my computers wont recognize each other?????

[double b26]

i was having a problem networking my 2 desktops together. im trying to network a dell dimension 3000 to a compaq presario 6454nx. both show that the network cable is unplugged.

the host would be the dell. it is a 2.66 celron d. im running xp media center edition w/ rollup 2. the ethernet card is a wired 'network everywhere' brand (wal-mart...$15), model # nc100u-wm. there is intergrated ethernet in there but it doesnt work. i got power surged about a year ago. the cable modem got fried. the modem ran into the intergrated ethernet. i dont know how it fried the ethernet only, but the rest of the pc is fine. thats why there is the new ethernet card in there. and i know the card works. i can run the cable modem to it with no problem. but usually i hook it up via usb. i use the ethernet to hook up my x-box 360. it works fine. i can stream music, ect and play on x-box live by sharing the dell's internet connection.

the compaq has a pentium 4 at 2.50ghz. the intergrated ethernet on it works fine...there is no aftermarket card in it. its running windows xp pro...and its up-to-date. i can run the cable modem to the ethernet port and get online with no problem. but like the dell, i usually hook it up through the usb so i can hook the 360 to the compaq and stream music, ect and share internet. and it does all that fine too.

so like i said above, the problem is that when i hook the two of them together, neither one recognizes that the cable is hooked up. it shows the network cable is unplugged (in the system tray). ive ran the network setup wizard, but it did nothing. ive made sure internet connection sharing is on. ive tried turning off the firewall and anit-virus. the dell wont even share the internet with the compaq. when i hook either one of them to the 360, it shares the internet with no problem...and shows cable is connected. but i can unhook the ethernet from the 360 and plug it into the other computer and i get nothing. both computers show that the network cable is unplugged.

i really dont know much about networking. but i can read and understand wizards and what i am doing. ive tried all i know to try. so anyone have any suggestions for me? thanks

 

[kobaj]

Ill be glad to help, .

First off have you tried running the network setup wizard inside windows? While the computers are connected, On the media center pc click Start> control panel> network and internet connections> network setup wizard. run through the wizard like any other, although I have come up with problems when it sais "wizard found disconnected network hardware" so I usually just click "ignore". At the end it will ask for a USB thumb drive but if you dont have one, its ok just run the wizard on pc#2. After a couple of moments when both wizards are done it should link up.

This is going on the basis of you have the right cable also. Are you connecting both computers with crossover ethernet? or normal ethernet? Some network cards work with normal ethernet when just linking computers, but most use crossover ethernet.

 

[double b26]

Ill be glad to help, .

First off have you tried running the network setup wizard inside windows? While the computers are connected, On the media center pc click Start> control panel> network and internet connections> network setup wizard. run through the wizard like any other, although I have come up with problems when it sais "wizard found disconnected network hardware" so I usually just click "ignore". At the end it will ask for a USB thumb drive but if you dont have one, its ok just run the wizard on pc#2. After a couple of moments when both wizards are done it should link up.

This is going on the basis of you have the right cable also. Are you connecting both computers with crossover ethernet? or normal ethernet? Some network cards work with normal ethernet when just linking computers, but most use crossover ethernet.

yeah i have tried running the network setup wizard while the two pcs were connected. the thing is that it shows on both that the network cable is unplugged. i can check the ingnore disconnected hardware button. the wizard runs through and finishes. then it says something about making a network setup disk. options like make disc, ill use windows disc, or i dont want to make a setup disk, just finish the wizard. i just finish the wizard. then i go and run the network setup wizard on the other pc. it works out the same way...shows cable is unplugged and offers to make setup disk. but still wont recognize the other pc. i thought about making a network setup disk, but it requires a floppy drive. the compaq has one, but the dell has a cd drive only....so the setup disk thing wont work anyway.

i dont know the specifics of the ethernet cable i am using. it came with my x-box 360. and i have 3 of them connected with couplers....i think they are 15 feet a piece. but like i said, it does stream media and share internet just fine with the 360 via the ethernet cable. i dont really know, but if it works with the 360, wouldnt it be good enough for a computer? since i have media center edition on the dell, i use it as a media center extender...works fine.

this problem has me stumped. like i said, i dont know much about networking. but from what ive read up on it, it seems pretty cut-and-dry. plug it in, run the wizard, you outta be up and running. but no matter what ive tried, it never shows the cable is connected when i hook the two pcs together. i think if they would at least recognize that they are hooked up, that would be a step in the right direction.

what about hooking them up with a serial cable? would that work maybe? and if so, what is the downfall of going with a serial connection? transfer speed? thanks for any help.

 

[double b26]

At the end it will ask for a USB thumb drive but if you dont have one, its ok just run the wizard on pc#2.

never had it ask for usb thumb drive. its asks if i want to make a network setup disk. i have to use a floppy to do so.

 

[kobaj]

Interesting, I do think it is your cable. What do you mean by "connected with couplers"?

From what I can tell (and read online about the 360) is you have a normal ethernet cable, which will NOT allow you to network two computers together (wont let you do system link in the 360 either). You need a crossover cable, should be cheap. Or if you have a router/hub you could network both computers (and the 360, and the internet) through that using normal ethernet.

I remember a LONG time ago you could network two computers using serial or parallel, but I dont think windows supports it any more, and it was SLOW (something like 15kb/s). You could also try networking together using USB, which wont be terribly slow (250mb/s).

 

[double b26]

This is going on the basis of you have the right cable also. Are you connecting both computers with crossover ethernet? or normal ethernet? Some network cards work with normal ethernet when just linking computers, but most use crossover ethernet.

i have no clue to what type they are...they came with the 360. i have three 15-foot cables connected with cat5 couplers from radio shack.

ive found this out about the cable. they are ethernet (RJ-45)...a standard 10BaseT Cat5e cable. dont know wtf that means, but there it is!!! lol.

i posted the question on the xbox forum..is it normal or crossover?

someone said this:Normal and when you connect two xbox 360 together, you would normaly need a cross-over but the xbox 360 converts it so you don't need a cross-over

someone said this too:You can tell by looking at the first pair of wires in the connector. If they match, it's straight through. If not, it's a crossover.

i looked. i dont see a matching pair. unless by that he meant that one is a reddish color. the other 'match' is white with the same reddish color strip on it. but i dont see two together on the end that are exactly the same. so if the second person is correct about the matching color deal, then the two statements contradict each other??

hope this helps

 

[double b26]

Interesting, I do think it is your cable. What do you mean by "connected with couplers"?

From what I can tell (and read online about the 360) is you have a normal ethernet cable, which will NOT allow you to network two computers together (wont let you do system link in the 360 either). You need a crossover cable, should be cheap. Or if you have a router/hub you could network both computers (and the 360, and the internet) through that using normal ethernet.

I remember a LONG time ago you could network two computers using serial or parallel, but I dont think windows supports it any more, and it was SLOW (something like 15kb/s). You could also try networking together using USB, which wont be terribly slow (250mb/s).

couplers...you know...like on you telephone line. if you want to connect 2 phone cords together, you get a little plastic thing that you can plug a phone line on each end to hook them both together. not a splitter. it just connects the 2 cords. well, its exactly the same. ethernet looks like a phone cord, but bigger. so it looks the same, just a bit larger. you can pick them up at radio shack for about $7.

 

[double b26]

alright, the x-box guys tell me that its the cable. i need to either get a crossover cable, a router or a hub. hubs are cheap, so ill probably go that route. i dont know about hubs and routers really. will a hub serve the same function as a router? and what is the benefit of a router over a hub...if any? i assume there is some benefit, seeing as there is such a cost difference. thanks a lot for helping me out.

 

[kobaj]

Wow, lol, you pretty much answered your own question, and ya, like I said in my above post you most likely have a normal (straight through) ethernet, and you need crossover.

Instead of going through the proses of explaining (Im not so good at it) Ill just link you for the differences.

Click

 

[double b26]

Wow, lol, you pretty much answered your own question, and ya, like I said in my above post you most likely have a normal (straight through) ethernet, and you need crossover.

Instead of going through the proses of explaining (Im not so good at it) Ill just link you for the differences.

Click

hey i appreciate you helping me! ill check out those links.