Connect 2 Computers Directly Using Crossover Cable
How do you connect 2 computers sometimes for file or printer sharing? Ha! It's pretty easy! You only need 1 crossover cable and 2 network cards.
This is wired connection approach to connect 2 computers directly without involving other network devices, such as network router or switch. It’s effective and simple way if you want to connect the computers temporary. If the network card on computers supports auto MDI/MDIX feature, you could use crossover or straight through network cable to connect both computers. If not, crossover cable is needed!
Let see how to do it here: Plug in network card each to computer and then connect the network cable to both computers’ network card. Yep.. we have finished the physical setup.
Now let’s proceed to install network card driver on each computer if you have not done yet and also make sure the driver is installed properly.
After installing network card driver, here comes the network configuration, let’s create a simple network by assigning following IP address and subnet mask settings to each computer's network card, so that both computers know how to talk to each other:
Computer A:
IP Address: 10.1.1.1
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: [leave-it-blank]
DNS Servers: [leave-it-blank]
Computer B:
IP Address: 10.1.1.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: [leave-it-blank]
DNS Servers: [leave-it-blank]
After assigning IP address, try to ping the other computer from command prompt, you should be able to ping each other and then sharing printers or files as you wish. Hey.. You have done… :o)