New to networking

I never connected two PCs together before. Have main one running XP, second
with ME. Can I do it by using a cable between the ( otherwise unused) serial
ports ?

Mike W. wrote:
> I never connected two PCs together before. Have main one running XP,
> second with ME. Can I do it by using a cable between the ( otherwise
> unused) serial ports ?

You could but serial transfer would be outstandingly slow.

Ideally you should be using network cards which will cost you under a tenner
each and a crossover cable to connect the two , or if you want to use the
net a lot then get a router and plug the two pcs into that

--
Alex

Hermes: "We can't afford that! Especially not Zoidberg!"
Zoidberg: "They took away my credit cards!"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk
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In article <d0ulh1$2l7$(E-Mail Removed)>, Mike W. says...
> I never connected two PCs together before. Have main one running XP, second
> with ME. Can I do it by using a cable between the ( otherwise unused) serial
> ports ?
>
Yes but expect transfer speeds the same as dial up modem speeds.


--
Conor

An imperfect plan executed violently is far superior to a perfect plan.
-- George Patton

In article <d0ulh1$2l7$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Mike W."
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> I never connected two PCs together before. Have main one running XP, second
> with ME. Can I do it by using a cable between the ( otherwise unused) serial
> ports ?
>
You could, but the conection would be so slow as to be useless for
most applications. Ethernet is cheap and easy, and a lot faster. If
the machines don't have networking built in and you don't want to
open them up (although there aren't many reasons to avoid it) you
could use USB - either the USB equivalent of a null-modem cable
(which is what you'd use to connect via serial port) or by using a
couple of USB-to-ethernet adapters and "proper" network cable in
between. Or if the machines have firewire ports you can connect them
with an ordinary firewire cable (I suspect you'd need to update the
ME machine to do that). But as I said, ethernet is cheap, quick and
easy.