DO WE HAVE A NETWORK?

  Power-cycle both computers...  Both computers are configured and connected together with a crossover cable, right?  Shut-down and power-off both computers.  Turn one of them on and make sure it has booted all the way up to Windows.  Logon.  Go to the other one and turn it on and wait for it to boot all the way up.  Logon.

  See if network exists...  Open the Windows Explorer, find the Network Neighborhood, and click the + to the left of the icon.  You should see this after expanding icons.  If you get an error when clicking the + sign, your computer has a networking problem.  If you don't see the other computer, the network may have a problem.

On the Windows Explorer Menu click View and select Refresh.  If you still don't see the other computer, right click the Network Neighborhood icon and select Find Computer...  Type-in two back slashes followed by the other computer's name and click the Find Now button.

If that fails to find and connect the other computer, find the network adapter diagnostics program, which comes with most networks adapters, and run it at both ends of the network. Test the network at the hardware level if it has that capability.  If it passes, recheck the configurations on both computers.  In many cases, the problem is that both computers are not using the same protocol. 

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