From ME to XP, How to transfer?

I have an old computer that has windows ME on it and i just got a pc with windows XP on it.

I want to transfer some files from ME to XP (like pictures, documents, and the like), I've already tried using a flash drive specifically bought to transfer the files but its not compatible with ME rendering it useless.

Is there another way I can transfer these files?

Thanks for your help!

 

Networking comes to mind. I've bought network cards for as cheap as $3 each in bulk, and they are very fast. Both OSes tend to recognize any network card inserted into them, and everything is pretty much included in the OS. Either a crossover cable or a hub/switch will be needed, betcha you ask around and you can borrow one. I've paid as little as $10 for a hub, new $30. Ever mess with networks? They are useful in their own right, for things like sharing printers, scanners, hard disks, etc.

Then there is USB ports, don't know too much about the software that drives them.

 

Forgive me for not being to bright but how do you use a network card?
would i need two (one for each pc)? and how do i hook them up?

Sorry, im not the brightest crayon in the box sometimes LOL

 

You could always just take out the HD with ME on it and hook them up as secondary or slave in the XP system then just do some copy pasting, and return the ME hard drives back into the old computer once you're finished.....

 

If you have high speed internet you are mostly there already, what I'm talking about is standard hardware for it.

If you don't no big deal, you plug in a Cat5 ethernet card (aka, network card) into each computer and install it. From Win98SE on it is easy, but you do have to open the case to install the cards. Or you can use a USB network adaptor, most of these are wireless (which goes back to the high speed internet thingy), I believe you can also find wired varaties.

On both computer have network interfaces they you connect them together. In a high speed wireless environment this is already done, otherwire you have to wire them together with Cat5 cables. They can't just plug into each other (OK, mechanically they can, but it won't work), you need something to couple the two machines together, such as a special Cat5 connector or a hub/switch (or a router).

From there you allow the drive you want data from to be "shared", this is in the properties for that drive. The computer you are recieveing the data to you go to network neighborhood (an icon that comes up when network cards are installed), find the other computer, log onto the other computer's drive and cut/paste, very standard, very easy. It may sound complicated, it can be but mostly it's not hard if you take it one step at a time.

Here's the really neat thing about networks, you can permanently map the other drive on the other computer as a drive on your computer, it's like installing a 2nd, 3rd, or whatever drive on the main machine. File servers are great, and what I've described covers the basics.

If you're interested keep asking, it is a really good way of doing things like moving files, adding extra harddrives, using one printer for many computer (or one scanner, one modem, etc.). It allows one computer to share it's all with every other computer on the network.

The down side is it weakens security (not a given, but easy to do) so that 3rid parties, not all of them nice people, can also share all your resources.

This is the right place to learn it though. I'm an amature, we have MANY professionals.

I wired network cables in my house over 15 years ago. Can you tell I'm a fan? BTW, any computer with a network card installed is ready to go for high speed internet of almost any flavor. It is the prefered route to the internet for most.

 

OK, you've told me that you have DSL connected on both machines (this for the benifit of other readers), so you have a fully functional network.

Simple method:

On the machine that has the files you want go to properties of its hard drive and allow sharing of that hard drive. This will allow another computer to access it, if you do not have a router select read only, if you do select full access.

On the machine receiving the files click network neighborhood on the desktop and search for the other machine. When you find it you should see it's drive C:, just follow the paths where you want to go and cut/paste.

It may be harder than that, you may have to set a domain or workgroup name. Just start a new thead in the network forum, descibe your setup, and we'll get you going. Sound hard, but it's not.