Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Two laptop/desktop connection queries

This is topic Two laptop/desktop connection queries in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-19-2004, 06:02 AM:

Firstly, a friend would like to be able to connect his elderly Windows 98 laptop to a new XP desktop in order to back up the laptop's contents onto the desktop's hard disc. The laptop has no Ethernet, USB or IEEE1394 interface, meaning that the connection will have to be made via a parallel to parallel or serial to serial direct connection.

I know that Windows 2000/XP supports both types of direct connection straight out of the box, and that it's simply a question of setting up a new network connection and the appropriate file sharing/permission settings on each PC. What I don't know is if a Windows 98 machine can talk to an XP machine in that way, if additional software is needed or if it's simply impossible. The laptop is of insufficient spec to upgrade the operating system, so that's not an option. All suggestions gratefully received.

The other problem I've had is in trying to make my XP laptop use my XP desktop's ADSL internet connection. The two are connected by an Ethernet crossover cable, and swapping files between them in this way (using MS Windows networking) is no problem. I've using the 'connect to the Internet via the local network' wizard in network connections, without any luck. I've also tried disabling the Windows firewall and Zone Alarm on both machines, also to no avail (so I guess it isn't a firewall setting which is causing the problem).

Many thanks in advance...

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 04-19-2004, 06:47 AM:

For your Internet issue...
Go to the network card properties on your XP Desktop.
On the adapter your DSL connection is using, click on "Enable Internet Connection Sharing". It has been a while since I used this, but I think I remember that it prompts you to load your Windows CD in so it can copy some files and then do a customary reboot.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-19-2004, 04:24 PM:

What Mike said... or, much better, buy yourself a cable/dsl router (they're cheap) and use that to share your internet connection, while benefiting from the router's firewall.

Windows 98 supports the same direct connections (null modem, etc.) that Windows XP does. If I remember correctly it is actually the same software.

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 04-19-2004, 06:21 PM:

Many years ago there was a program called Lap Link that you put on both computers, and used a null modem cable to connect the computers together. I don't know if this program is still for sale.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-19-2004, 06:34 PM:

http://www.laplink.com/

Laplink works fine. It's not free though, and is overkill for what you want to do.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-19-2004, 07:02 PM:

Blow $5 and purchase an adaptor that permits him to hook up his laptop hard drive directly into his desktop. Much faster.

Posted by Rob Butler (Member # 2274) on 04-19-2004, 07:06 PM:

That's a good idea Brad, I've done it with the hard drive from my broken mp3 player. The problem is though, you have to take the hard drive out of the laptop to do it, and if you don't know exactly what you're doing, it's really easy to destroy the laptop.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-19-2004, 07:08 PM:

Null modem cable and terminal program that supports xmodem or zmodem. Total cost: about $5 (less if you make the cable yourself or can borrow one). Not pretty, but it would work.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-20-2004, 01:52 AM:

quote: Brad Miller
Blow $5 and purchase an adaptor that permits him to hook up his laptop hard drive directly into his desktop. Much faster.

That's definitely something I wouldn't recommend for any sort of incremental backup. It's certainly not much faster either, by the time you remove the drive from the laptop (not a trivial task on most good laptops, easier on crapier laptops to make servicing easier), put it in the desktop machine, back the stuff up, remove it from the desktop, and then reinstall it in the laptop, you'll wish you had've just bought a PCMCIA network interface card for the laptop.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-20-2004, 02:04 AM:

quote:
Windows 98 supports the same direct connections (null modem, etc.) that Windows XP does. If I remember correctly it is actually the same software.

Thanks Daryl, that's what I wanted to hear. The laptop in question is a late '90s IBM with something like a 4gb disc in it, and the total volume of document files to back up can't be that big, so I'd rather not operate to extract its hard disc if there's a viable alternative. I've had a direct parallel port connection between a desktop and a laptop running at around 3-4mbps before, so that's what I'm going to go for, in the first instance at least.

quote:
Go to the network card properties on your XP Desktop.
On the adapter your DSL connection is using, click on "Enable Internet Connection Sharing". It has been a while since I used this, but I think I remember that it prompts you to load your Windows CD in so it can copy some files and then do a customary reboot.

Will try tonight - many thanks.

Posted by Trevor Bailey (Member # 75) on 04-20-2004, 02:02 PM:

I have used the method Brad mentioned on a regular basis for system cloning. I've also used a 2.5" external hard drive case with a USB 2.0 connection as well. But for backing up 4GB, I think I would go with the ethernet PC Card option. 3Com etherlink PC cards are available on eBay for less than $10 and it also gives one the option of using the laptop for surfing. I have successfully used an Orinoco Silver 802.11b wireless PC card in a P133 Hitachi E-series and an IBM 760 (P166) series. But of course, the PC on the other end also needs a wireless connection or needs to be connected to wireless gateway.