network Dell PC with Laptop

Hi. I have two Dell Desktop PC's one is a Dimension 2400 and the other is a
Dimension 8100. Both have onboard 10/100 LAN Ethernet sockets.

I have tried linking up my Toshiba Laptop which has a Ethernet 10/100 PCMCIA
Card with ordinary Cat5 patch cable directly without any routers from
Toshiba Laptop to Dimension 2400 and link lights come on and I can network
fine between the 2.

Come to doing the same on the Toshiba to the Dimension 8100 and its a
different story. I have no link lights and windoze reports that the network
cable is unplugged.

I haven't tried a crossover cable or adaptor yet because I haven got one but
if this is the issue why would I need a crossover cable or adaptor for the
dimension 8100 but not for the dimension 2400. That's what I cannot fathom
out.

Thinking that the onboard Ethernet socket on my 8100 was faulty I went out
and bought a Ethernet PCI internal card and stuck that in. But still the
same thing. No lights and network cable unplugged in network connections in
windoze.

Any Ideas please?

Thanks,



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"Andy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43fa5d84$0$27800$(E-Mail Removed) om...
[snip]
> I haven't tried a crossover cable or adaptor yet because I haven got one
> but if this is the issue why would I need a crossover cable or adaptor
> for the dimension 8100 but not for the dimension 2400. That's what I
> cannot fathom out.

A crossover cable (or a straight cable plus adaptor) is "correct" for a
direct connection between computers. Some NICs are able to detect and adapt
to the cable type, so a straight cable may work even though it isn't
"correct".

Alex

In article <43fa5d84$0$27800$(E-Mail Removed) >
Andy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Hi. I have two Dell Desktop PC's one is a Dimension 2400 and the other is a
> Dimension 8100. Both have onboard 10/100 LAN Ethernet sockets.
>
> I have tried linking up my Toshiba Laptop which has a Ethernet 10/100 PCMCIA
> Card with ordinary Cat5 patch cable directly without any routers from
> Toshiba Laptop to Dimension 2400 and link lights come on and I can network
> fine between the 2.
>
> Come to doing the same on the Toshiba to the Dimension 8100 and its a
> different story. I have no link lights and windoze reports that the network
> cable is unplugged.
>
> I haven't tried a crossover cable or adaptor yet because I haven got one but
> if this is the issue why would I need a crossover cable or adaptor for the
> dimension 8100 but not for the dimension 2400. That's what I cannot fathom
> out.
>
> Thinking that the onboard Ethernet socket on my 8100 was faulty I went out
> and bought a Ethernet PCI internal card and stuck that in. But still the
> same thing. No lights and network cable unplugged in network connections in
> windoze.
>
> Any Ideas please?
>
I expect the 2400 has an autosensing NIC that can tell whether it needs
a straight or crossover connection and acts accordingly.

"Andy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43fa5d84$0$27800$(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Hi. I have two Dell Desktop PC's one is a Dimension 2400 and the other is
a
> Dimension 8100. Both have onboard 10/100 LAN Ethernet sockets.
>
> I have tried linking up my Toshiba Laptop which has a Ethernet 10/100
PCMCIA
> Card with ordinary Cat5 patch cable directly without any routers from
> Toshiba Laptop to Dimension 2400 and link lights come on and I can network
> fine between the 2.
>
> Come to doing the same on the Toshiba to the Dimension 8100 and its a
> different story. I have no link lights and windoze reports that the
network
> cable is unplugged.
>
> I haven't tried a crossover cable or adaptor yet because I haven got one
but
> if this is the issue why would I need a crossover cable or adaptor for the
> dimension 8100 but not for the dimension 2400. That's what I cannot fathom
> out.
>
> Thinking that the onboard Ethernet socket on my 8100 was faulty I went out
> and bought a Ethernet PCI internal card and stuck that in. But still the
> same thing. No lights and network cable unplugged in network connections
in
> windoze.
>
> Any Ideas please?

You may already know this but with my Acer laptop, the NIC seems only to be
checked for a connection when it POSTS.- plugging the network cable in at
any point after POST or with the machine booted up and it remains dead
"cable not connected"..

Otherwise perhaps your NIC is dead, or disabled?!

Tim..

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have a feeling now it must have an
autosensing onboard NIC then and that must be it.


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"Rob Morley" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> In article <43fa5d84$0$27800$(E-Mail Removed) >
> Andy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > Hi. I have two Dell Desktop PC's one is a Dimension 2400 and the other
is a
> > Dimension 8100. Both have onboard 10/100 LAN Ethernet sockets.
> >
> > I have tried linking up my Toshiba Laptop which has a Ethernet 10/100
PCMCIA
> > Card with ordinary Cat5 patch cable directly without any routers from
> > Toshiba Laptop to Dimension 2400 and link lights come on and I can
network
> > fine between the 2.
> >
> > Come to doing the same on the Toshiba to the Dimension 8100 and its a
> > different story. I have no link lights and windoze reports that the
network
> > cable is unplugged.
> >
> > I haven't tried a crossover cable or adaptor yet because I haven got one
but
> > if this is the issue why would I need a crossover cable or adaptor for
the
> > dimension 8100 but not for the dimension 2400. That's what I cannot
fathom
> > out.
> >
> > Thinking that the onboard Ethernet socket on my 8100 was faulty I went
out
> > and bought a Ethernet PCI internal card and stuck that in. But still the
> > same thing. No lights and network cable unplugged in network connections
in
> > windoze.
> >
> > Any Ideas please?
> >
> I expect the 2400 has an autosensing NIC that can tell whether it needs
> a straight or crossover connection and acts accordingly.


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