Problem setting up a direct network link

[robbyod]

ive been trying to set up a direct network link between two notebooks both working on windows xp service pack 2. i can go through the steps
>network connections>create a new connection>set up advanced connection>
and i am then left with two options "accept incoming connections" or "create a direct connection" the latter of which i need to select to create a direct connection. unfortunately this option is greyed out on the newer notebook and i cant figure out how to fix it. i tried this on our new desktop aswell but the same thing is happening.:dizzy: . ive looked at the network connections and cards and theyre all working fine :confused: . ive also checked security software and it doesnt seem to be affecting it at all.:curse:
can anyone help????
greatly apprectiated, robby

[z1p]

What are you using to connect them (parallel cable, ethernet crossover) ?

[robbyod]

ethernet crossover cable

[renegade600]

see if this helps (http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/r1005/07r05/07r05.asp&guid)

[robbyod]

article seems to be on the right track but i cant read it fully becouse im not going to subscribe to it. still have this problem!!

[renegade600]

article seems to be on the right track but i cant read it fully becouse im not going to subscribe to it. still have this problem!!

wow, I wonder where that article came from. When going there from google, it was the whole article.

For our two-PC-file-and-printer-sharing network, we used two computers with Windows XP Home and preinstalled NICs. The procedures listed below also work for notebooks.

In the Network Setup Wizard, make sure the workgroup for both computers is the same.
First, connect each end of the Ethernet crossover cable to the respective RJ-45 Ethernet ports of each computer’s NIC. These ports look like large phone jacks. On a side note, if one of the computers you are using is connected to the Internet via wired Ethernet, and you only have one NIC installed in that computer, you may have to remove the Ethernet patch cable that connects your PC to your modem. For information on how to set up an Internet connection-sharing network, see “Share The Bandwidth”on page 65.

On each computer, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections. Right-click the Local Area Connection from the right pane of the window, and then click Properties. On the General tab, make sure there is a check in front of File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks.

Back in the Network Connections folder, click Set Up A Home Or Small Office Network from the left side of the window. Click Next, and then Next again. Click the radio button in front of Other, click Next, click the radio button in front of This Computer Belongs To A Network That Does Not Have An Internet Connection, and then click Next. The Network Setup Wizard then asks you for a computer description and a computer name. Click Next after entering a name and description. On the following page you’ll need to choose a workgroup name. By default WinXP names your workgroup MSHOME. Click Next, click the radio button in front of Turn On File And Printer Sharing (you won’t see this screen if File And Printer Sharing is already enabled), click Next, and then click Next again.
After a short wait, the Network Setup Wizard gives you the option of creating a Network Setup Disk. Choose this option, and then click Next (make sure you have a blank floppy disc in the floppy drive). If both PCs use WinXP and you don’t want to create a Network Setup Disk, you can simply launch the Network Setup Wizard on the second PC and configure it manually. Click Next to continue. Click Next and then click Finish to close the wizard. The computer will restart to enable the new network settings.


As far as the hardware is concerned, creating a two-PC file-sharing network is a straightforward task.
On the second PC, insert the Network Setup Disk into the floppy drive (or transfer the netsetup.exe file onto the other computer via USB thumb drive). Access the file and double-click it to start the Network Setup Wizard. Click Yes, click Next, and then click Next again. Follow the procedure listed above, making sure to name this second PC something different, but keeping the workgroup the same. Turn on File And Printer Sharing, click Next, and then click Next again. Select the option to finish the wizard now, click Next, and then click Finish. Your PC will need to restart to finalize the process.
To see your networked computer, click Start, click My Network Places, and then click View Workgroup Computers from the list of Network Tasks on the left side of the page. You can share various folders by right-clicking them and clicking Sharing And Security. On the Sharing tab, click the check box beside Share This Folder On The Network. You can also let network users edit the files on this computer by checking the box directly below the folder’s Share Name. Click Apply, and then click OK to close the dialog box.

[robbyod]

i had gone through that process already after failing to set up a connection the other way i was told to (ie "create a new connection" option) but it didnt work. i have just tried it again with those instructions and its still not working. all the set up went fine and to plan except they didnt restart by themselves i did that.

the message im getting on my old notebook after it tells me its aquiring network adresses is that the local area connection is enabled and ok but on the new notebook it says "limited or no connectivity"
then when i right click on it and select repair it tells me
"windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following action connot be completed
renew your IP address
for assistance contact the person who manages your network"

[robbyod]

ps. if my notebooks didnt hate me that would have been a very handy solution. thanks

[z1p]

Are you sure you have a crossover cable?
Have you tried static IPs on the 2 machines? If you are just connecting the 2 machines, you won't have a DHCP server, so automatic IPs won't work. You either need to set up an alternate IP or just set up a static IP on both.

[robbyod]

ok. ive half cracked it. ive gotten rid of the error messages on the network adapters and the computers can see each other fine. i set up a static ip address as said and that did the trick. now i just have to figure out why after setting up the network and making certain folders shared i still cant access them. im sure ill get it soon.

[robbyod]

ya. that whole "getting it soon" was a stupid thing to say.so much for that idea. ive set up shared folders on each computer and the workgroup is MSHOME etc and both with different computer names; but when i try to look for the folders in my network places they arent there, when i try to look at all the computers in my workgroup each computer only sees itself. ive tried typing in the "\\computername\sharename" way, ive tried adding a network place but it says "the folder you entered does not appear to be valid. please choose another".
its like one step forward 5 steps back!! im cracking up but wont give up on this out of pure stubbornes (and the need for the network of course). the help ive gotten so far has been great i just need a few more expert tips and ill fix this.
thanks

[z1p]

Can the machines ping each other?
Do you have a any firewalls running? (I'd guess that firewalls are the #1 problem when sharing folders)

[robbyod]

i have gone through the network setup wizard and set up a workgroup and connection between my notebook and my desktop using an ehternet crossover cable. both net adapters are connected and working properly, firewall has been disabled on both and file and printer sharing is enabled on both. There is no hub or router being used;it is a direct connection

when i view the workgroup comps on my notebook it can only see itself.

when i try to view workgroup comps on the desktop i get this error message
"ms home is not accesible. you might not have permission to use this network resource. contact admin to find out if you have acess permissions.
the list of servers for this workgroup is currently unavailable"

ive tried pinging from each comp with command prompt and i get the message
destination host unreachable from the notebook
request timed out from the desktop

also when connected, the notebook adapter shows Local Area Conn... "Enabled" while on the desktop it says "Connected"

in internet protocol properties the ips are XXX.XXX.165.18 and XXX.XXX.153.175 both having the same subnet mask and the default gateway is left blank.it was previously DHCP but i changed that cos there was no connection whatsoever then.

can anyone tell me what could be wrong???

[z1p]

What's your subnet mask?

[robbyod]

subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 on both computers
the default gateway is left blank if that has anything to do with it??

would there be anything besides server and workstation (which are both started and on automatic) in services that would affect this??

[z1p]

your netmask is wrong or you can look at as your IPs are wrong. I'd say the latter.

Make your IPs the same except for the last octet. Basicly, all the bits in your IPs where the corresponding bit in the netmask is not 0 should be the same for all IPs. Go with something like 192.168.3.111 and 192.168.3.112 as your netmask is 255.255.255.0

[robbyod]

i had changed them to a similar setup earlier today. that didnt solve the problem but then i was looking over services again and saw that server was on manual not automatic like i had thought. when i fixed this i restarted the comp and tried it again and everything worked perfectly.
all i can say is bout damn time. now i dont have to go through the pain of transferring about 15Gb of data by putting it on and off of a 4gig ipod.
thanks for all the help fellas.

[robbyod]

For anyone whos looking at this thread for a solution to the problem of
setting up a direct link between two pcs with an ethernet crossover cable here it is.
this process needs to be done on both machines.

firstly connect the two machines with the ethernet CROSSOVER cable

right click on your LAN adapter>properties>highlight "internet protocol (tcp/ip)" >click on properties>check box for "use the following ip address">enter your ip address and subnet mask ensuring ip adresses on each machin only differ in the very last digit and subnet mask is the same.
ie(ip1=xxx.xxx.255.18 and ip2= xxx.xxx.255.17)(subnet mask as default is 255.255.0.0 that will do fine)

if internet protocol tcp/ip is not installed then install it through the options in the window you already have open and do as above.
make sure "file and printer sharing" is also installed (box beside these should be checked if they are installed)

then..... start>control panel>performance and maintenance>administrative tools>services
look for "server" and "workstation" and ensure that both are set to "started" and "automatic". if they are not, double click on them and change these options.

then.... run network setup wizard
start>control panel>network and internet connections>network connections

under network tasks on the left hand side select "setup a home or small office network"
>next>next>select your LAN adapter>next>"other">"this computer connects directly to the internet. i do not have a network yet">enter a computer description and computer name and click next>next>"turn on file and printer sharing">next>next>
when it asks youn if you want to create a network setup disk select "no, i don not have to run the wizard on the other machine"
then select finish.

ensure that firewall is DISABLED on the LAN adapters on both machines

to check if its working under network task select "view workgroup computers"
your computer and the computer your connected to should show up.

if all this hasnt worked and you have followed all steps properly then ask someone who does this stuff for a living because i dont.
(ps. thanks Z1p)