xp home NIC problems i think

hi guys, please bear with me.

I have never installed a network before. I have never needed to so this is my very first try.

My first pc is running xp home with VIA Rhine2 fast ethernet adapter as its main internet connection through a single port router. According to the device manager i have another 2 network devices, one of which is always connected but i dont know to what as there are no ethernet cables plugged in at the moment.

My second pc has just a single network adapter, a SiS190 100/10 ethernet device.

Both NIC's work as i can plug them into the router and they connect to the internet fine. Like i already said though, i can only plug in one at a time.

So i unplugged the router and connected both computers via the cat 5 cable. I ran the setup a home or small office network wizard and am told that the network cable is unplugged. I tried on the 2nd pc and i get the same message. I chose to ignore the warning and ran the wizard anyway hoping that something would work but it didnt and i dont know why.

I did choose to connect to a network without internet acces as obviously the router was no longer connected.

1 - what am i to do to get this working?

2 - while its not working how can i cancel the network sharing so i can stay more secure?

Thanks. And sorry for my network noobishnes

To answer your first question, I'm guessing the 3 network connections are these:
1. Via Rhine II Fast Ethernet
2. 1394 Connection (Which is firewire)
3. Internet Gateway
The Internet Gateway connection is created when you install your router software by windows. The firewire connection may be used if you have the correct cable . . . the RJ-45 plug will not fit in the firewire outlet, different shape and size. In your case you may ignore it but it may show as connected even though nothing is plugged into it. In my case I disabled the 1394 port in Control Panel to prevent conflict with the Via Ethernet adapter. You can verify the 3 network connections by going to Control Panel and clicking on the Network Connections icon. Mostly you should leave them alone as they are normal but if you are having problems, disable the 1394 connection and be sure the Via Rhine is set as the default in Control Panel.
Alternately, a secondary PCI network card may be installed on the machine for wireless. That could also be the 3rd connection and would show in Control Panel as such.
As for connecting PC to PC, the regular Cat cable will not work. You need a crossover cable to do that. Basically a crossover cable has wires on one RJ-45 connector reversed (crossed over) to make the PC to PC connection. With regular Cat cable the wires on each end are the same. So, when you plug in PC to PC it does not detect the connection. Crossover cables are available at most computer and office supply stores located with the regular Cat cable. The cable is the same, the ends are different and that makes it work.
Most routers have 4 wired ports to connect that many PC's hardwired. With good quality routers costing $50 US I would say it is time for an upgrade in your case to suit your needs.
J.

thanks. It never even crossed my mind that it could be the wire.

As for the 3rd network interface, its not internet gateway. I have a hardware router with no drivers or software.

the other adapter is in fact called PPPoEWin Miniport made by Friendly Technologies according to device manager. I visited the website of Friendly Technologies but still i am unable to determine what exactly it does.

Nevermind. Thanks for your help. I shall go hunting for a new cable on the weekend and maybe a decent router

http://www.friendly-tech.com/Site/dialers_pppoe.htm
"PPP over Ethernet (short: PPPoE) for Microsoft Windows is a method for establishing PPP connections through Ethernet adapters and is used by many Internet Service Providers to allow authentication and maintain the familiar "dial-up experience" when connecting to the Internet through a broadband modem, mostly ADSL."
One definition.