Connecting two computers

I have a laptop running XP Pro and I have a desktop running Windows 2000. How do I connect them? Can it be done? The laptop connects to the Internet via a wireless card (Next G card). I want to connect the desktop to the Internet via the laptop.
My efforts so far. I have a crossover cable connecting the two computers. I set the IP Address on laptop to 192.168.0.1, IP address on desktop to 192.168.0.2. Subnet mask on both machines are set to 255.255.0.0.
What next? Please treat me like a dope and give detailed explanations - I am not a computer expert.

 

so does that mean you have a wireless router?
couldnt you buy a wireless card for the desktop?
if you brought a wireless card for the desktop then you could connect alot easier than going through the laptop.
lodore

 

If that is the set up you wish to use. Then I would do it this way. Set your NICs to obtain your IPs` and DNS servers automatically. Then go into Settings\Control Panel\Network Setup Wizard. XP should be able to do the rest. At the end of it running it will ask you if you wish to run it on other PCs`. Select no sense the Network Setup Wizard will not work on 2k. Restart both machines, the XP one first. Hopefully within a minute or so of them being up and running they should acquire their IPs` and DNS servers and you should be good to go. The Wizard dose not work 100% of the time and I have made some assumptions on your setup, so let us know if it works for you.

 

Hello,

Here's everything you need to know about connection sharing:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813936/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813937/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813938/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813939/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813940/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814003/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814004/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814005/

Mrk