how to connect a Vista laptop and an XP desktop?

[rodos1979]

Hello!

I would like to connect my new Win Vista laptop to my older Win XP desktop in order to transfer files. I have LAN ethernet cards on both machines and a cross-over cable.
When I connect them, the LAN card lights stay on on both machines, it seems that there is some kind of connection, but I get the error that there is "limited or no connectivity" and one PC does not see the other.
What can I do to make it work? I read a lot of stuff on the net and in Windows HELP but no luck...

Thanks in advance for your help!

[BingoTheClowno]

http://forums.techarena.in/showthread.php?t=594953

[rodos1979]

Thanks!

I followed the advice but still no luck! The two PCs connect, one can ping the other but they dont see each other, neither is possible to map a network drive..
Grrrrr, it's driving me crazy!

[capacitor]

Not sure if this was covered in the above article, but if the Windows firewalls are not disabled, try doing that. I'm not sure if either one blocks ICMP (ping) but they might allow pings, but not higher level protocols, by default.

If that does the trick, then it becomes an exercise in firewall configuration, or simply leaving them off.

I just installed XP over the top of my Vista system, or I would try it myself.

Hope this helps

[rodos1979]

I have done this:
- connected the PCs with a cross-over cable and set them to the same workgroup
- created an account with admin rights on the XP machine, exactly like the one on the Vista (same username and passw)
- manually set the TCP/IP config of each machine and sub mask to same network - 192.168.1.1 on desktop XP and 192.168.1.2 on the Vista laptop
- set the hard disk of the desktop PC to shared and tried to map the drive as a network location in the laptop, but the laptop still cannot see any other pc in the same or different workgroup
The two PCs ping each other..

I have disabled the ZoneAlarm firewall on the XP machine and tried both to disable the Norton Protection Center Firewall of the Vista laptop or let connections from 192.168.1.1 (the desktop) to be trusted.

Another thing that happens is that when I connect the ethernet cable on the laptop, it looses its WLAN connection to the internet! :S

What else could I do?


P.S. I dont know if that is of any importance, but I cannot turn on Remote Assistance on the Desktop XP. I can however connect normally on the internet with the ethernet cable

[kylie]

what about

C:> net use X: \\192.168.1.x\share

where X: is the name of the network drive you want to assign the share to and .x the ip of the target computer and share the name of the share you assigned to the sharde folder/drive
?

maybe browsing does not work correctly, but mapping a drive via the net use command should work, if they can ping each other (and firewalls and stuff like that are turned off).

-greetings, markus-

[rodos1979]

I set the "local unidentified network connection" in Vista to private, instead of public, and then I could see the shared folders of the desktop in the laptop.. But the network still remains unidentified.. Plus, I cannot have a wireless connection to the Internet at the same time (when desktop and laptop are connected via ethernet) .. And another disadvantage is that I have to do these settings over again, each time that I connect the two PCs (since the network connection remains "unidentified").
What could I do to overcome this?

Thank you all for your help!

[astroman]

...- manually set the TCP/IP config of each machine and sub mask to same network - 192.168.1.1 on desktop XP and 192.168.1.2 on the Vista laptop ...

well, that suggests you just have these 2 machines plus a DSL modem that one machine is sharing...
Not good at all
get a router and connect it to the DSL modem, or use an integrated combi, that way you physically separate your local network from the internet
don't let your OS handle the dirty jobs

cheers, Tom

[H-Rave]

This more often than ot comes from the security ntfs settings My vista laptop is linked by wifi to the desktop, but it takes a bit of twiddling around with, especially concerning the vista user center and the network securities do a right click go to properties,share,
add user and then add "everybody" this usually opens up the ntfs securities.I've got xp home working with vista premium.I usually use it to watch movies from a usb drive from the mobile on the desktop.

[BingoTheClowno]

Open a CMD prompt window (Start -> Run -> cmd) then type in ipconfig /all on both machines and post the results here. Make sure you have the same Workgroup name on both machines. Also make sure you have all services required for LAN communications started.

[H-Rave]

TADA this might help.

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=YLFD-UhozVI

[rodos1979]

TADA this might help.

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=YLFD-UhozVI

WOW! Great!

I also found this and this, which helped me to clear some things in my mind!

So, it seems that what I have to do is:
- connect both PCs to the adsl model/router, either via a cable or wirelessly(?)
- assign them a unique and incremental to the router (192.168.1.1) IP
- put to both of them in the TCP/IP these settings: 255.255.255.0 subnet mask, and 192.168.1.1 Default Gateway
- make sure they belong to the same workgroup
- enable network discovery and file sharing on both computers (how is this done in XP?)

And now, they should be able to see and communicate to each other and both be able to connect to the internet. Right?
The folders that I set to shared, would be visible only to to my PCs and not to 3d persons from the internet, right? If not, then how do I do this?
Another thing.. My router with the current firmware has no Firewall. I am using 3d party software firewalls with both PCs. Am I safe, or is it essential that my router has the firewall enabled? Last, should I change any settings in my software firewalls that might prevent my local network PCs from communicating?

Thanks all of you very much for your help! I think I am getting there!