Problems bridging a Windows XP desktop with a Windows 7 RC laptop. - Hardware & Software

I've posted here before with a question similar to this. The only thing different was before it was Windows Vista, and now it's 7. After struggling to get a network bridge to work with vista, vista finally died and I had to switch to the Windows 7 RC. It took me about 3 minutes to get the bridge to work. It was awesome. Now, after many months of working, the network bridge has failed. So, instead of trying to explain the current situation and then fix it here, I'd just like instructions on how to do it from the beginning. To clarify, I have my desktop plugged into my laptop with an ethernet cable. I would like my desktop to have an internet connection, so I'm trying to bridge my laptop's wireless connection with the desktop. It worked before, but it's not now and I don't remember how to do it. So, could someone just tell me step by step how to do this, as if they were never bridged?

Are you using the same cable when you last did it?

Yes I am. I switched it to check if the cable was faulty, but it didn't work with that one either, so I switched back.

Have both the wireless and the wired connection highlighted when you're in the Network Connections screen and then right click > Bridge Connections.

Okay, I know how to do that much, but I thought you needed to fine tune it, or else it either wouldn't work, or you'd get IP address conflicts.

No you don't have to fine tune it a bridge basically exposes the out going port to the in coming port. If this is failing so much I suggest you get a pci wireless card. I personally feel that fixing this problem is a waste of your valuable time when it is so cheap to just buy a pci card. [url]http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839121008[/url]

That was actually the first thing I did, was buy a Linksys wireless card. It sucked. Real bad. So I decided to use the network bridge, which worked waaaay better. [editline]09:52AM[/editline] Well I went ahead and changed the desktop and laptop to acquire IP addresses manually, and then bridged them. Windows 7 says they're bridged, but the desktop still can't connect to the internet. [editline]10:11AM[/editline] Well now the desktop (windows xp) keeps showing one of the bubbles saying "Windows - System Error - There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network."

What system did you do the bridge on?

The 7 laptop

Just change the IP's then.

On both? Just one? What about DNS server or anything else for the XP desktop?

Just one needs to be changed. The reason being your router does not know where to currently send information. Imagine your neighbor and you have the exact same address. The mailman would not know which house to deliver the mail to. Just manually set the IP to 192.168.1.20 (Assuming your default address is in the 192.168.1.x range), put 255.255.255.0 as the netmask, and the gateway would (normally) be 192.168.1.1. (I'm assuming default values, run ipconfig to check what the gateway and network values are on either of the systems). Don't worry about the DNS but if you really feel like putting something in there, put 8.8.8.8 as the primary and 8.8.4.4 for the secondary. (That's Google's DNS server)

Would the DNS servers listed by my router be good?

Yea, that one is fine too.

Well, I set the laptop's IP address, and I created the bridge, and the desktop is still having problems. I ipconfig on the desktop, and the IP of the desktop is 0.0.0.0, and so is the subnet mask, the default gateway is blank.

do a ipconfig /release followed by an ipconfig /renew [editline]11:28AM[/editline] Also, I'm assuming that DHCP should work over a bridged network as I don't see why it wouldn't. You may want to manually set an address on the desktop just in case.

I release/renewed on the desktop and nothing changed. I do get this message though: "An error has occured while renewing interface Local Area Connection 2 (thats the desktop) : the DHCP client has obtained an IP address that is already in use on the network. The local interface will be disabled until the DHCP client can obtain a new address." [editline]01:44PM[/editline] Okay. I think It might've worked. I'm going to test it before I start celebrating with all caps. [editline]01:45PM[/editline] FUCK YEAH BITCHES IT WORKED! Thanks Specter.