lan not workin>

[Luke]

iv play'd games using lan at a buddies of mine but never actually done it on my comp, so i though id try it. my friend gave me a cable and i hooked it up to my comp and my laptop, i went to the lan menu in a game on both comps but there was nothing there, i clicked refresh lis5t, still nothing. i started a game on one comp with slots open for people to join but there was still nothing to join. do u have to activate lan on ur computer or something that i don't know about.

 

[Vaanish]

You connected the two computers directly? You used a crossover cable right? Not a normal ethernet cable?

 

[Luke]

i think its just an ethernet cable, my friend said thats what i need. Whats a cross over cable?

 

[Kharn]

OK a normal straigt through network cable is for connecting to a router or switch, WHAT YOU NEED is a cross over cable it allows data to go from one computer to another.

Normal cat 5.

YOU--------------------------------------------------------Friend
YOU--------------------------------------------------------Friend
YOU--------------------------------------------------------Friend

Crossover Cat5.

You--------------------------\ /-----------------FRIEND
You---------------------------X------------------FRIEND
You--------------------------/ \----------------FRIEND

Basically a normal cat5 will try to send data to your friends computer on the same wire as your friends will, a cross over cable makes the data from your out wire connect to his in and his out go to your in. bad explanation but its the best i can give right now.

 

[Vaanish]

Yeah chris is right, crossover cables are for connecting like components, normal ethernet cables are for connecting unlike components.

Ethernet Crossover Cable - DIY How-to Guide

^ It is possible to mod a normal ethernet cable into a crossover one.

 

[Luke]

my friend still says i only need the cable i have, he has never heard of this crossover cable. he not a noob either (he's 36) where can i get a cross over cable. ncix is where i usually shop (im from canada) and i have never saw one on the site.

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

ok, unless you have auto-sensing NIC's on the computers (not sure if the NIC's on PC's have this feature, but I know some switches & routers have ports that do this) you will need a crossover to connect 2 hosts directly.

Connect the computers together.... on BOTH, go to START > RUN > type 'CMD' hit enter. On the command promp that opens, type IPCONFIG, and note down the IP address. From the computer you are on, try to ping the other computer.... type 'ping [ip address of other pc]' and hit enter...

Ex: ping 192.168.1.1

If you CANNOT ping, then the PC's are NOT physically connected. If you can't ping, check to see if there is a static IP address setup on each one.... if there is, change it to auto-obtain one, with DHCP. If you STILL can't ping, then you will need a cross over cable, or a small crossover adaptor.

If you CAN ping, check the game readme's.... some games need you to require you to install IPX protocol's on the PC... only one I can think of off the top of my head like that is Starcraft.

 

[Luke]

it doesn't show an ip address, my other comp is on vista, could that be the prob, i tryed to ping from the comp with vista on it but it said "ping ftransmit failed error code 1231, what does that mean. does that mean that im using a ethernet cable and not a crossover cable, i don't know what a crossover cable looks like so i don't know. i searched crossover cable on ncix and found one for $4, i'll just order one, it shouldn't cost to much shipping.

 

[Kharn]

It's the wireing that differs in cross over cables other than that they look identical to a normal cat5.

This is a wiring diagram for a cat5 cross over.

And this is a normal cat5.

As you can see to look at identical it's just what wire leads to what pin on the end of the cable.

 

[Luke]

i looked at my cable and it says cat5 on it, so its a ethernet cable. well at least i know its not a cross over before i go a buy one, thanks.