DCC (Direct Cable Connect)Equipment and requirements
Can I have some help please. I have a new laptop and I want to transfer some of my files from my main computer like my family tree maker to my lap top, the man in the shop gave me a lead and I put each end in the computer and laptop computer, Now what do I do?
Here is an excellent article about using DCC (Direct Cable Connect) to couple two computers with a $6 cable. The rest is contained in Windows already so there is no need for expensive software to move or copy files from one computer to another. In these days of large files, this is an excellent way to move photos, databases and applications (before installing) from one to another. The article can be seen at:
http://portablelife.com/newsletters/issue/0,1332,150,00.html
Network Neighborhood is *required* if you are to use the DCC (direct cable connect) and it MUST be on the desktop.
I presume by "lead" you mean cable. Does this connect to the printer port on each machine. If so, what you are about to do is called Direct Cable Connect. I use it all the time for moving and copying files between the desktop and the laptop. First I would suggest that you go to Start, Help and search for Direct. Look for Direct cable Connect as one of the entries. Click on it and read/print it out. It will definitely help in setting up. The next is to check in the Start/Programs/Accessories for the Direct Cable Connect icon and double click on this. It will have to be set up as either the host or the guest. The one on the other machine will then have to be set as guest or host depending on what is on the first machine. Next you will have to set up sharing. Again, the help is probably the best source for descriptions on how to go about setting up sharing. If you do not have the correct Network drivers installed, you will not have the option for sharing and you will need to select these from the Network setup in Control Panel.
Once you have them both setup, you activate the host machine, then the guest and it will go find the folders that are shared (set it up with the entire drive shared so that you can see everything between machines) and you can copy or move files to either machine. I would suggest that you use the right mouse button to drag files as it will offer a menu for move, copy, create shortcut. If you use the left mouse button, usually it will only create a shortcut and you won't have the file on the second machine that you wanted, only a shortcut that is not accessible when you disconnect the cable.
Data Transfer
From one PC to another
With Windows 95/98 its not necessary to buy any other program. Both have the Direct Cable Connection. If you go to the Help for windows, and search for Direct, it will give you all the information on connecting two computers via a cable. Be sure that you get the proper cable though. For the parallel (printer) port, there is a cable called either Lap Link cable or now its also found as a File Transfer Cable. I paid 4 or 5 dollars for mine and use DCC all the time between my laptop and desktop. Its reasonably fast and of course cheap as its already part of windows. If you don't have it available under the Start/Programs/Accessories/Communication, you will have to install the DCC program from your windows CD or the Cabs on your hard drive. Very easy to do from the Control Panel, Add/remove windows, windows tab.
You can also purchase a program called PC ANYWHERE by Symantec and you can do the same thing at home between the old and the new. Hook both computers up and then hook them together and you can upload or download from one computer to the other. The only thing you need to do is install all of the programs that you have onto the new computer and then back up all of the programs onto the first (old) disk and then download them into the new computer.
The Wilson's wrote
Someone here was asking how to transfer things from an old computer to a new one. TechTV's Call for Help has an article about that and makes it pretty easy to set up.
http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,24330,3316458,00.html