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Thread ID: 65179	2006-01-10 04:35:00	Trasnferring Data and Settings From Windows 95 to Windows XP	matty3 (5363)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
419624	2006-01-10 04:35:00	Hello there, I am trying to transfer files from my old Windows 95 computer to my brand new Windows XP computer. Windows 95 doesn't have USB or networking so I can't just conect them and go. I believe that the hard drive size on the old computer is quite small only about 1.96gb. I have used 1.83gb of it. Well that is what it tells me when I click on it anyway, although I thought it would be larger. Today we bought a new COM (serial) cable 9-pin female to female, to connect them together. It doesn't work it just stays on the screen "Connecting to the other computer" for half an hour to a whole hour. Then I finally gave up on it. It is really annoying me now. I rang up a few computer help places and they said that a COM cable is a really bad idea, but I think its a good one considering that the computer doesn't have anything else in it. There are five other options that I think I can do: Option 1. (Don't think it will work very well) Connect the old computer to dial-up and put the things on the internet and then get them off the internet from my new one. I tried some of this option today but, although I have been on the internet from my old computer before the plug will now not fit in the internet socket on the back of it so I can't connect at the moment. Option 2. (Don't think it will work very well) The old computer only has a floppy drive so I could put some things onto a floppy and then onto the new computer one by one, would take ages as there is quite a few image files. Option 3. Take the old hard drive out and then put it in the new computer and use it as a slave drive and then copy everything onto it and then put it back into the old computer. The only downside to this is that the new computer has a seal on the back and if you open the cover it breaks the seal and I think that will void the warrenty. Option 4. Take it into a computer shop and they can put the hard drive from the old computer and put it into one of their computers (so it doesn't void my warrenty) and then put all the data over a network onto my new computer. Or finally Option 5 which I quite like if it is possible. Get the old hard drive out and then buy a adaptor to go into a USB port in the new computer then put the hard drive in and then put the stuff onto the computer. Any ideas???? P.S. Does anyone know why someone wouldn't reccomend a COM cable data transfer??? ~Matt. :-)	matty3 (5363)
419625	2006-01-10 04:41:00	Have you tried the files and settings transfer wizard in XP? Is that what you tried to use? Do both have a floppy?	Speedy Gonzales (78)
419626	2006-01-10 04:42:00	option no.4 :thumbs:	plod (107)
419627	2006-01-10 04:46:00	The reason the serial cable COM trick didn't work is that you didn't get a "null modem" (or "LapLink") serial cable. The transmit wire was talking to the transmit wire and the receive wire was listening to the receive wire. No communication occured. :( (Actually, the OSs didn't even get as far as looking at that, because some other "handshaking" wires were also talking to themselves, rather than their complements). The reason why the "help places" say it's a bad idea is that it would be slow. But it would work. You probably aren't concerned about the time. You just want to do the transfers. It's a perfectly reasonable way to do it. You just wouldnt like to pay someone an hourly rate to do it. ;)	Graham L (2)
419628	2006-01-10 05:29:00	I would have thought that win95 does have networking and networking the two computers would be an easy way. If you need a network card and are in wellington I can give you one (or three for that matter). You just need to wire the computers up using a cross over cable. Otherwise I would go for the null modem cable route.	MACIAN (6176)
419629	2006-01-10 05:41:00	Option 3. Did you buy some "brand" pc? Cause most sensible PC shops don't say any such rubbish about it voiding your warranty. Or Option 5 if you have to: www.dragonpc.co.nz They are as cheap as dirt...	pctek (84)
419630	2006-01-10 06:44:00	Option 3 . Did you buy some "brand" pc? Cause most sensible PC shops don't say any such rubbish about it voiding your warranty . Or Option 5 if you have to: . dragonpc . co . nz/p . aspx?13759" target="_blank">www . dragonpc . co . nz They are as cheap as dirt . . . Umm well I didn't buy it we got it for christmas but its a nec computer . The only reason why I brought up about the warrenty is because there is a "seal" sticker underneath the switch to open up the case so I think that will do something to the warrenty if the "seal" is broken . It says on the sticker "Seek professional advice before opening" ~Matt	matty3 (5363)
419631	2006-01-10 06:44:00	Have you tried the files and settings transfer wizard in XP? Is that what you tried to use? Do both have a floppy? Yep thats what I tried. Yes both have a floppy drive. ~Matt	matty3 (5363)
419632	2006-01-10 06:46:00	option no.4 :thumbs: The only downside to that option is that they charge $90 to do that. So I was hoping to get an adaptor thinge (Option 5) to plug it in under $90 ~Matt	matty3 (5363)
419633	2006-01-10 06:48:00	The reason the serial cable COM trick didn't work is that you didn't get a "null modem" (or "LapLink") serial cable. The transmit wire was talking to the transmit wire and the receive wire was listening to the receive wire. No communication occured. :( (Actually, the OSs didn't even get as far as looking at that, because some other "handshaking" wires were also talking to themselves, rather than their complements). The reason why the "help places" say it's a bad idea is that it would be slow. But it would work. You probably aren't concerned about the time. You just want to do the transfers. It's a perfectly reasonable way to do it. You just wouldnt like to pay someone an hourly rate to do it. ;) Im not really concerned at the time it will take for me to do it. And I don't really want to pay anyone. Do you know where I could get this cable from???? (And what specific name I should ask for?) Today we got the COM cable from Dick Smiths and I was like it's to connect two computers together. So I am so taking it back for a refund!!! ~Matt :-) Edit: I think we threw away the packaging so we might not beable to get a refund :-( ~Matt :-(	matty3 (5363)
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