Just connected 2 computers via a crossover cable

Wedge · Oct 18, 2002

I have 2 machines, one running XP Home, the other XP Pro.
I seemed to have connected just fine......but I have a HUGE complaint:
One of the computers (XP Home) boots up at an unbeleivably slow pace. It gets to the "welcome" screen and just stays there for what seems like an eternity.

The other I'm not sure about since I haven't rebooted it since networking.

Have I configured something wrong? I have made the boot time at least 4 times longer than it was before networking these 2 machines together.

Free For All · Oct 18, 2002

try the bootvis tool. It's a M$ free product

Maybe you can find answers at _http://www.tweakxp.com

Shadey · Oct 19, 2002

Assuming the slow boot has something to do with the network config . . .

Check u have you configured the IP addresses properly ?
no ip clashes or the dchp is set on xp home - its expecting an ip but not getting one ?

make sure each NIC is set at the same network speed, and both are set to eithe full or single duplex and not one of each.

Wedge · Oct 19, 2002

I didn't have to configure the IPs at all.

I now have them both speeds set to 10Mbps/full duplex.

What is the "mode selection"? The choices are: Auto detect, External Ethernet Phy, Internal Ethernet Phy, or Phone line.

Maybe I should add this: both computers share cable-internet via my router. I have DHCP enabled (isn't that the way to get automatically assigned IPs at boot up?).

Could this have anything to do with the lengthy boot up? The more network connections, the longer the boot time??

If that's the case I might just unhook the crossover cable and take out the network cards. Of course, my 2 computers would not communicate and share files any longer, but I HATE a 2 min 40 sec boot time.

LTR12101B · Oct 19, 2002

Is it a "combo" card, with a D connector (that would be external phy), a BNC (that would be internal phy) and a UTP port (phone line is a rather casual description!).

I have observed Win98SE being **VERY** slow at intiating fallback to APIPA "Automatic Private IP Address" when DHCP is enabled but not found - manulally setting to valid network addresses in the one of the private ranges - a note of which I carefully saved and then lost!

Shadey · Oct 20, 2002

Wedge said:
I didn't have to configure the IPs at all.

I now have them both speeds set to 10Mbps/full duplex.

What is the "mode selection"? The choices are: Auto detect, External Ethernet Phy, Internal Ethernet Phy, or Phone line.

No Ip configured? and the network is up and running ? prob because you have dchp auto assign ip enabled on the pcs and because you havnt got or connected to the dhcp server its not getting any response to its request for an ip - hence the slow boot, after a while it assigns a internal ip address itself

just like LTR12101B is saying

Mode - leave on auto

Wedge said:
Maybe I should add this: both computers share cable-internet via my router. I have DHCP enabled (isn't that the way to get automatically assigned IPs at boot up?).

Yes u can connect both pcs to the router, provided u got a switch or hub - a separate unit or in built to router, using two straight ethernet cables, and turn on the dchp server on the router, making sure each pc has auto dhcp ip adressing on.

otherwise configure the ip addresses yourself, ud have to set ip addresses on pcs to the same range and submask.

Wedge said:
Could this have anything to do with the lengthy boot up? The more network connections, the longer the boot time??

If that's the case I might just unhook the crossover cable and take out the network cards. Of course, my 2 computers would not communicate and share files any longer, but I HATE a 2 min 40 sec boot time.

how many other network connections do u have setup on the pcs?

unless u have dial up networking, i see only one network connection on each pc, when ur using a crossover cable network. ???

Wedge · Oct 20, 2002

I dont have dial-up. I have cable-net (which I thought to be a network, but maybe I'm confusing the terminology here).

The 2 pcs are connected to each other with the crossover cable. Each PC connects to the router with a patch cable (the router has a built-in switch).

Are you saying that I should manually assign the IPs in order to speed up the boot process? Turn off DHCP?

Sorry I just don't know much about networking but any help here would be appreciated.

Shadey · Oct 20, 2002

i'll be glad to help - but lets start from the top, as its a little confusing right now, for me i mean.

first of all you dont need to connect the pcs together with a crossover cable AND connect each pc to the router as well.

You need only to connect each pc to the router . . . . u need two 'straight' ethernet cables (non crossover'ed), and connect one to each pc via the network card to the spare ethernet ports in the router (as you said your router has a inbult switch).

- - - - - -
what do u mean by patch cable ? I dont understand how u managed to use a patch cable in this setup (cos a patch cable is something you would use with telephony/network hubs).

could be a mix up in terminology

- - - - - -

Then u have the option of either

1. use the dhcp server, and configure pcs to have dhcp server assign ip and submask . . . (your router manual should tell you how to setup the router and ip pools to assign to client pcs - it ought you tell you what to do in windows as well.) . . . . or

2. setup the ip addresses and submasks manually. You will need to know the ip of the router, as you need to assign each pc with the gateway ip address. Though you need to make sure the ip addresses and submask matche the range of the ip address and submask for the router's internal ip address.

There are lots of posts/threads regarding how to set up ip addresses on the forum.

Wedge · Oct 21, 2002

The cables I use to connect pc to the router are what I referred to as "patch" cables. I thought that's what the box said they were when I bought them: Cat5 Patch cables. Again, maybe my misuse of the terminology. But these particular cables connect 3 PCs in my house to each of the 3 switches in the back of the router.

Also, I mispoke earlier about one of MY PCs. I have 2 computers (that I own), although there are a total of 4 in the house. For this discussion I am only referring to my 2 PCs. The mistake I made was saying that both PCs use a "patch" cable, when in fact one of my PCs uses a wireless network card; the other PC is hard-wired with a Linksys network card.

And it is between these 2 PCs that I have used a crossover cable so that they can communicate with each other. I wasn't sure if the router could do this or not, but apparently it can with the proper configuration.

Could you tell me which method you would use to acheive my objective, which is to let my 2 computers communicate for file sharing. Please explain which method you would use and why ?

Shadey · Oct 27, 2002

if i were you, i would network all four of them.

well if u want to, you ought to be able to connect all 4 pcs together onto one lan using the router/switch, as long as it has enough ethernet ports.

once you assigned ip address for the pcs (i take it u already know how to and what ip to set or use dhcp), and given the same work group name - you should beable to at least see each pc in the network neighbourhood, you'll have to then share the drives and/or folders you want to make visible to the other pcs.

if the router/switch was a adsl/cable modem as well, this way it will allow all four pcs to connect to the internet, using NAT.