HOW TO BRIDGE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TWO COMPUTERS

If you own a small business, or even just for the family, connecting all your computers is the best way to share data and resources without hassle.

Basically, you have to connect your computers together beforehand so you can all access each other’s information – that is if you don’t hide secrets from one another. Hence, this is also a way to prevent members of the family from hiding secrets and tighten their relationship

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These simple instructions will show you two different methods on how to connect a private network between two computers so you won’t have to worry about sharing data next time.

Method 1: Using an Ethernet port

Plug in an Ethernet cable. Two computers that don’t have access to shared network can be bridged directly together using an Ethernet cable connected between the two computer’s Ethernet ports. Though most computers will automatically configure the Ethernet network through the Auto-Medium Dependent Interface Crossover or Auto-MDIX, some computers still require a “crossover cable”. It is a special cable that is reversely wired.

Note: All Ethernet ports have both inputs and outputs. The crossover cable is designed so that the input from one computer connects to the output of the other.

Method 2: Using a crossover cable for connections between different versions of Windows (Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8)

Step 1

Connect the two Windows computers using a crossover cable.

Step 2

Open the Network and Sharing Center.

Step 3

Click the “Start” button at the bottom left corner of the home screen, and click the Control Panel.

Step 4

In the search box that appears, type “network” and click the previously opened Network and Sharing Center.

Step 5

Select your network. It can either be a Home network, a Public network or a Private Network. In the network map at the upper part of the Network and Sharing Center window, double click the unidentified network icon.

Note: If you have more than one network, the unidentified icon will be named as “Multiple Networks” instead.

Step 6

Make sure to enable network discovery.

Note: If network discovery and file sharing are both turned off, in the Network, click the information bar containing the message: Network discovery and file sharing are turned off. Network computers and devices are not visible. Click to change… Then, click the “Turn on network discovery and file sharing”.

These are only two of the many ways you can connect your computers together, but these are the two which are most commonly used. Instead of hiring computer programmers or IT experts just to connect your computers, do it yourself while following these simple steps. You can save time and money on IT. Why hire an expert if you can do it on your own and feel like an expert yourself?