Easiest way to connect 2 PC?

S

sequoia

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
171
Hello all,
I need some help here since I am relatively a newbie on networking stuffs. I need to connect 2 PC to move file back and forth, and to share the printer driver. I have an old netgear switch, but when I connect both PC into this switch, the PC does not show IP address. I did not think this was possible anyway without a router.

I have google around, and it seems that the easiest/cheapest way to do this is to use crossover network cable.

Any other "trick" on doing this?

Thanks
Chris
 
best way to connect two computers. . . . .. . . . . with a wire!!!!

j/k, you will have to manuall give the computers IP addresses since there is no router to hand them out
 
k1pp3r said:
best way to connect two computers. . . . .. . . . . with a wire!!!!

j/k, you will have to manuall give the computers IP addresses since there is no router to hand them out
Click to expand...

:D ok, I deserve that :D

On serious note...I probably screw something up earlier then. I had given the IP addresses manually, but no go. Just to make sure I understand, you are referring to connecting using switch instead of crossover network cable, right?

Thanks
Chris
 
Easiest way...

get a router.

Plug both computers into the LAN ports on the router

Set up file sharing.

Done.
 
sequoia said:
:D ok, I deserve that :D

On serious note...I probably screw something up earlier then. I had given the IP addresses manually, but no go. Just to make sure I understand, you are referring to connecting using switch instead of crossover network cable, right?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...

Yeah, connect both to a switch, then make sure the IP and subnet mask are the same, also make sure the computers are in the same workgroup
 
k1pp3r said:
Yeah, connect both to a switch, then make sure the IP and subnet mask are the same, also make sure the computers are in the same workgroup
Click to expand...

well.. you actually want the IP's to be slightly different :D
 
Connecting the two PC's with the switch is essentially the same thing as using a cross over cable. Follow the procedure for using a crossover cable and it should work. In fact if one of the PC's has a gigabit NIC (auto sensing), you could just use a regular network cable without the switch. If I remember correctly each PC must have it's own unique IP address, the default gateway will be the IP address of the other PC, and the subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0.
 
You don't even need crossover cables anymore. Most computers bought within the past <several> years will most likely have a gigabit NIC. Part of the gigabit standard is auto MDI-X. So if at least one of the two PCs has a gigabit NIC....you're all set, any standard ethernet cable will work.

So 2x PCs, a length of patch cable to connect them..and all good! No crossover cable or switch needed. Crossover cables have gone the way of the AT motherboard and 3.5" floppy drive...extinct!

If there's no router around to hand out IPs....manually assign them.
PC # 1 192.168.1.100/255.255.255.0
You can leave the gateway and DNS blank.

PC # 2 192.168.1.101/255.255.255.0
You can leave the gateway and DNS blank.

Make sure if you're running a software firewall (including WIndows) that file and print sharing is set in the exceptions.

Enabling netbios over TCP/IP (Under advanced TCP properties, WINS tab) can help them find each other more quickly.
 
Sweet... I think this should work - will try this once I am home.

One of the PC is an old P4 Dell Dimension, the other is has Abit IP35E + quad core that I put together early last year. I believe it has gigabit NIC.

Sincerely, thanks everyone!
Chris
 
I am trying this now....

question, can I have NIC cards in both, connect them as discussed, AND have a wireless card in one to have access to the internet?

thanks
al
 
Enabling netbios over TCP/IP (Under advanced TCP properties, WINS tab) can help them find each other more quickly.

I just did this....gonna restart and see what happens

thanks!

al
 
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