I am trying to set up a home network per to per with my old Pent 1 lap top OS Me with my main computer OS Xp home. I have intalled the Lan card in my lap top and hooked up the CAT 5 cable and even run the network wizard on both units. The when I go to check connections I get cabled disconnected. How could this be, since I have it plugged into both units and infact ran a continuity check on the cabled. Dose the Cat 5 cable have only 4 wires? How can I fix this? All I want to do is share files and print,
Thanks confused JFG

Is that cable a crossover cable?

I ask because you need a crossover to connect two like devices (ie: computer to computer or switch to switch). From the sounds of it, you don't have a crossover and will require one to connect your laptop to PC.

To Curt R,

I don't know what a crossover cable is?
What is it?
I have a CSA FT4 Cat.5 cable with two male fittings to fit the lan ports on my Cp and Lap top,one the supplier gave me with my purchase of a Lan card.

Any helps here?

Dear people,

I still can't get my home network to work. I did buy a new cable crossover as you suggested but still get an error saying cable disconnected. How can a cable be disconnected when its physically in place, does this have to be turned on in side the computers to work?

I am having the same problem. here is what I have found out to date.
You do need a crossover cable which you now have.
Both systems need to be set to the same settings for instance 10/100 turn off auto.
Some Lan cards require their own power via a lead (mine doesn't)
Each computer needs to have a different name for instance, bedroom pc and living room pc not the same but each computer needs to be logging on to the same workgroup name for instance mshome.
If any of these are incorrect you will get an error message of cable unplugged.
Hope that helps but there are still more settings to find out to make it work but the cable is only half the problem. Microsoft have a section on it but blame network cards when clearly this is an XP config fault.
Sean

Thanks for your helps Sean,

I did the above as You say and even run a dos ping check and found out Media is not working what ever that means, I also check the Bios set up to make sure my lan on board motherboard is enabled and it is.
I think now its in my used laptop connection or PC card. I think I will just forget this networking thing and use a disket to share data. the old fasion way.

Thanks again, but I give up.