Laptop & Desktop over Ethernet, help :(

Hello all, and thanks in advance for the help.

I have a HP dv2000 Notebook running on Vista and my current Desktop computer is XP with McAfee installed.
I am networking them with an ethernet cable.

I tried connecting the laptop onto my OLD XP Desktop, and it worked just fine with no settings needed.

I got a new desktop, and tried to do the same and it stopped working! I have to set up the network on the Desktop everytime I want to use the internet on my laptop.

The problem is, I take out my laptop everyday and I have to reattach it to the ethernet when I want the internet. So I keep on having to set up the network on my XP, everyday!

What is going on? Can't I set up a permanent network or something so that it recognizes my laptop all the time?

My Laptop is running on Vista and it says "limited connectivity" when I connect the cable. My current XP desktop has McAfee installed, while the old XP Desktop which worked with my laptop didn't have McAfee. Could this be the problem?


Thank you once again

 

Just wanted some clarification.

When you say are networking them, are you using a hub, switch, or router in between the computers and attached to the cable/dsl modem? Or are using a cable/dsl modem with a router built in?

Its different for each setting because we want to know what is acting as a DHCP server for your network. Is your router assigning the IP address or is your ISP assigning it? Or maybe its using APIPA, the IP would show 169.254.xxx.xxx.

As for the limited connectivity on vista, simple thing is to check your wires then also see if any of the other computer can connect to the internet. This goes back to determining how your network is setup.

Yes, McAffee does have an affect on your connectivity. Everytime you plug in the network cable, and if the ip address is different each time, it would say "New Network Detected" then you must choose trusted or don't trust. Then also Vista will ask you if its a Home, Work, or Public location. Make sure you have gone through these settings.

My suggestion would be to install a wireless router and have your desktops connect to the router directly with ethernet cables, and your laptop connect via wireless.

Hope this helps

 

Hello and thanks for your reply
I am using ethernet and the only things I want to connect now is my notebook to my desktop.

I have my IP settings automatic on the laptop, how do I change the McAfee settings so that the IP is the same all the time?

I dont think the problem is related to the laptop, the laptop's able to connect to other ethernet cables that are connected to other Desktops (i've tried people's houses)


So the main problem now is McAfee changing my IP all the time (MCafee is on the Desktop which is running on PC). hope you can help, thanks

 

You may need to add a trusted zone in ZoneAlarm for your subnet.