Well, Neo now has the brand-new NIC installed, and is sporting Windows XP. I still need to rummage around and find that extra cat5 cable that I didn't need to buy specifically but actually is what I needed for this, or go out and buy a replacement.

The other box has been officially dubbed Lord Mark, and we're contemplating putting a number of different operating systems on him. Perhaps four, actually. *ponders* Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and a Linux? Grunt, Gorge, Howl, and Killer. Killer's got to be the Linux. *snork* At any rate, we've figured out his problem -- he needs a brain transplant. That is to say, his hard drive is toast.

[Poll #266558]

Right now, Neo can only be on the network when my door is open and no one's tearing through the living room, because the cable is at just the right height to trip someone and send havoc crashing through the network (probably wrecking the switch and Tigereye's ethernet card because of the cables being yanked). *sigh*

I forsee a trip to Fry's Electronics very, very soon, like tomorrow afternoon.