Connect 2 computers with just 1 cable, how?

[Bob Smith]

I don't care about the internet connection. I just want to connect my two
computers that both have a network card and XP Pro. I thought all I had to
do was connect one network cable from PC1 network card to PC2 network card.
The network adapters are set up right and have no errors in device manager.
Any help please?

 

[Testy]

You need a Crossover cable.

Testy

I don't care about the internet connection. I just want to connect my two
computers that both have a network card and XP Pro. I thought all I had to
do was connect one network cable from PC1 network card to PC2 network card.
The network adapters are set up right and have no errors in device manager.
Any help please?

 

[Jeff]

make sure you are using a crossover cable if you are
connecting the 2 pc's directly to one another. a standard
network cable is a "straight-thru" cable and will not
work. the transmit and receive wires on one end need to
be reversed, hence a "crossover" cable is needed. you can
use a regular cable however, if you have a hub or switch
lying around. just plug both pc's into there, and the hub
or switch will do the crossover for you.

 

[Bob Smith]

I have about 50ft of straight through cable that I was using for a router.
Shouldn't I be able to get some kind of adapter or jumper on a short
crossover cable to be able to keep using this cable. My Radio Shack said
they did not have anything that would let me do this. I think I need some
kind of coupler. Will that work?

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Bob;
http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?rsite=goto.cross&action=Search&search=CROSSOVER
Do a search for crossover cable

 

[Bob Smith]

You know what. This should be working with my Linksys router. I shouldn't
need a crossover cable or coupler. But for some reason I keep getting a
Local Area Connection A Network Cable is Unplugged popup.

This should be my setup going through Linksys router, right?
PC1 network adapter to router port 2
PC2 network adapter to router port 3.

On the linksys router there are only 3 ports, Uplink port, and WAN port. I
shouldn't need the uplink or wan because I don't care about the internet
connection.

 

[Jeff]

I am not aware of any couplers that will do the crossover
for you. if you want to use your 50ft cable, you will
either need to use a hub or switch (built into many
home/small office routers -- Linksys for example) but then
you would also need a second cable to connect the other
computer. Of, if you have access to a crimping tool and
an RJ45 plug, you could cut one end off of the cable and
make a new, crossedover end. You would do this by
swapping pins 1,2,3, and 6 around (swapping the orange-
white/orange pair with the green-white/green pair)

Jeff

 

[no one]

your router should handle the crossover for you. the
error you indicate says that something is wrong with that
computer's connection to the router (bad patch cord???)
try swapping the cables and see if the problem
transfers. I have built numerous couplers for clients
when needed. I take 2 RJ45 jacks and wire them with cat
5 cable. Normal wiring on one(orange 1-2, green 3-6,
blue 4-5,brown 7-8)and crossover on the other(green 1-2,
orange 3-6,blue 4-5,brown 7-8) I then put the two jacks
in a double surface mount box and use regular patch
cables from computer1 to the box jack1, and another
regular cable from box jack2 to computer2.

 

[Bob Smith]

I have something here that says RJ45 Crossover Coupler on it. On the coupler
one end says Crossover wire and on the other end it says RJ45 wire. Now
using this coupler running just one cable from one computer to the second, I
still get Local Area Connection Unplugged icon with a red X on it. When I
try to set up the new network I get prompted saying I need to plug in my
cables before I proceed.....Yet the cable is already plugged in!

 

[Bob Smith]

I don't know why it would not work with the RJ45 Crossover coupler, but I
had a short crossover cable. So I took PC2 downstairs and connected it to
PC1 directly with the crossover cable. The network popped up immediately. So
I am not going to spend any more time on this RJ45 cable and linksys router.
I am just going to go buy the longer crossover cable.

Thanks to all who replied.

 

[bill]

you should now be totally confused - start over.

using no switch or router - connect crossover cable from one to the
other.

u can use as many straight cables and adapters as you want as long as
ONE device or cable switches the Tx and Rx leads. If you double switch
them you are back to sq 1.

using a switch or router just connect them with straight cables.
if you get no link lights or you get disconnect messages make sure the
cables are good and are not crossover - some switches pouters hubs
will straighten out crossover cables so it won't matter.

if you get link lights and activity lights but can't "see" the other
computer you have a configuration issue in the OS.

Office Depot had crossover cables the last time I needed one.

RS doesn't seem to know what they are - "U got questions, they don't
have answers"

 

[Bob Smith]

But I can't get past this Local Area Connection: A network cable is
unplugged issue. I have tested the cables one by one. They all work and
when I plug just one rj45 cable into the linksys router port 2 the local
area connection unplugged goes away and the lights come on. However, as soon
as I plug in the second RJ45 cable from PC2 into port 3, the Local Area
Connection unplugged comes back up again and the lights on that port start
blinking continuously. I swapped the cables just for the heck of it, and I
get the same thing.

It is really no big deal. I will just go buy the crossover cable and forget
about the router altogether. I know it will work if I go from network
adapter to network adapter with a crossover cable. I got a local store who
will cut the crossover cable 70ft for $29. No big deal.

 

[Bob Smith]

It turns out the cable I had was Category 5 and the only coupler being made
is for Category 5E cable. That explains why the coupler would not
work......Of course, it still does not expain why I could not get the
Category 5 cable to work with the router. At any rate, now everything is
fine. I am just running one crossover cable from PC1 to PC2 and the network
showed up immediately.