If I connect my laptop directly to my desktop with an ethernet cable would I be able to use the laptop to access files on the desktop?

 

You will need a crossover cable, not a regular cable.

 

ok, thanks

 

If you have a regular cable laying around you can make a cossover cable by switching around 2 of the wires. I did that myself when hooking my laptop to my pc....

 

How do you do that?

 

Crossover cables have the 1st and 3rd wires (counting from left to right) crossed, and the 2nd and 6th wires crossed. You can modify one, but for about 6 bucks you can go to Radio Shack and get one. You can also get an adapter that plugs onto one end of a regular cable and crosses it there. Wally World prob has them too. And since they are less than $25 you can just steal one.......

 

If you have one of the later model laptops, you won't need a crossover cable - the laptop NIC will do it for you.

I know Dell D400s, D600s, D800s, D620s, D420s, D820s, etc. do it...

 

Newer computers crossover cables aren't necessary. For $25 you can buy a router and share this files that way and let the router do the work for you..

 

I tried that too but cant get it to work. When I go the my network places on my laptop I can see the desktop but it tells me that I dont have privaleges. And the laptop isn't showing up at all on the desktop.

 

ahhh the joys of network computing with XP Home.

 

enable guest account in windows, then when connecting, if a usename pw pops up, type guest in username leave pw blank.

Try to turn on netbios to allow computers to see eachother.

Might be harder if they arent in the same workgroup.

go into cmd prompt and find ip ( ipconfig /all )
then you can connect with ip if you cant browse for computer
ie... start run ... \\192.168.1.16 or \\computerA

 

Would I be able to connect my Dell D505 laptop to my older Compaq computer and get files from the laptop to the home computer?

My laptop has Windows XP Professional and my home computer has Windows 98 SE.

I have a bunch of pictures from my wedding that had been emailed to me from my manager at work on my laptop that I want on my home computer. What would be the best way to do this?

 

If you can get the two machines to see each other ...

 

How hard would it be, or would it be impossible?

I have not had much experience in connecting computers together. I have done this once in a lab when I was at ITT Tech, but the computers were ancient and we used a serial cable. I can't remember what we done now though.

 

Well you could download a copy of UltraVNC (Free).

Buy a cross over cable.

Make sure both machines have Ip address that talk to each other and connect from one to the other with the VNC software.

Gets rid of the networking shares and rights. Granted it is only a temporary fix but it should be fine for transfering pictures occasionally.