Can't get LAN to establish full connection.

I'm trying to transfer information between my laptop and my computer through an Ethernet connection (the wireless connection works fine, but there's too much information to wait that long). Each computer recognizes the existence of the other through the physical connection. However, I'm still getting the "little or no connectivity" message when I check the network connections icon.

I had some trouble establishing the wireless connection since the desktop is running XP and the laptop is running Windows 7, so I'm thinking it has something to do with that, but I can't tell for sure.

From the XP OS, I created an Advanced connection and then stipulated that it connect directly to another computer. I've tried creating the connection as both a host and client--either way it doesn't work.

The Desktop is using an onboard Marvell Yukon 88E8056 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller.

The laptop is using an 880E8057.

Ideas?

 

Are you useing a cross over cable or relying on it to auto sense?

 

To my knowledge, it's a straight through cable. So auto sense I suppose.

 

Alright. I'm not sure what happened. It may have been a firewall problem or something, but apparently it's working now.

This is odd to me because it still has a red x on the connection icon as well as an exclamation point that tells me there's little to no connectivity.

Despite this, it's transmitting at 20 MB/s.

So....Uh, yeah. False alarm I suppose. Sorry.

 

In the future id suggest you use a cross over cable, and as it may be not auto sensing or picking that up correctly, but if its working then thats all ya can ask for eh?