how to connect two laptops using lan cable in windows 8

 

Unlike peer-to-peer connections between computers and devices, a LAN cable is most commonly used for connecting two or more computers to a network. The LAN cable allows each computer to share information with each other on the same wired network. This article will teach you how to connect two laptops in Windows 8 using a LAN cable."

Lan Cable Setup:

The first thing that should be done is find out if the PC's are even compatible for the connection requirements. Here are some of the common manufacturer types of laptops: Apple, Acer, Dell and HP all make laptop models that use this type of connection ports. If you are connecting to a router then this isn't necessary but Windows 8 allows you to use a wired connection without the need for one. If the network is password protected then you will have to find out which security standard ( Wired Equivalent Privacy, WEP or WPA) is on use.

Once that is done we need to connect the Ethernet ports. To do this, you may need to push the DOCKINGDOCKING buttons on the side of your laptop, depending upon what laptop model you have. 

Once done, check that both PCs are connected using their IP's that should be displayed on both computers Property pages. If it does not shows up, you may have type in the IP manually. (This step should be done on both computers)

Windows 8: 

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The Windows 8 operating system uses Network & Internet category to manage network connections. In order to connect to a wired LAN, double-click on the Network icon in the side of the screen and click on 'Network And Sharing Center'.

Click on the settings tab that is located at the top of the page and then click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Then Check mark "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically". You can also select a different option if you know what your network is using for security. 

If your computer is set up to use a DHCP server then you don't have to make any changes.

Check mark 'Use the following IP address' and type in the IP address that you used on both computers during setup. The Subnet Mask should be automatically determined by Windows 8. Click Apply and OK for all changes to take effect. You can now click on File Explorer icon (view of files on both PC's) and it should display file folders from both laptops on the same network.

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After finishing installation of Windows 8, I wanted to connect two different laptops using LAN cable between them with each laptop connected to an Ethernet port on the router. I did not use the 'Connect to a wireless network' option. I was able to find the IP address of both laptops on the network and was able to share files between them using Windows Explorer.

To share files between computers using LAN cable, you will need to use Windows Explorer in Windows 8 as file sharing is not enabled by default.

To go to Network (LAN), click on Start screen and type in 'Network'. Click on it when found.

Click on the title bar of each computer (in my case one is named "HP" and other "Toshiba") and press 'Dock'. It should be added under Network.