# Transfer files from old comp to new comp?



## Quasqueton (Jul 2, 2004)

OK, thanks to y'alls advice, I have a cool new computer to replace my 5-year-old-used-to-be-cool computer.

What is the best/easiest way to transfer files from the old computer to the new?

Quasqueton


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## Hand of Evil (Jul 2, 2004)

1. Hardcopy - CD or DVD
2. Network


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## Quasqueton (Jul 2, 2004)

New computer has a CD-RW. Old comp has just CD-ROM.

Both computers have Ethernet cards, but the cable modem is plug into the card of the new computer.

I could disconnect the modem long enough to transfer the data, but how does one go about networking these two together?

Quasqueton


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## Breakdaddy (Jul 2, 2004)

If you dont have a switch or hub then you will need a specialized cat 5 ethernet cable called a crossover cable. It would be much easier to obtain a hub and just plug both PCs into the hub via standard cat5, give them their own IP address and do a peer to peer transfer of files across the network. Failing that, you can use a hot pluggable removable storage device for relatively small files like a 256 meg or more jump drive or a usb powered zip drive. If all else fails, take the CDRW out of the new box and temporarily place it in the old box long enough to do some quick and dirty file transfer...


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## Quasqueton (Jul 2, 2004)

How does one "easily" obtain a hub, and how easy is it to give IP addresses?

How easy is it to just take out the old HD and put it in the new box? I've been told that was an option.

Quasqueton


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Jul 2, 2004)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> How easy is it to just take out the old HD and put it in the new box? I've been told that was an option.



 You can pull the old HD, put it in the new PC as a secondary drive, and just leave it as such, pulling files as you need them. You'll need to mess around in the BIOS a bit, but it's a fairly simple process (well, simple in theory, but too complex for me to detail here without seeing your PC in front of me)


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## kdanger (Jul 2, 2004)

Depending on how much data you are talking about... USB flash memory key?


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## Scotley (Jul 2, 2004)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> How does one "easily" obtain a hub, and how easy is it to give IP addresses?
> 
> How easy is it to just take out the old HD and put it in the new box? I've been told that was an option.
> 
> Quasqueton




First, USB drives are the wave of the future and if your files are under a 128 mb or so then the easiest way to do things is buy one and use it. Even a 256 sized one is less than $100 and 64 mb ones are less than $30 at your favorite local office supply store. These little things are great and all you have to do is plug it into an available USB port and start copying files on to it. Then plug it into the new machine and copy again. Its a lot less hassle than CDR or even various networking solutions. Its also very fast and even a cheap one will hold more than 40 floppy disks worth of stuff. The only drawback is if you have some really big files you want to copy. These things are also called key drives because they are about the size of a car key. If you don't have the money or the files are too big or you old machine doesn't have USB ports then try swapping drives. 

For my money nothing beats pulling the old drive out and dropping it in the new machine. If you are at all comfortable with a screwdriver it is a painless operation on modern computers. 

A quick google search should lead you to several detailed explainations of the proceedure. Look a couple of these up and make sure you understand it before you start. Note details like the way cables are turned and how jumpers are set before you pull them. My summary below covers the high points, but read a more detailed one before you start. It varies a little depending upon the computers, but the steps are:

 Open the case of the old machine and find the drive you want. Take out the little screws holding the drive in place (many nicer cases include a little drive cage that allows you to remove the drive without taking out any screws). Disconnect the two cables attached to the drive. Typically this is a wide ribbon cable that connects to the motherboard and a little power connector that connects to the powersupply. 

Once you get the drive out open the new case and look for a spare ribbon cable and power cable like the one you just removed. Be very careful hooking up the ribbon cable as you can bend the little pins. It should only go one way because of a little plastic tab on the connector, but if you don't have one there is a little stripe on the ribbon. That side of the cable should be closest to where you connect the power cable to the drive. 

If you plan to just keep the old drive in your new machine then find an empty drive slot and use those little screws to secure it to the new case. 

However, if you don't plan to keep it in the new machine you can safely run the machine with the cover off and the drive perched securely where ever it will fit that doesn't interfere with the fans. This is not really a good idea, but it is the easiest way to do it if you are only going to have the drive in long enough for a one time file transfer.

A couple of things that might cause trouble--if you don't have a completely free cable you will have to deal with master/slave issues. The easiest way to do this is to disconnect a CD/DVD drive and then plug in the hard drive. Take off the power cord too. Then when you are done just plug it back up. Modern computers can adapt to the removal and reconnection without incident. Older machines are more tempermental. If you are going to have the old drive on the same cable as some other drive in the new machine then you'll have to learn about slave/master and cable select setups. Again google is your friend and its not that hard. 

Once you get the old drive in the new machine just crank up explorer and start copy and pasting from old to new. Your drive letters may not be what you expect, so a little searching may be in order. 

If you screw up you are unlikely to do any permanent harm, just be sure you take some notes or even some digital fotos to be sure you can put things back *exactly* the way they were. 

Good luck. If you run into any trouble I'll be checking this forum for a few days and try to bail you out. 

Scotley


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## Breakdaddy (Jul 3, 2004)

Sounds like we all like the jump drive (key drive, usb removable media) idea, it would be easiest. As far as slaving in the secondary hard drive, that is an option as long as the new box can read the filesystem on the old machine (if its an XP box, it probably will unless the old box is a 'nix machine). Just be careful, Ive seen old HDD's go out pretty quickly when not properly handled, but it should be fine. The hub idea is possibly a bit more than you need to do since you seem to be unfamiliar with windows networking options. Its never a good idea to fool with those unless you know what you are doing, lest you nullify your broadband connectivity by mistake. Hubs/Switches are widely available at best buy (et al) for a small price (10-50 dollars for a 4 port). Again, not your best available option, considering your familiarity level with the networking aspect on the windows computing environment.


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## WingOver (Jul 3, 2004)

Quasqeton, I agree with the last few posters.  Get yourself a USB storage device.  Many are small enough to fit on keychains. 

If your old computer has windows XP on it, it will automatically recognize the USB device (otherwise buy one that comes with a driver CD).  Just plug it into your USB port and it will be recognized as another drive letter.  Then copy stuff onto it, go to your new computer and plug it in, move the data off and repeat.

I know guys at work who put whole projects (docs or software) on these things.  Its a convenient way to physically transport data.


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## Aeolius (Jul 3, 2004)

Apple has addressed this rather well: Setup Assistant


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## Krieg (Jul 3, 2004)

Personally I would just take the old HDD, put it in the new machine & do a direct drive to drive transfer. It'll be the fastest method by far.

Scotley did a reasonable job of explaining how to do so above. 



			
				Scotley said:
			
		

> First, USB drives are the wave of the future and if your files are under a 128 mb or so then the easiest way to do things is buy one and use it. Even a 256 sized one is less than $100 and 64 mb ones are less than $30 at your favorite local office supply store.



Actually the prices are currently even lower.

128MB = $29
256MB = $59
512MB = $99

(give or take $10 or so on the above given the manufacturer & reseller)

There is also a 6GB(!) USB drive, but it would currently set you back about $1600 which is probably a tad more than you want to spend!


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## reapersaurus (Jul 3, 2004)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> What is the best/easiest way to transfer files from the old computer to the new?



It's critical for us to know how much (approximately) data you are looking to copy.

If it's in the multiple-GB range, just swapping in your old HD in the new computer is the best.

If it's small (1/2 a GB or so, the memory stick is the best approach.


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## drothgery (Jul 3, 2004)

Krieg said:
			
		

> Personally I would just take the old HDD, put it in the new machine & do a direct drive to drive transfer. It'll be the fastest method by far.



I don't know about that; I was going to do that when I got a new PC a few months ago, but my old PC had a rather odd bracket for the hard drive, and I couldn't figure out how to get it out. I ended up just shuffling things between them via a USB key, but I think picking up a crossover cable would've been a better idea.


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## Krieg (Jul 3, 2004)

drothgery said:
			
		

> I don't know about that; I was going to do that when I got a new PC a few months ago, but my old PC had a rather odd bracket for the hard drive, and I couldn't figure out how to get it out. I ended up just shuffling things between them via a USB key, but I think picking up a crossover cable would've been a better idea.



Reapersaurus had a very good point regarding the quantity of data being transferred is important.

More than a couple of gigs makes using a USB drive a pain in the butt.

Depending on what operating systems he is using a direct connection via cat5 can also be a bit of a pain depending on the user's knoweledge base.

Regarding the HDD bracket, it not strictly necessary to remove the drive from the bracket, as long as you can get the bracket out of the old machine. Since data transfer is the only goal, it's not mandatory that he be able to put the old drive in a new drive bay. He only needs to be able to get it connected to the IDE & Molex connectors.

All of the various suggestions will certainly work, the original poster just needs to find out which set of pros & cons he is most comfortable with.


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## drothgery (Jul 4, 2004)

Krieg said:
			
		

> Regarding the HDD bracket, it not strictly necessary to remove the drive from the bracket, as long as you can get the bracket out of the old machine. Since data transfer is the only goal, it's not mandatory that he be able to put the old drive in a new drive bay. He only needs to be able to get it connected to the IDE & Molex connectors.



Y'know, I never even thought of that. I certainly wasn't going to keep the old HD in the new system, as an extra 10GB on a box with a 120GB HD is of little use, so spending a few minutes copying everything with the cases open would have been just fine.


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## Quasqueton (Jul 4, 2004)

The old machine runs Windows 98. The HD is only 3G, and is maybe 80-90% full. The data to be transfered is a small percentage of this -- maybe, at most, 500M. Quite possibly only 100M.

As for my technical expertise. . . I used to be quite handy on and in a computer. But I haven't been inside the box or software in several years, so my skills are old and only half remembered. I'm not afraid of going inside, or going through the operating system to configure something, but I must have the steps and proceedures listed (or given by something like a setup wizard).

Thanks for all the advice so far. I've found some step-by-step guides online (now that I know what proceedures to look up).

Quasqueton


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## Scotley (Jul 4, 2004)

drothgery said:
			
		

> Y'know, I never even thought of that. I certainly wasn't going to keep the old HD in the new system, as an extra 10GB on a box with a 120GB HD is of little use, so spending a few minutes copying everything with the cases open would have been just fine.




Yes, if your cables are long enough you can perform this operation without removing a drive at all. Saves time and hassle and to my way of thinking you are less likely to make a mistake, or drop one of those little screws... I hate that.  :\ 

Scotley


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## Aeolius (Jul 4, 2004)

You could always invest in a 15 GB iPod  , which can double as a FireWire or USB 2.0 hard drive.


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## Breakdaddy (Jul 4, 2004)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> Apple has addressed this rather well: Setup Assistant




If only it wasnt otherwise a paperweight that would be brilliant


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## Fenlock (Jul 5, 2004)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> The old machine runs Windows 98. The HD is only 3G, and is maybe 80-90% full. The data to be transfered is a small percentage of this -- maybe, at most, 500M. Quite possibly only 100M.
> 
> As for my technical expertise. . . I used to be quite handy on and in a computer. But I haven't been inside the box or software in several years, so my skills are old and only half remembered. I'm not afraid of going inside, or going through the operating system to configure something, but I must have the steps and proceedures listed (or given by something like a setup wizard).
> 
> ...




Windows98 had/have some trouble with usb, so be sure that your installation supports usb before you purchase a pen. 

Otherwise you could transfer the cdrw drive from your new to your old machine, and burn cd-rom backups of your files.


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## Breakdaddy (Jul 5, 2004)

Fenlock said:
			
		

> Windows98 had/have some trouble with usb, so be sure that your installation supports usb before you purchase a pen.
> 
> Otherwise you could transfer the cdrw drive from your new to your old machine, and burn cd-rom backups of your files.




This is only partially true. Windows 98 SE will easily handle almost any USB jump drive with the proper installation driver (normally included with the Jump Drive!). Having said that, some of the non SE win98 installations have been known to flake out on USB peripherals.


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## Quasqueton (Jul 5, 2004)

Well, hell. Open the boxes to put the old HD in the new box, and found out that the new box doesn't have a cable for a slave HD. The HD cable has just one connection besides the one for the motherboard. 

Found out that Windows XP has a "Help and Support Center" built in to help folks like me transfer files from the old computer to the new. I just needed a 9-pin serial cable. Went to four stores - Walmart, Office Depot, Officemax, and Best Buy - no one had a 9-pin serial cable. The guy at Best Buy said the connection could be made with a parallel cable, so I got one and brought it home.

Luckily, the XP Help and Support Center said that this should work. I hooked up the cable, turned on the old computer, and walked through the steps to set up the connection. Seemed to be easy. But nope, the connection didn't work.

At the end of the Help and Support Center page on making a parallel connection, in the Notes section after the instructions, it says that the old computer has to be running Win 2000 or XP. My old computer is Win 98. Why the hell didn't the Help and Support Center say this at the beginning, before one goes through all the hook up and configuration?

Anyway. Two tries have failed.

Quasqueton


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## Staffan (Jul 5, 2004)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> Well, hell. Open the boxes to put the old HD in the new box, and found out that the new box doesn't have a cable for a slave HD. The HD cable has just one connection besides the one for the motherboard.



If you have a CD drive in the new box, you could use that cable. Or get the cable from your old box in case it allows for slaving.


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## Fenlock (Jul 5, 2004)

yeah, do as staffan said 

1. open the old box and remove the hard drive (dont worry about hard disk rails).
2. open the new box and remove the ide-cable and molex (power supply) from the optical drive (leave the optical drive in).
3. plug the cables into the new old hard drive.
4. power on the new box. the bios will probably want you to confirm the hardware change then.
5. wait for windows xp to start up and discover the old hard disk. (you might have to reboot)
6. copy all files from old hard disk to new hard disk.
7. power down.
8. remove cables from old hard disk.
9. plug the cables back into the optical drive.
10. power on again (you might have to do a few reboots for the bios and windows xp).

and all in 10 eays steps...

which (as some would probably point out) is not easy, and you have to watch out for ungrounded equipment. it is an eays way to fry something.
and secondary, you might void the varrant on your new computer if you open the case.


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