After you configure and connect the two PCs, you can begin using Direct Cable Connection. The following section explains how set up the host and guest.
Setting Up the Host and Guest
The first step in using Direct Cable Connection is to set the host to begin listening for a connection on the appropriate port. Then, you set the guest to attempt a connection to the host. To start Direct Cable Connection on either the host or the guest, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, and Direct Cable Connection.
The first time you run Direct Cable Connection a wizard steps you through the process of configuring the PC as either a host or guest. Select either the Host or Guest option button, then choose Next.
Next, the wizard prompts you to select the port to use for the connection. Choose the appropriate port, then click on Next.
If you're setting up the host, the wizard asks you if you want to use password protection. If password protection is enabled, the guest must specify the correct password to connect to the host and use its resources. To enable password protection, place a check in the Use password protection check box, then click on the Set Password button. The wizard displays a simple dialog box in which you enter and verify the connection password. When your password settings are ready, click on the Finish button. Direct Cable Connection will initialize the port and begin listening for a connection from the guest.
If you're setting up the guest, the wizard prompts you for the port to use, just as it does when setting up the host. After you select the port and click on Next, click Finish to attempt a connection to the host. Direct Cable Connection will initialize the port and attempt a connection to the host. While it is attempting the connection, you should see the message Verifying user name and password on the host as well as the guest. When the connection is established, the guest begins searching the host for shared folders. If no connection or browse errors occur, a window containing all of the shared folders appears on the guest. The next section, "Using Shared Resources," gives you a brief explanation of how to use those shared resources. If Direct Cable Connection is unable for some reason to browse the host for shared resources, Direct Cable Connection on the guest PC opens a simple dialog box that prompts you to specify the name of the host PC. Type the name of the host computer, such as DESKTOP, then choose OK.
If you close the shared resource window on the guest, you can cause Direct Cable Connection to browse the host again by clicking on the View Host button on the Direct Cable Connection dialog box.
Q: When I try to connect to the host, the guest can't automatically browse for shared folders on the host. Direct Cable Connection prompts me to specify the name of the host. Is there some way to make it browse automatically?
A: If you have more than one protocol bound to the Dial-Up Adapter on the guest or the host, the multiple protocols could be preventing Direct Cable Connection from browsing the connection. Reduce the protocols for the Dial-Up Adapter on the guest to only the NetBEUI protocol, then try again (the system will have to restart after you change protocols). To remove a protocol, open the Control Panel and double-click on the Network icon. Select the protocol from the list of installed components, then click on Remove. Click OK to close the property sheet.
If reducing to one protocol on the guest doesn't enable the guest to automatically browse the host, try removing all but the NetBEUI protocol for the Dial-Up Adapter on the host, then try the connection again.
Q: Direct Cable Connection is unable to connect, and I'm sure the cable is OK. What else could be wrong?
A: Open the Control Panel and double-click on the Network icon. Verify that the Dial-Up Adapter is installed and has the right protocol bound to it (Microsoft strongly recommends NetBEUI). Also, verify that NetBEUI is defined as the default protocol for the Dial-Up Adapter. To do so, click on NetBEUI -> Dial-Up Adapter, then verify that the appropriate client is enabled on the Bindings page. Then, click on the Advanced tab and place a check in the check box labeled Set this protocol to be the default protocol. Close the property sheet and let Windows 98 restart. Then test the connection again.
Using Shared Resources
You can use folders on the host from the guest without mapping a guest drive ID to the remote folder. When Direct Cable Connection establishes the connection, browses for resources, and displays a window containing those resources, just double-click on the shared folder you want to use. Its files and sub-folders will appear in a window just as if you were browsing through a folder on your own system.
If you want to associate a drive ID on the guest to the shared folder on the host, use one of the following techniques: