Connection to internet help. It's messing with my mind.?

[delightfultoothbrush487]

Alright. So from my router, I have an Ethernet cable that runs into my room (let's call this the main cable) that hooks into a linksys switch that splits into two more cables that each run into my xbox and one into my PC. It has worked very well until recently.

Now the router is fine, wifi works and all. And when I plug my main into the xbox it works connects to XBL and all. But when I plug my main into my computer it does not even register. It says that there is no network cable plugged in. Now here's the weird part. When I plug the main into the switch and then another cable to my PC and Xbox the xbox does not work, and the PC connects to an unidentified network and has no connection to the internet. How do I fix this?

[Fred]

It sounds like the main cable may be a crossover cable (google it). Presumably your Xbox has auto-mdix (google it) and can work with that, but your PC and switch do not have auto-mdix and cannot.

When you plug the main cable into the switch, does the link light for that port illuminate?

Look at both ends of the main cable. There are 8 wires at each end. Each wire is a different color. Now compare how the colors are arranged at each end. If they are not the arranged the same way at each end then it is a crossover cable. If it is a crossover cable you have a couple options.

You could replace the cable with a non-crossover cable.

You could cut off one end and re-terminate it to match the other end (you would need termination tools).

You could buy a crossover adapter.

You could buy a newer switch that supports auto-mdix.

If your switch has an uplink port, you could try plugging the main cable into that.