Another computer related topic...

[Masamune]

Hello again all...
I've got a problem that maybe some of you could help me out with or point me to a place that could. I recently got a Dell laptop and want to transfer some files from my parents desktop to my laptop. Here's the kicker. My laptop has no serial port. It's advanced to the point where they simply got rid of it! So serial transfer out, I tried doing it over a Lan, and the computers refuse to see each other! The desktop is running M.E. (curse you to hell M.E.), and my laptop has XP pro. The two are connected using a high-speed internet wire. I don't know what it's called, but it normally runs from my cable modem to the desktop and the head is wider than a standard phone jack. I tried all sorts of programs, but get nowhere because the computers don't know that the other is there! Please help me!

BTW, the programs I tried using include WS FTP and FastLynx. Both programs are the newest editions. Thanks for reading!

[ZcMack]

to go directly between the two computers you need a crossover cable (they have them for a wild price at best buy, i think they are orange). Otherwise, you need a router or other networking device. If your laptop has wireless internet capabilities, I suggest checking out tigerdirect.com and picking up a d-link wireless router. Not the highest quality, but definitely does the trick, and at a pretty good price too.

[FDAccord]

If you have both computers on the network make sure that they are in the same WORKGROUP, the names must be the same in order for them to be able to share files. You would then have to setup a folder in which you want to share and place the folder in from there. If that doesn't work and you have both computers on the network, try running netmeeting and connecting the two computers by inputting one of the other computer's IP address in the connect box. After you connect you can send files. You can run netmeeting by going to Start > Run > and typing CONF. To get each computers IP just run ipconfig in Run > CMD. The number should be like 192.168.1.xxx

btw most crossover cables ive seen are green.. but im sure that doesnt mean shit. and dlink blows, go with cisco -- linksys.. you'll thank me later.

[Prez808]

Just wondering... What makes other routers superior to D-link's?

[Sho Nuff]

Dont get linksys!!!!

[JDMAlex]

just setup msn or aol and transfer files threw it.. easy.

[clarksterdotcom]

Dont get linksys!!!!

why?...im happy with my wireless network card, wireless router, and cable modem..they all work fine..

and you are talking about a cat5 or cat6 cable you can use that to transfer files...alright..im not sure how to get ME to detect the cat cable..but i know that XP does it automatically. basically make a LAN like you said...and make sure its computer to computer...than just setup the network and transfer files via that network connection.

[JDMAlex]

as soon as you connect the cable , restart computers.. xp should be able to pick up ME.. if it dosent

your router (if you are using one)
or
Xp has a fire wall , will need to shut them off.

[Dirty Harry]

Alright, there's at least one thing you need to do first:

Get rid of your viruses.
Virus 1: Windows Millenium Edition
Virus 2: Windows XP (doesn't matter Home or Pro, Home is even worse)

lol, I'm just messing... but seriously, ME is quite horrible, and XP isn't that far behind. MANY of you may disagree with me on that, but try getting it to perform flawlessly long-term in large Active Directory domain environments as well as 2000 Pro.

Anyway, that's off topic.

Now, start with the lowest level first. Make sure that the 2 network cards in these 2 PCs have a physical link. This can be achieved with either 2 Cat5/5e/6/etc patch cords and a hub or switch, - OR - one single ethernet crossover cable. Using the crossover cable is the easiest and cheapest way. If you really want to go low-budget, you can make your own crossover cable out of a patch cable by switching the Tx and Rx pairs. You can find a DIY guide here. They tell you to crimp an RJ45 end down on the wires after you've switched them, but this kind of defeats the purpose of low-budget need-it-right-now since you probably don't have extra ends. You can do the same thing by cutting the cable in the middle and wiring it back together appropriately.

Once you've established that link, make sure that both NICs are on the same IP network. A good suggestion for this is to use the following settings:

IP Address: 192.168.0.x where x = anything between 1 and 254
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default gateway: Leave this blank
Primary DNS server: Leave this blank also
Alternate/Secondary DNS server: again, leave this blank

The reason you are leaving those fields blank is because all you're doing is connecting two PCs peer-to-peer. There's no need for those other settings since they will not be accessing a disparate (not desperate, disparate) IP network, usually the Internet. When using Windows XP, you can change these settings by right-clicking on the My Network Places icon on the desktop (provided you have this icon enabled, it's possible to remove it from the desktop) and click Properties. Once that opens, right-click Local Area Connection and then click Properties. Scroll down the list and then double-click TCP/IP. In there, you'll be able to change the settings. I believe that you can change these settings the same way with Millenium Edition.

Once that's set, you can test connectivity by opening a command prompt and pinging the other computer. For example, if one computer is assigned the IP address of 192.168.0.1 and the other is 192.168.0.2, open the command prompt on the PC with the IP ending 0.1 and type this at the command prompt, without quotes: "ping 192.168.0.1" and press Enter. If everything is working properly, you should see something like this:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>ping 192.168.0.1

Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

Otherwise, you'll get "Request timed out." 4 times in a row.

Assuming your pings worked, now you just have to make sure Windows networking is set up properly. Unless you screwed with something, the Client for Microsoft Networks should be installed and running, so we don't have to go into that.

Windows XP gives you the ability to create anonymous-authentication network shares. This would be the easiest thing for you to do in this case, for what you want to do. Get on the PC running XP. You can make a new folder anywhere, even the desktop. Once you've done that, right click on it and click Sharing (may show as Sharing and Security, not exactly sure... I don't have XP on this machine ) In there are some very simple and self-explanatory settings for sharing that folder (you'll see a check box for "Allow network users to change my files", you want to enable this).

After all that, go to the PC running Windows ME. Click Start, and then Run. In the Run box, type this, without quotes: "\\192.168.0.1" and hit Enter. Keep in mind that if the IP address you assigned to the computer running XP is not 192.168.0.1, make sure to use the correct one... that is just an example.

After you do that, a box should pop up with the title bar showing the IP address of the computer sharing the folder you just created. You should also see an icon with the share name of the folder (would be the same as the folder name unless you changed it). Double-click that, and when it opens, it should be empty, unless you put anything in it. You can now use this to transfer files between the 2 PCs.

Let me know if you need any more help.

EDIT: Crayola-r's post reminded me of something VERY important I forgot to mention. You need to make sure that the software firewall included with Windows XP is turned off. You can turn this off by right-clicking the Local Area Connection icon like we talked about before, you should remember how to get to that. There should be a tab for Firewall or something similar. In there, you can disable it. I believe the procedure for disabling this firewall is a bit different if you have XP SP2 installed. If this is the case, let me know, and I can tell you how to do that also.

[wed3k]

Just wondering... What makes other routers superior to D-link's?

not sure but i have a SMC and it has worked great for the past couple years.

[Prez808]

Yeah been using a d-link for nearly 2 years without a hitch. Their lifetime 24/7 365 toll free tech support is nice too.

[FDAccord]

their tech support is in fucking india or some shit.. they didn't help me out at all.

[Prez808]

their tech support is in fucking india or some shit.. they didn't help me out at all.

When I've called it's been native sounding english speakers. I guess the experiences vary. Still any issue that I had was solved.

[JDMAlex]

outsourceing owns you

[Sho Nuff]

why?...im happy with my wireless network card, wireless router, and cable modem..they all work fine..

and you are talking about a cat5 or cat6 cable you can use that to transfer files...alright..im not sure how to get ME to detect the cat cable..but i know that XP does it automatically. basically make a LAN like you said...and make sure its computer to computer...than just setup the network and transfer files via that network connection.

My wrt54g usb car freezrs up my xp every 30-40 minutes, which i found out was a common problem and nobody has it fixed, and tech support gave me the cold shoulders so i purchased a dlink instead. Then my WkPC54g wireless router took a shit. So i am back using an old model linksys router until i can get another wireless one.