Hi, im after some help in setting up a semi-temp home network - basically set my PC up so people can conect thier pcs in to game and share internet access. I have on-board ethernet LAN, i picked up a LAN cable and a PCI LAN card for a mates pc to try and set up. When ever i boot up my XP PRO gets stuck where the the blue bars cycle (but they dont freeze) which i found was due to the cable being plugged in. When it does boot properly it picks up the LAN connection on both machine (100mbps) but games wont detect each other - ive tried the wizard to setup a home network with no luck. Am i doing something wrong or do i need more hardware or software?

First off, you will need a crossover cable to directly connect the NIC's of two PC's. That could be your problem right there. A crossover is wired differently than a regular network cable. A regular network cable will only work with a hub or switch between your two PC's. So there are your choices. Buy a crossover cable (cheap) or get a router or switch (more expensive than a crossover cable) and get a 2nd network cable for the other PC.

Thanks for that, so if i have a standard LAN (i.e. needs a hub) the computers will still see each other but cant talk, is that right?