Vista - Networking Win Vista Home Premium and Win XP SP2

I want to connect my Vista notebook with my Windows XP PC using RJ-45 twisted
pair crossover cables. But even after connecting the cables to the RJ-45
network jacks , the XP says "A Network Cable Is Unplugged", but Vista detects
an "Unknown Network" and displays "Unknown Error, Windows Can't Reapir".But
as soon i replace the Vista laptop with my friend's XP Laptop, my XP Pc
connects easily and says "Local Area Connection Is Now Connected", and i'm
able to share files and use TCP/IP applications like multiplayer games.
I found something written on this newsgroup about the same problem, but i
was unable to completely understand them.So, someone please help me out in a
solution.
I'm a beginner at networks.