Jump to content

calling all computer geeks


thelawgoddess

Recommended Posts

i'm hoping one of you computer geeks can spare me some research time and help me out. i have a really old desktop that i want to ditch ... but i want to save everything on the hard drive onto some cd's first. i don't have a cd-r drive on my computer but there is one on my computer at work. can i somehow hook them up and get all of my stuff transferred?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 22
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

You need to check if you have USB ports on both computers. If so, then you can do a number of things. You'll have to co-locate the computers, obviously, then connect both of them up through the USB port using a cord. It is probable (though not certain) that both computers will recognize each other through the port. You might have to initiate a USB driver.

 

My friend and I did this recently when I was doing some music recording. I initially went to his house to do some of the recordings but his CD-R crapped out before we got started. How to proceed? I knew my CD-R worked, so we uploaded all the music files--about 10Mb/minute of song--to his mp3 player through the USB port. We then went to my house with the mp3 player and plugged it into the USB port. We had to download the mp3 player's free jukebox program from the web first. With the program, my computer immediately recognized the mp3 player as a 'new drive' (which is what an mp3 is to a computer: simply a disc drive) thereby allowing an easy transfer of files onto my computer's C: drive. Since mp3 players can hold a lot of data, it should be enough for you to do the transfer. You may have to make three trips to get it all, but it should work. Or at least that is my hope, since I'm not positive mp3 players can hold files other than music files (Word docs, etc.). I don't personally have an mp3 player, so don't know all they're capable of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A digital camera with a fat memory card can also be used in the way that klenke describes, or an I-Pod.

 

If you have both computers in the same room, and they both have network cards, you could connect them straight through with a "crossover" cable($5), and make a mini network that way. I have never heard of connecting them together with the USB ports though confused.gif

 

If you are allowed, you could pull the drive out of your computer, and put it into the computer at work, temporarily.

 

Find a local friendly digital photographer who has a portable drive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another option is to buy an external hard drive. I have one and use if for backing up my music/photo files. Holds 20gigs and I paid about $70 for it on Ebay. Connects via USB, which your "old" computer might not have. They make external HDs with other connectivity.

 

I take my external HD over to friends houses sometimes and swipe their MP3 collections. evils3d.gifGeek_em8.gif

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Klenke on this one, since it requires the least amount of configuration, hardware, and time, but it IS critical you get the right cable, otherwise you'll get nowhere. The cable you're looking for is essentially a USB "crossover" cable, with a chip embedded in the cable for translating the feed. Some of the larger computer-oriented stores like CompUSA may have one, though they can be hard to find.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

or if you have broadband connection on both machines you can sftp your files over. ask computer support at work, as it may require an intermediate account which accepts remote login (like an edu account for example). sftp freeware is available on the web.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a desktop and you are getting another desktop the best thing you can do is take out the hard drive from the old computer and put it in the new one and transfer stuff to a new hard drive. You might have to change the jumper settings on the drive to make it a slave and go into you BIOS and configure the drive, but this is the best way to do it IMO. DO NOT put an old hard drive (older then 2 years) into a new computer, the things are so cheap now it is not worth the pain in the ass if the drive decides to die.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a big waste of time transfering data from one PC to another. Do as Timmy suggested, simply install the original hard drive into the new PC. The original hard drive will boot up in the new PC.

 

Also, in contrast to what Timmy said DO NOT put an old hard drive (older then 2 years) into a new computer, hard drive technology has not changed much over the years. Your original hard drive will run just fine in the new PC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just donated my computer to my favorite charity, in exchange they gave me back my old HD in a case.

 

Whatever way you do it, get your old HD back. Plug it into a new case, or another desktop computer's rack, and everything you had will for sure still be there. You just have to find it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a desktop and you are getting another desktop the best thing you can do is take out the hard drive from the old computer and put it in the new one and transfer stuff to a new hard drive. You might have to change the jumper settings on the drive to make it a slave and go into you BIOS and configure the drive, but this is the best way to do it IMO. DO NOT put an old hard drive (older then 2 years) into a new computer, the things are so cheap now it is not worth the pain in the ass if the drive decides to die.

 

Jon is thinking like me: Just make the hard drive from the old a slave drive on the new one. Copy stuff over to the new hard drive.

 

Before you remove/pitch the slave (old) drive, if you have confidential stuff on it: delete the partition on the slave drive, create a new partition to cover the entire drive, format, and copy junk stuff over to it until you run out of space, e.g. multiple copies of mp3 songs over and over... You can then delete all of that and pitch it.

 

I just did that to an old computer of mine today, cleaning its hard drive after retrieving the data. It had 166Mhz engine to it, not enough horsepower... not even for testing applications across a network.

 

Erden.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before you remove/pitch the slave (old) drive, if you have confidential stuff on it: delete the partition on the slave drive, create a new partition to cover the entire drive, format, and copy junk stuff over to it until you run out of space, e.g. multiple copies of mp3 songs over and over... You can then delete all of that and pitch it.

 

...or just smack it with a hammer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've got an old desktop. i'm going to get a new laptop eventually but in the meantime i want to store what's on my desktop onto cd's - without having to buy a cd-r drive for my old computer. i don't want my old hard drive in my new computer! i also don't want to transfer all of my old shit onto a new computer; i just want it stored so i can access it when i want it.

 

thanks for all the suggestions. i'll figure something out ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a program called PC relocator! It basically hooks up both computer via a printer cable and does all the networking setup for you. You can then pick and choose what files to relocate and send them all at once. You would have to temporarily put them on your work computer and then copy them. If you want to borrow it let me know. I'll send it down, or if you are coming close to boulder you can pick it up.

 

dale

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...