Cross cable network problems

I've been trying to network 2 PC's together with a cross
wired Cat5 cable. (XP to XP Pro, Win95b to XP Pro, XP to
Win95b)
I've managed to get one of the Win95 PCs to see itself
but not the other machine; same for the XP home machine.

The XP Pro and the other Win95 PCs can't see themselves or
search for other computers in the work group. Access to
the network is denied.

The XP Pro machine shows a speed of 10Mps when plugged in
to either the XP Home or the Win95 Pc. The Home and
Win95 had a speed of 100Mps when connected together.

I've checked the cable to make sure it has good continuity
and all firewalls are off.

Do I need special software to run the crosswire (Ethernet)
connection?

Thanks in advance for any help.