Cant get comps to network

my laptop and my desktop through a 2way cable enthernet cable i am sure it is crossover one computer has a realtek rtl8139 the other has Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit
i tried the standard xp procedures and i shut off norton and windows firewall and none of my shared files show

 

best to use a hub.
www.practicallynetworked.com

free visual aid in home networks

 

i dont want to get a hub as this is just to sync my laptop and desktop not permanent

 

You need to post more information.

XP Home or Pro?
What are your IP addresses?
What happens when you ping by computer name? By IP?

 

Make sure your computers are in the same workgroup. In Xp, this is done in the properties of My Computer, and on the identification tab of the NIC's properties in Win9x. If you DO have a 9x machine in this setup, you want to enable printer and file sharing, if you haven't already. Again, this is done in the properties of your network card. Press the print and file sharing button. Then find the files you wish to share, right click them and select sharing (and security -XP). Check the box beside share this folder on the network and these folders should appear in My Network places (network neighbourhood -9x).