Question: I need to move a large file from one laptop to another. Can I just join the two machines with an ethernet cable and create a shared folder on my desktop or is it more complicated than that?

**Update**

Windows versions - one laptop has XP the other is Vista  

File Size - approx 10G

Answer: 
I'd rather use a portable media device like a USB HDD or USB key. You can also create a network share and then, transfer your files. It's quite easy.

Start - run: \\IP-or-computername\"Shared"

And then, paste your files.
You'd need a special kind of ethernet cable called a "crossover" cable. Far easier to borrow a hub, or use a USB stick to transfer :)