Connecting 2 computers via ethernet - IP help

[tidy max]

Hi there everyone! Hope you can help me with my annoying dilemma!

 

Just made an ethernet cable long enough to connect my two computers and plugged it in.

 

 

Computer1----->Computer2------>wireless connection to the router

 

All i want to do is file sharing, as i have music ect on computer two which i want to use through computer 1, the LAN shows its connected, ive set the workgroups to the same, but neither computer has any IP information when i click on the status of the connection.

 

Any help will be much appreciated, and sorry if this is a daft question.

 

Thanks :)

Max

 

p.s. i remembered the pin swap, so it is a crossover cable!

[mike]

Hi Max,

 

If you have a router, why not just plug both computers into the router. The router will act as a DHCP server and assign IP addresses to both computers. The connection can either be VIA a cable or wireless (since you said it was a wireless router)?

 

Ie,

 

Router

------------------| |----------------

Comp 1 Comp 2

 

 

Once done, make sure they are on the same workgroup and you have "shared" the folders you wish to share. You will also have to assign permissions to the shared folders.

 

There is a good tutorial on how to do this located here;

Windows XP Professional File Sharing

 

Mike

[tidy max]

Hi Mike, thanks very much for your help.

 

The router is on a differant floor in my house, and both computers are in the same room, im just trying to connect both together as im being very lazy and just using one to access my media.

 

Sorry if i havn't explained myself very well there!

 

Thanks for the help, much appreciated!

[Match]

Hi Max

 

what your trying to do, is something that I tried to do about 2 1/2 years ago and ended up banging my head off the wall:frusty: basically the problem is that your router assigns the pc connected to it an IP address, while its trying to assign it self and your other computer IP addresses, and nothing goes anywhere fast.

 

In the end after trying to manually configure the IP addresses and getting in a right mess I gave up and bought another USB wireless connector.

 

My advice is give up now while your still sane and go for Mike's Idea as I did. but it would be interesting to know if anyone can help you to achieve what your trying to do :)

 

ether way good look and welcome to the forum

[Tootech]

Are you referring to using Internet Connection Sharing to hook up the second PC?

 

I guess you are, and it's rubbish!!!!

 

Enabling ICS on the first computer makes the PC a DHCP server, so it will assign an IP address to the second PC.

 

The default IP range is 192.168.0.1.....

 

Your router also is a DHCP server, assigning IP addresses - they may be in a different range.

 

Its not recomended to have two DHCP servers, and I guess that is the problem.

 

I'd suggest as Match did, that you get yourself another wireless adapter and hook it all up through your router.

[tidy max]

Thanks for all the help chaps.

 

Yes Match that is what i am trying to do!

 

And Tootech im not after sharing the internet connection, i really did just think it would be as simple as connecting the ethernet and creating a workgroup! How naive!

 

I will probably end up connecting to the router, i was just trying to avoid it as its another strain on an already overused internet connection on a router thats too far away haha.

 

I will perservere a little more, and if i get anywhere i will post back asap... im not hopefull!

 

Cheers again

[tidy max]

Just a quick one, just been chatting to my boss, he says that XP home and pro don't really get on with each other.

 

I for got to mention what the operating systems were, sorry. Do you think this could be the answer?

 

Also, sometimes one of the lan connections says tcp/ip is not enabled.. when it is!!

 

Could this be an error in my tcp stack?

 

Thanks for all the help

[BeeCeeBee]

Do you think this could be the answer?

 

I think you were given the answer.

 

XP home and XP Pro, etc.will network just fine together. Perhaps your boss was trying to get a "home" system to operate as if it were the other. Osmosis does not work with computers.

[Tootech]

As bee said Home and Pro will work fine together. They default to different workgroups on install, MSHome & Workgroup, but you've sorted that.

 

As with most things in computing, what you want to do is possible, but its a pain and easiest/most elegant solution is to hook up to your router..

 

BTW - by sharing files across your PC's, the Internet connection will not be any more overused, its just local network traffic that will increase.

[tidy max]

Sorry but what was it then?

 

Im not connecting another computer to the router.. and thats that, im not putting more strain ony my already limited internet connection, and also as the whole point of the exercise is for me to access video and music files, the last thing i want is to limit myself and do it via a wireless connection.

 

I understand that what you are saying about home not being able to act asif it were pro... osmosis etc very good.

 

I just wasn't sure as to wether they Pro and Home communicated with other in the same way/protocol whatever its called, as i know next to nothing about networks.

 

Thanks for your help and any is much appreciated.

 

Cheers, Max

[tidy max]

Thanks Tootech, haha i wondered why the workgroups were set to differant names as default!

 

I thought that as my router assigned an ip address and allowed a computer to connect, my bandwidth would automatically be shared, but i assume now that the router works on a first come first serve basis in respect to bandwidth!

 

Thanks for you help chaps, sorry if im being very noobish about it all!

[Match]

As far as your bandwidth goes I have a netgear router and a 2G connection the only time it causes me a problem is if I'm downloading on both pc's

 

and I quite often play media of pc1's HD while its down loading with no problem.

[tidy max]

I regularly play ps3 online and am downloading at the same time, and my mum uses remote access to work from home, coupled with me downloading and my connection is very strained! Hopefully that explains better when im hoping(...desperate) not to have to go via the router!

[tidy max]

Well, i have something to confess now...

 

i was looking at the 1394 connection :( thus explaining the 400mbits/s problem!

 

Thanks for your help though, it has been appreciated!