From the Start menu, select Control Panel or Settings, and then Control Panel.
 Enter the name of each computer and the name of the workgroup


The name of each computer should be unique, but the workgroup name must be identical for both.
 From the Control Panel, double-click Network Connections, and then connect the computer using the crossover cable.


If either machine's status is shown as "Disconnected", the cable is either not firmly seated or bad.
 Right-click the icon for the network connection, and then select Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Windows Firewall Settings.


In the Windows Firewall Settings window, click the Exceptions tab, and make sure that Printer and File Sharing is selected.
It may take some time for the computer to obtain IP addresses and appear in the Network Connections window.
Note: if you're connecting two Windows XP computers, you'll need to do the above steps for both computers.
Open the Control Panel.
Double-click System, and then select the Computer Name tab.
Set up the network connection.
Enable file sharing.
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