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Home computing - Need fast data transfer

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Old Jun 11, 2006 | 11:11 AM
  #1  
seventyseven250's Avatar
seventyseven250
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Home computing - Need fast data transfer

I'm trying to transfer a large (500Mb) amount of data from my desktop computer to my laptop. From what I've read, it sounds like I need to do one of two things:
1) build a home network with a "reversing" USB or LAN cable
2) Upload to an internet site and then download onto the laptop.

I have fast internet availible on either computer, so if I can find a good internet hard-drive that's probably the easiest, since I don't have the nessesary "reversing" cables handy. I don't mind if it takes a while to do the transfer, I've got all day.

Both computers are running WinXP.
Any thoughts?
 
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Old Jun 11, 2006 | 11:42 AM
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I would suggest a couple things that could save you a lot of money:

Do you have a CD burner on the desktop? If so, just burn the file to a CD-R and copy the file from the CD to the laptop

Or, and my favorite, is pick up a USB thumb/flash/whatever-you-want-to-call-it drive. Get one that's 1GB or so in size. That way you can copy the file do the drive then transfer it to the laptop via USB.

Hope this helps!
 
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Old Jun 11, 2006 | 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Caplax40
Or, and my favorite, is pick up a USB thumb/flash/whatever-you-want-to-call-it drive. Get one that's 1GB or so in size.
If you don't plan on having to transfer files between computers often, the usb thumb drive is your best bet. Usb 2.0 supports 480Mb/s. 4 times what a 10/100 network is capable of. But please note, reading and writing to hard drives is what will determine how fast you can acctually transfer. Still much faster than copying to/from a cd.

I see that you have 3 office depot's in Calgary. You can pick up a usb 2.0 1GB flash drive for $81.77can or less. They usually have one with a instant rebate/mail in rebate combo that you can pick up for half price.
 
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Old Jun 11, 2006 | 01:46 PM
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I'd go with either the flash drive or a network. You didn't mention how far apart the computers are or what type of "fast" internet you have--the computers aren't already connected by cable or wireless already, are they?
 
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Old Jun 11, 2006 | 09:59 PM
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I was in the same predicament so I just bought a Nexstar 3 enclosure fopr $40.00 at Memory express.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/index.p..._menu=103&SID=

USB to the computer you need to hook up to as it reads it as another Hard drive
 
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Old Jun 12, 2006 | 11:41 AM
  #6  
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One other thought. Does the desktop have an ethernet card? Does the laptop have wireless or ethernet? If so, go out and buy yourself a router for your high speed internet. It will allow both machines to share the internet connection and will give you a home network in one shot. If the laptop has wireless, make sure the router also has wireless. Wireless at home is great.
 
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Old Jun 12, 2006 | 11:48 PM
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another solution is to get a crossover network cable
 
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Old Jun 13, 2006 | 04:55 AM
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If you use wireless make sure you configure your system properly using MAC addresses and keys or you will be inviting the entire neighborhood to check out the files on your machine and use your Internet connection. Encryption keys are no good alone, they can be broken quickly by many programs.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2006 | 04:17 PM
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From: State of Misery (Missouri
Originally Posted by seventyseven250
I'm trying to transfer a large (500Mb) amount of data from my desktop computer to my laptop. From what I've read, it sounds like I need to do one of two things:
1) build a home network with a "reversing" USB or LAN cable
2) Upload to an internet site and then download onto the laptop.

I have fast internet availible on either computer, so if I can find a good internet hard-drive that's probably the easiest, since I don't have the nessesary "reversing" cables handy. I don't mind if it takes a while to do the transfer, I've got all day.

Both computers are running WinXP.
Any thoughts?
500mb is considered relatively small these days, unless your using dial up. Your reversing cable, is listed above, properly, as a crossover cable.
You state you have fast internet available on either computer, but how? DSL, Cable, etc.
Computer specs (network card, wireless network) do you have a router, or switch?
You probably already have what you need, and don't realize it.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2006 | 06:46 PM
  #10  
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From: Calgary Canada
Just thought I'd come back in and answer some of those questions.

My "fast" internet is Cable. The two computers are as close as you want, since one is a laptop, say . . two feet? Niether one has a wireless card, although I would love a wireless network in my house, it's not on my shor tlist of geeky projects right now.

I do have a router, but there is something very wrong with it, or with how it's set up, since I can't seem to get both computers to work on it at the same time. Assuming I did, and that's not nessesariliy going to happen, would I then be able to transfer from one to the other?

BTW, my short term needs were met by a USB keyfob drive thingy that someone brought over. I just transferred onto it, and then plugged it into my laptop. Pretty simple.
Thanks for all the help guys. Does anyone want to come over and fix my router? I'll buy the beers.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2006 | 07:26 PM
  #11  
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From: State of Misery (Missouri
Originally Posted by seventyseven250
Just thought I'd come back in and answer some of those questions.

My "fast" internet is Cable. The two computers are as close as you want, since one is a laptop, say . . two feet? Niether one has a wireless card, although I would love a wireless network in my house, it's not on my shor tlist of geeky projects right now.

I do have a router, but there is something very wrong with it, or with how it's set up, since I can't seem to get both computers to work on it at the same time. Assuming I did, and that's not nessesariliy going to happen, would I then be able to transfer from one to the other?

BTW, my short term needs were met by a USB keyfob drive thingy that someone brought over. I just transferred onto it, and then plugged it into my laptop. Pretty simple.
Thanks for all the help guys. Does anyone want to come over and fix my router? I'll buy the beers.
When you say router, are you talking the cable modem? (don't consider it a router for terms of this discussion, if so, you'll see why later).
If you have another router, don't be to quick to blame that, Your running XP.
Do you have the firewall tturned on?
How do you have their net access configured?
Do you have internet connection sharing turned on?
There are still potential issues here.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2006 | 09:03 PM
  #12  
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It's probably a Link-sys router (or a hub.)

Some salesmen can make a Hub sound like a Router.

77, you just need to set-up your Workgroup / Home network.

These guys have already mentioned what you need.
You either do it thru a Router/Hub/USB/Enclosure and the cables to use

Check into "setting up a network" in your windows help section.

If that router was $50.00 or less chuck it.

Get a D-Link
 
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