Hi guys, really need some help here..The two are linked via cross over cable i can ping and get replies, can see the pc on both machines but on xp host can connectivity is limited and on vista client pc it is only local. what am i doing wrong? i really need this sorting quickly

ive heard that a fix can be found by bridging the two connections but they wont let me bridge them

So you have an internet connection on the XP computer and then the vista computer connected to the XP computer via crossover cable? Do you have ICS enabled on the internet connection itself (or the nic your dsl/cable modem is connected to)? Once ICS is enabled the XP machine's other NIC should get the static ip of 192.168.0.1 and start handing out DHCP addresses from that interface. If you enable ICS on the NIC going to your other system it will either bark about it or do the opposite and give your internet connection the 192.168.0.1 address leaving both systems offline.

If you have cable/dsl your modem may also act as a router and already have the address of 192.168.0.1 (many do). That can cause some confusion all around if your XP system tries to go to the internet via the gateway (your modem) 192.168.0.1 and that address is on one of its own interfaces. Most of those modems will either allow you to change the address or put the unit in a bridged mode that bypasses its router functions. This is a situation in which bridging the network interfaces would work well. The XP system would recieve an IP from the modem on its Bridge interface and would also allow the Vista system to recieve an IP from the modem directly. I believe only XP Pro and Media Center allow network bridging.

Easiest thing if your modem does also act as a router, plug cables directly into that for each pc, many routers also act as a hub/switch. If not, maybe get a small switch somewhere, connect it to the output port of your modem and connect your computers to the switch. Or if your modem doesn't act as a router, I'd suggest getting a small router that has a built in hub/switch, run your connection into that, and then your computers into it as well. That way the ISP would see what looks like only 1 machine.