QUOTE(Peter @ Jun 27 2003, 2:09 AM)
currently crossover, will be straight with hub, but get error even without cables
You will always get that error if no cables are connected.
You will often get that error with a crossover cable connected, if both computers are not started at the same time. Using a crossover cable is HIGHLY unreliable.
In English, the error message means "I do not see an Ethernet network, so I have shut down the Ethernet port." It happens because no network is connected or because a crossover cable is connected but no signal is coming from the other end of the crossover cable.
A crossover cable is not the same as a hub. A hub sends out a signal "You are connected to a network, so go ahead and turn on your Ethernet port."
A crossover cable does not create that signal.
Let us say you connect two computers by a crossover cable. You turn on one computer, the other computer is off. The computer you turn on does not see a signal, so it says "Oh, there is no Ethernet network, I will now turn off my Ethernet port."
Then you turn on the other computer. It does not see a signal, because the first computer turned off its Ethernet port. So the second computer says "Oh, I do not see a signal, there is no Ethernet network"--and it turns off ITS Ethernet port.
A hub will only cost you about $20, and solves this kind of problem.
