help with 2-way home LAN

What router do you have?

If it is a simple internet router, then it will have 4 ethernet ports on the back. You plug in the one computer to one port, plug in the other computer in another port. Use straight cables, not crossovers.

To allow file sharing and printer sharing between computers, right click "My Computer", go to "properties", then the "Computer Name" tab. Then click the "change" button, and in the "workgroup" box, enter a name for your network. This has to be the same on both computers.

For a multiplayer LAN to now work, simply start up the game of choice, create the LAN server (which obviously varies from game to game) and then make sure the windows firewall is not blocking it. It will be if you have not allowed it. Then check the list of servers to join on the other computer, and it should be listed there.

That is about as complicated as it gets, it's fairly simple to do.

cool, thanks alot.

well, I set up the router no problem in about 5 minutes, now I'm stuck trying to get some multiplayer going between my two rigs. I figured I'd try Quake 2 first, but I can't figure it out. Anyone have some suggestions? I start a server on my main rig which is in Port 1 of the router, and then try to join the server with the second pc on Port 2 but the game doesn't come up on the list, even when I hit refresh a few times. Don't forget, I'm a total noob when it comes to networking, so don't be too harsh!

ok we'll start from the beginning...the second computer sees the internet right?

yeah, that part was easy...

ok did you set up a network? ( instructions were in a previous post)

you should see the other computer on it

yeah, I setup the network, and can see both pc's. But how do you use the Shared folder? I enabled file sharing on both pc's, but I can't figure out how to move files from one pc to the other. But I'd rather figure out the gaming before that issue...