Yes, you can connect the network cards with a cross-over cable and run a network between a Windows 95 computers and a Windows XP computer.  As you have seen, the Wizard will not work with Windows 95.  You can set it up manually, however, by using the tutorial at www.homenethelp.com

Note that if you are going to be switching back and forth between connecting to the internet and connecting to the other computer with the same network card, you will have to reconfigure the network settings each time.  The easiest solution would be to purchase a router and share the internet connection with both computers connecting to the router and the router connecting to the broadband modem.  An alternative would be to install 2 network cards in the computer that connects to the internet and use Windows built-in Internet Connection Sharing.

Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the link, though I'm having trouble finding the actual tutorial for hooking them up and configuring my machines to communicate, is that on that site?  I really appreciate your help.

PJ

In the lower left hand corner of the big box it says - Networking Computers .......Windows TCP/IP file sharing tutorial.  Click on that link.

Steve

It should be very much the same.

Steve

Thanks, Steve... I'll give it a shot.  I'm concerned about making myself vulnerable to the net once this is set up, you said though to reset things to the way they were before, right, when I'm done transferring files?

You're a great help, thanks for being there.

PJ

It's difficult to say what went wrong, since I cannot see all of your settings.  Did you assign IP addresses to each computer? 

Steve

Well, I followed all the directions and it didn't work

When connecting to the internet your computer is assigned an IP address from your ISP.  But you are not doing that.  You are connecting two computers together directly to make a local area network (LAN).  Thus you need to assign you computers unique IP addresses on the LAN.  The tutorial covers that.  You need to assign 192.168.100.1 to one computer, for example, and 192.168.100.2 to the other computer.  Again, this should be covered in the tutorial.

Steve

No, how do I do that?  I thought the IP address was assigned through your ISP. 

PJ

Thanks, Steve, I'll give that a try, I must have missed that in the tutorial, thinking it was only for setting up an internet sharing network.  Thanks again!

PJ