When you use an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to a hub, switch or router, you use what's called an MDI (straight through) cable.\n\nIn order to connect one computer to another directly, you must use an Ehternet cable with a different pinout called an MDI-X (cross over) cable.\n\nThe reason for this is because your computer is a "terminal" device.  It transmits data on a specific wire and expects to receive data on a specific other wire.  Then you connect it to a "host" device and it expects same thing, but on the opposite wires.\n\nFor more information, see the article on Ehternet on howstuffworks.com\n\nhttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/ethernet.htm
I keep getting the "Network Cable Unplugged" error with Windows XP!?