How to Connect a Laptop to a PC Via Ethernet Cable
- Small Business |
- Business Technology & Customer Support |
- Laptops
Related
- How to Remove the Finder Toolbar
- How to Delete an Ad Hoc Network
- How to Hide & Unhide the Taskbar
- How to Change a Macintosh Network Name
- How to Set a Proxy Server or a Gateway for a Wi-Fi Connection
Transferring files from your laptop to a desktop PC is simple usually. If you are visiting a customer's or vendor's site, the IT staff will usually help you connect to their network and transfer files to the desired destination. That is, if they have an IT staff and a network. Since most business computers have some type of Internet connection, sending a file or two as an email attachment is another answer, unless the individual files exceed the size limits imposed by the company's email server. Whatever communication problem you run into, carrying an extra crossover Ethernet cable along with your laptop can keep communications going.
1
Insert one end of the crossover cable into the laptop's Ethernet port. Either end of the cable can be used for either computer.
2
Put the free end of the crossover cable into the port on the PC's Ethernet adapter.
3
Click the Windows Start button on the laptop.
4
Click Control Panel in the main menu.
5
Type network in the search box in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel pop-up window, and click the Network and Sharing Center heading in the window's main panel. If your Control Panel window is set to Classic View, double-click the Network and Sharing Center icon.
6
Double-click the Unidentified network icon in the map at the top of the Network and Sharing Center main window.
7
Move the mouse pointer over the name of the desktop PC and double-click to make the connection.
8
Enter a username and password for access to the desktop PC if prompted.
References
- Microsoft: Connect Two Computers Using a Crossover Cable
- Conniq: Cat 5 Wiring Scheme
Tips
- If the message, Network discovery and file sharing are turned off appears in the Network Sharing Center window instead of a network map, click the button for network discovery and the button for file sharing located below the network map to turn them on. Enter your username and password if you are prompted by the User Account Control settings on the laptop.
- At first glance, it is difficult to tell the difference between a standard and crossover Ethernet cable. If you are in doubt about which kind you have, hold both ends of the cable side-by-side with the locking pins facing the floor. Compare the colors of the pins. The conductor colors on both ends of a standard, commercial straight-through Ethernet cable from left to right are: white/orange, orange, white/green, blue, white/blue, green, white/brown, brown. On a crossover cable, one end of the cable will be wired, from left to right: white/green, green, white/orange, blue, white/blue, orange, white/brown, brown.
Writer Bio
Finn McCuhil is a freelance writer based in Northern Michigan. He worked as a reporter and columnist in South Florida before becoming fascinated with computers. After studying programming at University of South Florida, he spent more than 20 years heading up IT departments at three tier-one automotive suppliers. He now builds wooden boats in the north woods.
Related Articles
I Cannot See My Laptops in TeamViewer
How to Connect a Dell Laptop to a Router With WEP Encryption
Activating Wireless on a Laptop
How to Use Internet Explorer With a Netgear Wireless USB
How to Ping a Computer Behind a Router
How to Connect a Linksys Wireless-G Adapter to a Belkin Wireless-G Router
How to Make Windows Not Go Into Sleep Mode
How to Hook Up a Microphone and Headset to a Computer
How to Connect to a Computer's Network Drive in Windows 8
How to Remove the Finder Toolbar
How to Delete an Ad Hoc Network
How to Hide & Unhide the Taskbar
Most Popular
- 1 I Cannot See My Laptops in TeamViewer
- 2 How to Connect a Dell Laptop to a Router With WEP Encryption
- 3 Activating Wireless on a Laptop
- 4 How to Use Internet Explorer With a Netgear Wireless USB