router network

[boobesque]

so i have a router with 4 ethernet ports. i can connect 2 pc's and a laptop via the ports and they can all access the internet. problem is i cant get it to allow the computers to access each other. setting up direct links to each pc without the router works fine. the workgroup name is set and file permissions etc are fine. its only when i connect to the router. i assume that there is a setting on the router or something. what am i looking for? i have searched the manual but its a bit crap

ta

[wideboy]

Try this:-

http://www.networkmagic.com/nmlp/home-networki ng.php?src=google&kw=network%20magic&gclid=CLG l0Y-t840CFRAFEgodnGmhPQ

[sparkyharky]

Any software firewall you have installed, or the router hardware firewall will need to be set to allow traffic between your own PC network.

If you have already run the Network Setup Wizard, and set File and Printer sharing up, then look at your Network Connections and see if any of the PC's can "View the Workgroup".
Bear in mind that only the "Shared Dcouments" folder on each machine will be available until you enable sharing on other folders.

[OBonio]

I thought you needed different kinds of cables for direct connections and connections to a router.

There are two basic cables. A straight through cable, which is used to connect to a hub or switch, and a cross over cable used to operate in a peer-to-peer fashion without a hub/switch. Some interfaces can cross and un-cross a cable automatically as needed.

So I suppose the question is, does your hardware support this automatic cross / un-crossing?

[fo3nix]

OBonio: pretty much all routers, to my knowledge, are auto-sensing. Even some computer ethernet cards. Mine certainly is.

I've never done with, so can't offer advise, but think wideboy may be along the best track...

[boobesque]

ill check out the link later i guess. am i supposed to be connecting to my router with crossover cables then? i have one crossover cable that i used to use to connect my 2 pc's directly. at the moment, i have one pc connected to the router with this crossover cable and the other pc and laptop are connected with a standard UTP rj45 cable (non crossover)

thanks

[fo3nix]

crossover are for computer to computer, generally.

non-crossover are for router to computer.

most routers are auto-sensing, so can do the crossing over themselves if it's required.