Transfering info from old-new with XP

[gr8red]

New computer...need info from old computer. Old computer isn't connected to internet, and I cannot even get the mouse and keyboard to work.
Can I go directly from one modem to another to get the info? Do I need an adapter?Card? Professional help???

If anyone can walk me through this... gr8red is my msn messenger name, or gr8red22900 on yahoo... :o

[chrisbliss18]

Considering that it sounds like you can't get the machine to work at all, you should just remove the drive from the old machine, put it in the new machine as a secondary drive, and copy the files over.

[gr8red]

I got the computer hooked up, mouse/keyboard, internet working... just need walked through what cables are needed and hoping that there is not special software that I need...or if there is, it is free.

[fry]

Hey guys, But I still couldn't understand why don't you just take HDD from old PC and plug as slave to the new one? :rolleyes:

[dcc]

Did you transfer the old hdd to the new machine? If this is the case then attach the second IDE (middle) connector to the old hdd, you will also need to change the jumper position on the rear of the old hdd from the master position to the slave position. You may need to change the BIOS to recognize the slave unit.

[gr8red]

You know what? You all have been great, but this is WAY out of my league. I have installed new video cards, and upgraded memory...but never tried to install a slave drive... I am getting confused with all the acronyms... IDE, BIOS... I don't know where to begin to do the changes you all suggested, let alone where to plug everything in.

Thanks for all your information though. :o

Edited, because, dammit, I am a smart girl, I should be able to figure this out!!! /end rant.

[chrisbliss18]

Our suggestions were just to see if you wanted to use that avenue or a different one. If you would like to try the drive swapping idea, we can walk you through the process. I know the terms and names are scary sounding, but they are just words. The actual process is quite simple.

If you don't want to do that, the easiest way to transfer the files is to either burn them onto a CD/DVD or connect both systems to a network and transfer the files over the network. From your original post, these options didn't seem to be available to you. Please correct us if we are wrong.

[gr8red]

I would welcome being walked through this!
Question... I have both computers hooked up to the internet, through the same modem... can that be a type of conduit with which to transfer these files? If not, then I will have to put the old drive in the new computer.

[chrisbliss18]

Answering the following questions will help me give advice that is tailored to your setup:

Do you use a dialup connection or a broadband connection (DSL, cable, etc) to access the internet?
Do your computers connect to a router, hub, switch, or other networking device?
Do you have a Yahoo!, GMail, or other email account that has at least 1GB of storage space?

If you need any clarification on what I mean by any of the terms I used, feel free to ask.

[gr8red]

Answering the following questions will help me give advice that is tailored to your setup:

Do you use a dialup connection or a broadband connection (DSL, cable, etc) to access the internet? DSL
Do your computers connect to a router, hub, switch, or other networking device? Router. I am going to sound dumb, but just want to make sure that I have this right. The router is what I connected to all my phone lines, right?Do you have a Yahoo!, GMail, or other email account that has at least 1GB of storage space? Yahoo!

If you need any clarification on what I mean by any of the terms I used, feel free to ask.

[chrisbliss18]

If you have a DSL setup like me, you have a modem that you connect to the phone line. You then have a CAT5 cable (line that has jacks that look like big phone plugs) that connects the modem to a router. The router connects to your computers either with more CAT5 cable or wirelessly.

If this sounds like your setup (or even if it is different but each machine can connect to the internet at the same time), then your computers should be able to see eachother on the network.

Please confirm whether or not my description of your setup was accurate. If it wasn't accurate, please elaborate upon how your computers are connected to the internet.

One final piece of information that I would like to know is how much information are you wanting to transfer over. Are you wanting to transfer a bunch of images and documents? Are you wanting to transfer all your programs? Do you want to transfer everything? Can you give me an estimate on the total size of the files that you want to transfer?

[gr8red]

That is exactly my setup. I need to transfer files. And a few diving programs.

[chrisbliss18]

Sorry... I have another question for you.

What version of Windows is on each machine?

[gr8red]

xp on both.

[chrisbliss18]

From your description, it seems that setting up Windows File Sharing will be the "easiest" method to transfer the files. I put easiest in quotes because it can offer problems at times. This guide offers a step-by-step way off sharing a folder. I'd recommend setting up a shared folder on your old computer using the guide (don't set up the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) since this will make it hard for you other computer to see the shared folder) and copying all the files you want to copy over into the shared folder. Once you have this set up, you will be able to access the shared files from the new computer and copy them over to a folder on the new system.

If you aren't able to set up the shared folder on the old computer, try setting up an empty shared folder on the new computer (make sure that you check "Allow network users to change my files"). If you set up the shared folder in this way, you will end up navigating to the shared folder from the old computer and copying the files directly to it.

If you are able to get a shared folder set up, update the thread, and I'll guide you through finding the shared folder from the other system.

If you aren't able to get a shared folder set up, we'll have to look at other alternatives.

[gr8red]

Quick question. I am sharing my whole C disk. I don't want to have to click this a million times to get what I want. I also need to do this with the other users C disks. Is that do-able?

Edited, because. Nevermind.

Edited again to say that sharing the whole C disk was useless. I cannot access any files, i.e. docs & settings, program files, etc...

[chrisbliss18]

What do you mean by unable to access? Were you unable to access the files from the other computer? If so, did you get an error? Please be specific about what problem you had.

[gr8red]

The error that I get, with some files that I am sharing is:
//Barr/taylor docs is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact administrator for necessary permissions.

It sounds like somehow these files are protected, but I cannot find out how or where to change the permissions.

I AM the admin~ so that cannot be the issue. decided not to do the C Disc ~ just to share the necessary files. I can access some, but not all.

Maybe I should just put the files that I cannot access into a folder that I know I can access? ~this. Didn't work.

Also, there are some files that I am sharing, but cannot find on the new computer. They do not show up in My Network Places.

[chrisbliss18]

Some files can only be accessed by a specific user (files on the desktop, My Documents, etc). You said that you tried copying the files that you wanted to access to folders that you could, but that didn't work, were you unable to see the files or did you receive an error when you tried to access them?

Were you able to get any files transferred over?

Which files do not show up (please be specific about their location in the directories)?

[gr8red]

Some files can only be accessed by a specific user (files on the desktop, My Documents, etc).

~ This~ I didn't know, and am changing the old comp settings from limited acct to admin on all with the hopes that when I log onto their user acct, I can transfer files. Now, when I log on the old comp in their acct, do I have to log onto the new comp in their acct also?

I can see the files on which I get the error mentioned earlier. There are some files on the old comp that I just cannot see on the new, even tho they are shared.

I have transferred quite a few... The major ones infact. Just would like others.

BTW, thanks a million for all of your help so far! :cheesy: