Will somebody walk me thru the process of a direct connection between my desktop P.C. and my laptop?

Question

I'm Semi-tech savvy by some standard, but I'm at a loss as how to connect my laptop to my P.C.. I tried and died in the water with a 777 error. Seems simple in theory but I'm obviously missing something. Is there a software application that can do it for me? I tried the network wizard in windows XP PRO sp3 to no avail. I need specificity, not vague advice...thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi,



If you are a Semi-Tech person, try following the steps below and you should be able to get through:



1st of all please confirm you are using a Cross Over cable between your Desktop & Laptop if they are connected directly.



If you are connected through a Hub / Switch / Router, straight cables work fine.



Next the simplest way is to give static IP's on both the Comps eg: 192.168.0.1 & 192.168.0.2 with Subnet mask as 255.255.255.0 and no gateway.



If this goes fine, just try to ping one computer from other and test if this is successful.



Once this is complete, you can try to map the drives on the other computers to check the connectivity.



PS: You will need to set a common Workgroup and also may have to disable firewall while you test the connectivity.



Update / Email the results.



Good Luck.



Wireless..:)

Answer 2

Take an ethernet cable and connect it to the desktop. Plug the other end into the laptop. (You usually don't need a "crossover" cable for this, although it is recommended)



Open "Network Connections"



Right click on the appropriate adapter. Intel Pro 1000, Realtek, etc... It's whatever your non-wireless network card is. Do this on both computers. It should be called "Local Area Connection."



Select Properties.



"This connection uses the following:"



Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)"



Now click the properties button.







You need to assign the following addresses:

Laptop

IP Address= 10.64.0.1

Subnet Mask= 255.255.255.0

Gateway= 10.64.0.2



Desktop

IP Address= 10.64.0.2

Subnet Mask= 255.255.255.0

Gateway=10.64.0.1





Once the addresses are set, you should be able to find the appropriate machine within "Network Neighborhood." Ensure that the appropriate folders are shared with full permission on each machine. You may also have to temporarily disable your firewall.



Disable firewall:

Start>>run

Type cmd

Enter the following commands, hitting enter after each line.

Netsh

firewall

set opmode disable



Don't close the window yet. Once you are done and want the firewall back on, just enter set opmode enable and hit enter.



You can also turn the firewall on and off through the network box you were in earlier, I just can't remember where it is in the menus.

Answer 3

I am going to assume both laptop and pc are Windows XP (home or Pro) and both are able to be connected to a wired network (have a network port on each).



1. Purchase a cat5 cross patch cable; this is not a cat5 straight patch cable. It should be long enough to connect the two pcs.



2. Set up a static subnet for your use. I will define the desk top as default gateway in this application.



2.a. On the desktop, right click on network connections. Select your wired network connection, right click on it and click on properties. Highlight Internet Connections (TCP/IP) in the pop up window and then click on the properties button just below the Internet Connections (TCP/IP) highlighted selecton. This gives you a pop up. Change from Obtain IP adress automatically to Use the following IP address and enter this information: IP address 192.168.1.10, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.10. Below that select Use the following DNS and enter 192.168.1.10. Save this and exit out.



2.b On laptop set up its IP address using the same proceedure. There is one and only one difference (the ip address itself). Change from Obtain IP adress automatically to Use the following IP address and enter this information: IP address 192.168.1.11, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.10. Below that select Use the following DNS and enter 192.168.1.10. Save this and exit out.



3. Plug in the cross cable into both units; it makes no difference which you open first. Make sure all firewalls on both machines are off (done in control panel for Windows firewall, done in the firewall software if you have a different firewall).



4. At desk top pc, open command prompt (start, run - enter cmd in the box and hit enter). At the > prompt, type in "ping 192.168.1.10" (not including quotes) and hit enter. You will see 4 positive replies at the end of the response. This means the desktop has seen itself. Now in command prompt, type in "ipconfig 192.168.1.11" without quotes and hit enter. You should see four successful replies just like you did when you used "ping 192.168.1.10". If you are not successful, you made an error in assigning IP addresses in step # 2 and you need to check both out to find error. If you are successful, you now have a link between the 2 pcs.



5. At laptop, open command prompt and type in "ping 192.168.1.10" and hit enter. You should see 4 successful replies - meaning lap top is connected to desktop.



6. Now if you want to swap files between the two machines, remember to permit sharing in Windows Explorer. Open Windows Explorer by right clicking START and clicking on Explore. Highlight the folder you wish to permit sharing and follow the sharing prompts. This permits the other pc to see the folder or folders you wish to share.



7. After you have completed your swap of files, you may wish to return the network settings to obtain IP automatically.