Windows XP forum: File Transfer from old to new

By simple I mean a "simple network connection" between two computers - all you need is either a free LPT or com port on each computer and a cable plugged into these ports between each computer - most computer stores will have one - then just run connection wizard and select the above "simple" connection.
Peter

If you're directly connecting your old comp to your new one, you've got to use a crossover cable. (Straight through cables connect PC's on a network, which it sounds like you don't have.)

See the link below;
http://support.intel.com/support/network/sb/cs-020673.htm

Go to Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc. and get a crossover cable for about $10-15 bucks, connect the two machines to one another and set up a simple peer-to-peer network and then transfer your files.

Final note: Both computers must have a Category 5 (CAT5 - also known as RJ-45 cable connection. Not the smaller RJ-11 that you'd plug a telephone modem into).

Good luck!

All right before we start getting gender confused and making snide comments about "cross dress" cabling verses straight cabling, let's get this explained. Just kidding!

The simple answer is a crossover cable is used when you are connecting two PCs together directly (NIC to NIC). You use a straight-through cable when there is a hub, switch or router between the two or more PCs (NIC-Hub/Switch/Router-NIC).

Also known as parallel ports or printer ports, LPT (Line Printing Terminal) ports are typically for connecting a printer. COM ports are simply communication ports by which the computer sends and receives communications with peripherals (such as a printer via a printer port like LPT1 or LPT2!) or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is usually assigned port number 25 for the transfer of e-mail via a program like Outlook or Lotus Notes.
Here's a link to some common (no pun intended) COM ports. http://www.iss.net/security_center/advice/Exploits/Ports/default.htm

One final note: the ends of the cable connecting the two NIC's are crossed with each other. That is to say wire #1 "crosses" over to connect with wire #8 in one end of the cable and the opposite is true of the other end of the cable.
Hope this explains it.

Yeah, for all practical purposes, it sounds like what you've created and are using is, in effect, a cross-over cable.

I know you never mentioned a straight through cable, but in the context of the conversation it seemed important to make the distinction. I didn't want the person doing the file transfer to purchase a straight through cable with the intention of connecting two PC's directly to one another.

Hi Pete

What you described is not the same. A cross over cable, be it a serial cable, parallel cable or Cat5 cable (or Cat6 cable) is a cable that has (and I do not remember which wires) some wires reversed from there normal position to a new position. This is normally what is done internally with any of the interface cards (modem, NIC's), you never see it but it is crossed over within the device being used to do the communications. If one is not using a communications device (again, modem, NIC, etc.), you must use a cable that is crossed over.

Hope this helps?

Rick

http://www.rickswebfactory.com/

If one is using serial or paralell ports to directly connect two computers with either a db9 Male/male or a db25 male/male then the cables are crossover anyway. certainly agree about difference with Cat5 cables.

Hi Retired

I have to disagree with you on the DB25 and DB9 cables. If it is used as a direct connect to another computer, they too must be crossed over to do proper communications from computer to computer. I have done enough of these to know. Why sonny we were doing this back when there were IBM Clones, with IBM DOS, using DOS.

Types of CAT5 Cable
-------------------
with CAT 5 cable there are 3 type of pin config:

1. Patch Cable (a.k.a Straight-Through Cable)
2. Crossover Cable
3. Rollover Cable

(still using the same RJ-45 jack, just the wire positioning in the pin is different)

=======================================================


Type of use for each CAT5 Cable:
--------------------------------

1. Patch : Client to Hub
Client to Router
Hub to Router
Hub to Bridge
Hub to Brouter
etc.

2. Crossover : Client to Client
Hub to Hub
Router to Router
Bridge to Bridge
etc.

3. Rollover : Only used for when configuring certain
models of Router. Few years ago Cisco System's router
still configured this way, by connecting a client
directly thru the "console" port of the router using a
rollover cat5 cable. dunno about now. while it's
possible to config thru telnet but total admin rights
in configuring is only available with this kinda
connection. In modern DSL router, if u look at the
back of it there'd also be a console port, but with weird jack... some router might still use cat5 cable with rollover pin config for Console purpose.

=======================================================


Pin Config.
-----------

1. Patch

when u compare both ends of the wire, this what u'll see:
Wire # |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
-----------------
Pin # End A |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
Pin # End B |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|

read : "The same wire on pin 1 on end A, is at pin 1 on end B. The same wire on pin 2 on end B, is......."


2. Crossover

when u compare both ends of the wire, this what u'll see:

Wire # |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
-----------------
End A |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
End B |3|6|1|4|5|2|7|8|

wires that at end A terminated on pin 1 & 2 goes to pin 3 & 6 on pin B respectively.

why?.....
because pin 1 & 2 is the receptor pin of any
respective ethernet NIC, and pin 3 & 6 is the
transmiter.
So if u connect two PCs together, it make sense to use
crossover cable, coz data that goes out of pin 1 you
channel it to pin 3 that does nothing else but to listen to any incoming data. henceforth is the other pins.
in ethernet, pin 4,5,7 & 8 are not used. in fact u can just abandon it.


3. Rollover cable

Wire # |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
-----------------
Pin # End A |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|
Pin # End B |8|7|6|5|4|3|2|1|


======================================================

That's it... thanx for reading. If this helps you,
then all i ask is ur prayer that i'd be rich soon
enuff.

anyway bill boling, ur conclusive explaination is just right. compact.

But read the other posts as well because you need the right type of cable. Once you have the cable you just need to setup windows - whether it be 98 to 98 or 98 to XP.
Regards,
Peter

i picked up a router installed it and networked the pc's the bonus is i now have a network sys in place and have multy pc's on the net killed to birds one stone

that you remove the hard disk with the files you want to move from the old computer and connect it to one of the IDE (hard disk-CD/dvd) cables in the new computer...

if you did go this way, you would need to be aware of slave/master (is the hard disk alone on the cable, or is there another hard disk or CD drive connected?) problems...

hope this helped

jonah

.

CD/DVD Drives? Not what I am looking for. Just inquiring on your profile. Campbella, CA per chance?

just hoping,

Mini

Ranald;
You state that you're not intersted in transferring the hard drive into the new computer, but you don't say if this is because you don't mean permantly or even temporarily. I've done many, many system rebuilds, new systems, etc. and I've found the fast and easiest way to transfer data from old drive to new is it simply make the old drive a slave drive and insert it into the new computer. Transfer the files across and then remove the old drive and put it back into its original PC. Quick and easy.

To use a cable hookup (whether, serial, parallel or CAT-5) means you also have to setup networking between the two systems, as well as shared folders etc. so that you can get to the files you want. If you plan on creating a network, then I'd suggest you purchase your switch, router or hub and connect the two systems, setup your networking, create your shares and transfer your files. But that's a lot of work if a network is not what you have in mind.

Do it the quick and easy way. Set the jumper on the old drive to SLAVE, insert the drive (I don't even mount the drive in a bay, just set it up on end connected to the cables) power up, transfer the files and then remove the drive. No muss no fuss!

Good luck to you.