How to Connect Two PCs Together With NICs

Although it looks similar to a regular Ethernet cable, the crossover cable can connect two computers.

There are two ways to connect two PCs. You can use a switch or you can use a crossover cable. A crossover cable is probably the better option because it eliminates the need for another device and more cables. The crossover cable transfers information between the NICs, or network-interface cards, of the two computers.

Things You'll Need

• Crossover cable.

Instructions

1. Connect one end of the crossover cable to the NIC card of one computer. The NIC card has a Ethernet port that the cable can be plugged into.

2. Connect the other end of the cable to the Ethernet port of the other computer.

3. Turn on both computers. In order for the computers to communicate with each other, you need to put both computers in the same workgroup.

4. Click Start, then right click on My Computer, then select "Properties."

5. Click on the tab for "Computer Name," then note the Workgroup. On the second computer, change the workgroup to match the first computer.

6. Save the changes and restart the computer. You can verify connection by pinging the other computer. Pinging is sending a data packet from your computer to the other. The response from that computer is called a "ping." It is a tool used to verify connectivity between two computers or network devices.

7. Click on "Start," then "Run..." Type in "cmd", then click OK.

8. Type in "ipconfig," then make note of the IP address. Repeat the steps on the other computer.

9. Type in "ping [ip address]" where [ip address] is the IP address of the other computer. If it pings, then the two computers are communicating. If it does not ping, recheck your connections and workgroups, then try pinging again.

References

• LeeIndy.com: Connecting Two Windows XP Computers Together using a Crossover Cable to Transfer or Share Files Between them