Data Transfer

I have a new desktop running XP. It is a dell. I have an old laptop running 95. there are a couple of important files that I need to transfer. Will it work if I use an ethernet cable from one to the other? If not, how can I do it?

 

Floppy disk or a USB stick would be easiest. Otherwise, if those are not options, the cable you need is called a "crossover" cable. Looks like a normal network cable but some of the internal wires are connected different for a direct connection between computers.

 

If that usb or ethernet? B\C wouldn't be easier to create a workgroup? or is that only possible in XP?

 

It can be done using a crossover cable, a type of ethernet cable designed primarily for what you want to do. If you have a router at home (or where-ever these PC's are) you could set up a small network with file sharing and copy them over that way. You could burn the data to a CD, or put it on a floppy if it's not that much info. You could compress the info using WinZip or TUGZip or WinRAR, and send it as an attachment to yourself via email. Set up a new email address at Yahoo or Hotmail or whatever, then send the attachment to your regular email address and open the attachment on the XP PC (or whatever PC you want to put the files on). There's a bunch of ways to do this, I've listed the easiest....

NOTE: Personally, I've never used the cross-over cable method myself, so I wouldn't be much help in a step-by-step....

 

Unless it is a HUGE amount of data, more than enough to fit on a CD or two, setting up a network is probably the MOST difficult way to transfer data.

Now, if you wanted to set it up for future use, however...

 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-crossover-cable.htm
http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1147604&page=1
http://www.astahost.com/info.php/data-transfer-between-laptop-desktop_t11913.html

Here's some links that you may find helpful if you're going with the crossover cable....