| My new laptop is fantastic, with it's nice new | | | | together with a "Cross Wired Network lead" and |
| squeaky-clean operating system it runs like a | | | | a copy of "Networking Computers for Dummies", |
| dream. But it wasn't long before I had to face the | | | | but unfortunately my old dinosaur of a computer |
| technical challenge of getting all my old data from | | | | does not have a network card! Network cards |
| my old desktop computer (which was bursting at | | | | are cheap enough but I still don't want to spend |
| the seams with data!) onto my new laptop.I was | | | | any money on this old computer and really don't |
| also intending to format and give away my old | | | | fancy fiddling around inside the desktop. Although |
| computer, so I could not afford to lose any of | | | | it does sound good to be able to connect the two |
| this data in the process.I sat down at my old | | | | computers together and transfer the data |
| computer and listed all of my important files to | | | | through the cable.This is when I came across a |
| assess exactly what and how much data I | | | | very handy cable called a USB Data Link Cable. |
| needed to transfer over to the new | | | | Apparently I can just plug one end into the USB |
| laptop.Including my pictures, MP3's, Office | | | | port on my old PC and the other end into the |
| documents, work backup's and so on, I was | | | | USB port on my new laptop and then as if by |
| looking at transferring about 20 Gigabytes worth | | | | magic, I should have a USB Network between |
| of data, it seems to build up so quickly! Thank | | | | both computers. Now this sounds more like it! |
| goodness for my new laptop's 100 Gigabyte Hard | | | | Both my computers have USB ports and even |
| Drive, which will allow me to transfer all of my | | | | though my old computer is USB1.1 and my new |
| data to it and still have room for a lot more. I | | | | laptop is USB2.0 the cable should work anyway, |
| know that the main application programmes | | | | although the transfer rate will only be at the lower |
| (Word, Excel and so on) from my old computer | | | | USB1.1 speed.After finding more about this cable |
| will all have to be reinstalled on to the new laptop | | | | on the Internet I found out that it is also known |
| from their original install disks, but how do I get all | | | | as a USB File/Data Transfer Cable. Once |
| the rest of the data over to the new | | | | connected, the transfer of data is done quickly |
| laptop?Floppy disk? - no way, even if my laptop | | | | and effortlessly by simply dragging and dropping |
| had a floppy disk drive I would need about 14,000 | | | | files from one window to another, just as you |
| disks!CD or DVD? - Both my new laptop and my | | | | normally would when moving files around on your |
| old computer have CD ROM drives, to get all my | | | | system. So I ordered one online right away.The |
| data over using CD's I would need about 30 disks | | | | USB Data Transfer Cable arrived the next day |
| as well as some software to package all the data | | | | and I got down to the business of getting the |
| up nice and tidily across the 30 disks, viable but a | | | | thing to work, the hardest part was working out |
| lot of work and time needed. DVD's would be | | | | the blatantly "translated" instructions. All I had to |
| better but my old computer does not have a | | | | do was install the included software from the CD, |
| DVD drive! There must be an easier way.USB | | | | once only on each of my computers, then plug |
| Memory Stick? - Not really a viable option, the | | | | the cable into a USB port on each computer and |
| maximum capacity of the USB Memory Stick that | | | | run the software. Two Windows Explorer type |
| I can afford is 512MB, so this would require about | | | | windows appeared, one showing files on the |
| 40 swaps from the old computer to the new and | | | | laptop and the other showing files on the PC, then |
| as my old computer is only USB1.1 which | | | | I simply dragged and dropped files between the |
| transfers at 1.5 mega bytes this process is going | | | | two computers.I was amazed, this USB cable |
| to be possible but really slow.Networking? - | | | | solution was fantastic. |
| Apparently I could network my two machines | | | | |