P2P simple eithernet - how to??

[Davegod]

I wish to connect two computers through eithernet, right now to play some games but later we will need to do this so he can burn his research project onto CD for printing etc.

I have a Realtek Eithernet built into my GA-7VTXH mobo, and hes got one on his Toshiba laptop. We put in the eithernet cable, restarted computers and, er, well Network Neighbourhood is none the wiser. Tried looking all around the crappy MS help files but they all assume theres some giant corporate network already established and are no use. how do we do it?

thanks

 

[Gunbuster]

you need a cross over cable if your are not using a hub/switch

 

[Davegod]

er, we have a CAT5 cable?

 

[ElFenix]

in a regular cat 5 cable the wires run straight from one end to the other. in a crossover cable the wires are crossed at one end so that wire 1 is 4, 2 is 3, and so on.

 

[Davegod]

uh, so i need to ask for somethign called a crossover cable next time in the shop?

 

[evergreen96]

Yup that correct, to confirm it is a x over cable, simply look if the 1st color on both end match do not match. eg (orange and green- xover cable....orange-orange straight cable)

 

[Davegod]

apparently it was a cross over cable, i asked for "an eithernet cable, er CAT5 i think" he asked what for, i told him two comps and he said "this is what your after". the colours on the ends are as follows:

1: orange, blue, green (maybe a purple its hard to see)
2: green, blue, orange, maybe purple.

i found the anandtech networking articles but theyre like bullet-pointed instructions, no description so I canrt follow them properly, its yet another example of writing a guide in a way thatll only be understandable to people who know already.

- sorry for not posting in Networking forum, i didnt see it last time. id move it if i knew how.