• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Problem Connecting 2 PC's W/Crossover Cable

D

Dan

Diamond Member
I was called in by a small company to move their PC's to a different suite and reconnect them. Sounds simple enough, right? HAH!

When I arrived one PC had disappeared completely and another one had already been moved to the new suite. (But not hooked up.) The owner showed me where the remaining PC was supposed to go and insisted he knows nothing about computers. The he told me how to lock up and he disappeared.

I set up the two remaining systems and plugged them into the RJ45 wall connections but I didn't have a network. Each system was unsuccessfully looking for the other one when Win98 launched . Being the curious type, I checked the recent RUN commands; the two most recent ones were "regedit" and "msconfig." Interesting.

To make a long story endless, I upgraded both systems to Win2K Pro and decided to bypass the wall connections altogether by linking the two with a crossover cable.

The settings are as follows:

Computer 1:
Name: DAVID
Workgroup: WORKGROUP
Properties
Client For Microsoft Networks
TCP/IP
-->IP address: 10.10.0.1
-->Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
-->Default Gateway: 10.10.0.254
-->Preferred DNS: 207.178.128.20
-->Alternate DNS: 207.178.128.21
NetBEUI
File and Printer Sharing

Computer 2:
Name: FRONTDELL
Workgroup: WORKGROUP
Properties
Client For Microsoft Networks
TCP/IP
-->IP address: 10.10.0.2
-->Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
-->Default Gateway: 10.10.0.254
-->Preferred DNS: 207.178.128.20
-->Alternate DNS: 207.178.128.21
NetBEUI
File and Printer Sharing

I enabled "sharing" for the respective "C" drives and printers on both PC's.

Computer 1 sees itself and Computer 2 in it's Network Neighborhood. Computer 2 only sees itself. Do I have the settings correct? What do I need to do to wrap this up?

I go to back tomorrow morning to finish networking the 2 PC's. (And do a little more software upgrading.)
 
change subnet to 255.0.0.0, ping the other computers, see if you can access them via //Frontdell/, or //David/, and if that doesn't work try //10.10.0.1/, and //10.10.0.2/
 
Unless they have Internet access, I'd actually remove TCP/IP - There's NO reason to have it there for a P2P network. As it sits now, you might be having protocol issues with one PC trying to use IP as a default and the other NetBEUI.

Also, I'd go in and hard-set one of the PC's as a master browser in the Clinet for MS Networks setup. Easier that way.

- G
 
Thanks for the suggestions. At least one system (Computer 1) is supposed to have a DSL connection but it hasn't been set up yet.
 
Okay, I'm making progress. (From everything I've read this should be a no-brainer but I'm sure turning it into a major project. 😱)

These are 2 Dell systems running Win2K Pro. They're connected with 50-feet of crossover cable. Where I'm at now:

Computer 1:
Name: DAVID
Workgroup: WORKGROUP
Properties
Client For Microsoft Networks
TCP/IP
-->IP address: 10.1.1.2
-->Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0
-->Default Gateway: 10.1.1.1
-->Preferred DNS: 207.178.128.20
-->Alternate DNS: 207.178.128.21
NetBEUI
File and Printer Sharing

Computer 2:
Name: FRONT
Workgroup: WORKGROUP
Properties
Client For Microsoft Networks
TCP/IP
-->IP address: 10.1.1.3
-->Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0
-->Default Gateway: 10.1.1.1
-->Preferred DNS: 207.178.128.20
-->Alternate DNS: 207.178.128.21
NetBEUI
File and Printer Sharing

Sharing is enabled for the systems respective harddrives and printers and I created user accounts on both systems. Both systems "see" 2 computers in Network Neighborhood (Computers Near Me). However. when I try to access one hard drive from the other system I get an error message that says, "\\Front is not accessible. The network path was not found." I also get the same message when I try the same thing from the other system, i.e., "\\David is not accessible. The network path was not found."

When I ping the system one system from the other (in either direction) I lose 25% to 50% of the packets. That's progress to the extent that they couldn't ping each other at all before.

I must be missing something really simple here, Where am I going wrong?
 
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm going to be back out there later this afternoon and I'd like to wrap it up.
 
There really was no need to change your mask at all. In fact, if you are going to use a /8 then you should change the 2nd and 3rd octect of the IP to 0's. Well I would just for ease of assignment and possible confusion. Actually I woulda just left it as a /24 and all you woulda had to worry about is the last octet as hosts. But its not the most important thing in the world. There on the same network as you have it, just with a huge number of possible host addresses. Losing packets is insteresting. Any chance you have another crossover cable? Or a hub or switch to plug these things into with either tested or store bought patch cables. You also might remove IP and just use NetBEUI to make sure its NOT an IP config error.
 
I tried another cross-over cable and deleted the TCP/IP protocol from Network Properties. It's still not working! In fact, now each system only sees itself and not the other one in the workgroup. WTF is going on here???
 
Good suggesting. Try manually assigning 10 Mb to each card and then if that works try 100Mb or vice versa. Assuming their 10/100 NIC's of course
 
According to Device Manager in each system the NIC's are working properly. I replaced the NIC in the computer named DAVID. The other system, FRONT, has an onboard NIC. (Intel mobo of course. Both NIC's are 10/100 with speed detection set on Auto.
 
Device manager means nothing if the cards are having problems negotiating speeds. Do what is suggested and manually assign the NIC speed.
 
I'm doing that now. When I set the NIC in FRONT to 10Mbps Full Duplex it sees itself and the other PC. When I try to open the other PC though I get an error message that the network path can't be found.

Here's something else I just discovered. The PC DAVID has a hot synch device for a Palm Pilot that is connected to a serial port. I just checked it and it looked to me like it was using the same IP address as what's assigned to the NIC. Is that possible?
 
You'll get that error when your not logged on using MS network client. Are you logging on to both machines when they boot?

You should get an error if two devices are using the same IP on your network but unplugging it couldnt hurt.
 
Yes, I'm logging on to both systems with passwords. I pulled the plug on the hot synch device. Both NIC's are now set for 10Mbps full. David only sees itself. Front sees itself and David but gets the error message noted above.
 
Not to beat a dead horse but. Are you using the windows logon or is it "Microsoft Client for Networks"?
 
Microsoft Client For NetWorks is checked in the Network Properties. I don't see where I have the ability to choose whether to use Windows Logon or Client for Network Logon the way I've seen in older/other versions of Windows.
 
Yeah, just looked up and realized you were using Win2K. different story alltogether than 9X/ME. Do you have something shared on each machine?
 
Yes, I've enabled sharing of the C drives and printers on each system. (And the zip drive on DAVID.)
 
I wonder if the computer names are actually just cached in network places or using the UNC. At this point, I would ensure connectivity by assigning IP's (same network ID of course 192.168.0.1 and .2 or something like that with a /24 mask) and try to ping sucessfully.
 
Sorry for the delay responding but I finally called it quits for today. I'm back home now and I've got to get some sleep. (I get up every day at 2:45.)

Anyway, one system was originally named Frontdell. I changed it to Front. And, as noted in one of the earlier posts, yesterday I was able to get partial pings between the 2 systems. I was losing 25% to 50&% of the data (1-to-2 packets) going either way. As of tonight I couldn't ping either machine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top