Networking two PCs?

[beaky]

Figures I can't make this work...

Got the new rig up and running; it has a two-port mobo so the old machine is connected to the world thru the new machine. Before trying to network them, I found no problems getting online with either machine, even when they are physically connected as stated above.

 But I wanted to be able to share files between the two, so I ran the MS networking wizard... twice.  It created a network that I see from either computer, but when I open that folder, I don't see the other drive(s). They don't turn up in "My Computer" either.

Needless to say, MS Help is, well, not very helpful. I'm sure it's something silly that I've overlooked. The new machine is set up as the host, BTW, and no, my ISP does not require a specific computer name, so it's not that.

Also seeing an IP conflict now, but can still access the web from either machine.

Any thoughts, anyone?

[jimcooper1]

Have you enabled sharing??

Jim

[justpassingthrough]

[quote]Figures I can't make this work...

Got the new rig up and running; it has a two-port mobo so the old machine is connected to the world thru the new machine. Before trying to network them, I found no problems getting online with either machine, even when they are physically connected as stated above.

[GunnerMan]

Back when when I took a few netowrking courses from CISCO I had learned to hook two computers together you could not use a standard Cat-5e cable. It was a long time ago but I belive you needed to change the cat5 wires in the rj-45s(connectors) to the crossover configuration. That or a serial comnnections. So unless I asm misunderstanding or your mobo/os has some cool feature that eliminates this hassle I think for you to connect computer A to computer B via a single netowkr cable without a hub or router you need a crossover configuration.

[beaky]

Thanks for the input, both of you...
I have a crossover cable and will try that...

 As for sharing the root; my bad in talking drives: I only enabled sharing on the folders in question.

Still puzzled, but it's no big deal: I already have most of what I want to transfer on disk. ;d

[justpassingthrough]

[quote]Thanks for the input, both of you...
I have a crossover cable and will try that...

[eno]

Have you made sure that the workgroup name is the same on both computers? It's an easy mistake along with file and printer sharing not being ticked for each LAN connection.

Having said that the deep dark depths of networks still confuddle me ......for instance my network has only just recognised that the printer is shared ....it always has been and no settings have changed but since I moved house, until last week, I couldn't print from my computer as the printer is plugged into my wifes comp, last week something reset itself and is now working perfectly.  :-/ :-/ :-/

[GunnerMan]

Yes sometimes it's like it works when it wants too. Many people around here ask me about fixing their home network or installing one but I don't like doing it just because of that reason. Murphy loves networking...