Right, so as you should all know, I'm now at uni, and I've sucessfully connected to their internet, but have a few strange problems.

Firstly, my desktop will only connect using a PCI card ethernet adaptor and not the motherboard one. My laptop won't connect at all. I know these work because I have networked them together previously.

If I connect my laptop and desktop together, my desktop will lose internet connection even though it still says it's connected to the uni connection with "Local and Internet". Internet connecton sharing is currently disabled, and I am not trying to bridge the connection (just want a private file network for my lappy and desktop).

Any ideas?

Urm, I don't know much about networks, but maybe something odd is happening meaning it can't connect to two different networks at the same time with only one card?

I know that the dongle thing I have for my laptop can't connect to two networks at once (my bro's comp and the internet).

A device can only belong to one network at a time. If you read, there are two here, I don't know why its doing that, is it trying to bridge? Are there any in your network adapter list?

It's not bridging AFAIK, it just loses the internet, even though it says that I'm still connected to "Local and Internet" networks.

With no internet does the private lan work?

Also, patch or crossover cable?

The private LAN does work, just my computer loses internet.

And I don't know what cable, the colour order of the wires is the same at each end, if that helps.

Any updates on this?

Nah, I got bored trying to fix it and just live with it, lol.