Need to use a crossover cable instead of a straight-through cable to connect
one pc NIC directly to another. Some newer network cards can compensate for
the use of straight-through cables, but not yours. At this point, a
straight-through cable is connecting the transmit sides together and leaving
the receiving sides high and dry. A crossover cable correctly allows the
transmit side of one NIC to talk to the receiving side of the other NIC, and
back the other way as well. Shouldn't set you back more than a couple of
bucks at your local electronics store.

Kenneth Whyman
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Chance favors the prepared mind.


On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 4:53 PM, Joyce E <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> It's supposed to be so simple, right?  Both machines are running XP Pro, SP
> 2. I have them hooked together with a simple ethernet cable.  The master
> computer keeps telling me "a network cable is unplugged," and I can't get
> the two computers to "talk" to one another.
>
> One computer is an eMachines; the other is a Compaq.  That shouldn't have
> anything to do with it -- should it?!  TIA for any help here; I'm trying to
> set this up for a friend of mine.  (Of course we all know MS doesn't make
> things any easier for us...)
>
> Joyce in SE Ohio
>
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