up asking you the best way to explain what this computer is going to do on the network select "This computer connects to the internet, other on the net...blah blah blah"
6: On the next screen select "let me choose the connections to me network"
-Choose the place the cord is plugged into.
7: Input the information it asks about (comp name, description)
8: This is important, make the workgroup name something you can remember, because when you run this on the other computer you have to pick the same workgroup.
9: Click next until it does the installtion procedure then go on to the next computer, follow the above steps, except on step 5 choose "This computer gets internet from another computer on the network"
Post any problems you get here and I'll see if I can solve em.
Xyth - I followed those steps. This cat5 cable supports Ethernet, according to its box, so it's not that. I should be able to see in My Network Places the other computer's folders that have been marked for sharing, right?
If I go to "View Computers on Network" it gives the network name ("FLAT"). However, the other damn computer doesn't show up.
I've reset the computers and disconnected and reconnected the wire so many times. So many, many times.
A Crossover cable will connect any two devices with just the cable, meaning you could run it from the Network Card (NIC) in your computer, to the NIC in your friends computer. This would be the best option for your small network.
By the sound of it however, you are trying to do this with a straight through cable. As you seem to have already found out, this won't work. To get a basic network up and running with straight through cables, you need another piece of hardware in the middle.
You can buy a hub for next to nothing and the brand is not important. Make sure you get the right speed however. You're looking for a 10/100 which means it can transmit data at 100 megabits as opposed to only 10 megabits.
Once you have a hub, you will need two lengths of Cat5 cable, both going from the computers and into the hub. Once this is the case, you should be able to run the windows XP internet connection sharing wizard and it will guide you through setting it up.
A Crossover cable will connect any two devices with just the cable, meaning you could run it from the Network Card (NIC) in your computer, to the NIC in your friends computer. This would be the best option for your small network.
By the sound of it however, you are trying to do this with a straight through cable. As you seem to have already found out, this won't work. To get a basic network up and running with straight through cables, you need another piece of hardware in the middle.
You can buy a hub for next to nothing and the brand is not important. Make sure you get the right speed however. You're looking for a 10/100 which means it can transmit data at 100 megabits as opposed to only 10 megabits.
Once you have a hub, you will need two lengths of Cat5 cable, both going from the computers and into the hub. Once this is the case, you should be able to run the windows XP internet connection sharing wizard and it will guide you through setting it up. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It should also be mentioned that "hubs" and "switches" are interchangable for this purpose. There is a difference but it should be negligable on your network so just use whatever is cheaper.
Also, you could buy a "home router". Which is a very small, relatively featureless, internet gateway with a built in switch. Around here these devices run about $40. The advantage of this is that your computer won't always need to be on for the other computer to reach the internet.
Thank you very much for your time, people. I really appreciate it.
I have tried and suceeded. Let me fix that for you:
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Don't ever try to use a crossover-cable on a regular network with hubs/routers/etc, unless your hubs/routers/etc can handle it.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->