i was trying to do a direct parallel cable connection with two notebooks with start>connect to>show all connections>network tasks>create a new connection. the notebook i have set as the host became inaccessible after reboot. (the direct connection was unsuccessful). after reboot windows will only show the page where i am supposed to log-on as a user but the problem is there are no user to choose from. the only option is to turn off the pc. anyone please help. Joel

Do you have an Xp install CD? if so........ Go into your BIOS and set CDROM as 1st Boot Device, save settings and exit. Put your Xp CD in the drive and reboot. Once at the Xp setup screen make as if you were doing a fresh install, then select the partition/drive Xp is ALREADY on, and hit Enter. You will then see a message along the lines of "Xp already detected on this partition, would you like to repair?" Yes, you would! If you have problems booting from the Xp CD, you need to d/load the 6 Xp startup floppies from Microsoft.com (make sure you get the right set, Pro or Home) and use those for the initial boot process. They do the same thing, take you to the Xp setup screen where you will be then asked to insert your CD.