VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 20 of 20
Thread
  1. Member yoda313's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    The Animus
    Search Comp PM
    I'm eventually going to replace my xp surfing/word processing pc with my dual core vista. This is due to the xp service deadline coming in april.

    My question is what is the better way to transfer data? Usb transfer cable or usb hdd?

    My reason for asking is I don't know which way is "better".

    I do paragon backup on the xp computer but this is a whole computer backup including system files. I'm looking to do in the "clear" file transfers to take the original files and folders to the vista computer.

    I'm thinking it would be quicker to do the usb transfer cable with both pcs next to each other. It would be a one time event.

    Otherwise I'd have to copy to the harddrive first and then the harddrive to the vista computer.

    Both are 32bit fyi and I don't think I need to reinstall any programs.

    Suggestions?

    I do have a free bay now in the vista computer so I could transfer a harddrive over even though the xp is pata. But I want to keep the xp computer as it is to use as a future nas.

    Though I suppose I could buy another pata drive and do the transfer internally as it has two bays on the xp machine. Than I'd just use a pata to sata cable adapter that I have and simply swap the drive into the vista after copying.

    Keep in mind it is a small harddrive on the vista - 60gbs or so I think.

    I like the idea of getting another internal and transferring that way.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
    Quote Quote  
  2. Banned
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Freedonia
    Search Comp PM
    You can't really connect 2 PCs via USB. Perhaps there is some kind of special 3rd party program that can actually do this, but that's not normally how things work. If there is some kind of program that you can get that can make this happen, someone will post about it.

    Any chance you can do USB 3.0? It's a ton faster so if you had to copy to a hard disk first, the times wouldn't be so bad.
    Quote Quote  
  3. A long time ago I connected computers with a twisted pair (crossover) ethernet cable, but you'll have to look up instructions to see if that's still viable.

    Using a HDD as an intermediary does give you an extra backup.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member classfour's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    The Heartland, United States
    Search Comp PM
    There are USB to USB cables for PC to PC transfer - but the software can be clumsy or problematic.

    You can dock the old drive, and pull files from it - another process requiring cracking the case or buying another piece of hardware.

    If the machines are windows PC's, the easiest is to use Windows Easy Transfer, which is built in to Vista, 7 and 8, and is a free download from Microsoft.

    Run the software, pick the user(s) to transfer - and what types of files to transfer, select the output (USB memory stick, external hard drive, etc.), and Windows Easy Transfer exports your selection(s) to the drive.

    On the other end, run Windows Easy Transfer again, and import your folders and settings into the new PC.
    ;/ l ,[____], Its a Jeep thing,
    l---L---o||||||o- you wouldn't understand.
    (.)_) (.)_)-----)_) "Only In A Jeep"
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member yoda313's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    The Animus
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by classfour
    Windows Easy Transfer,
    I'll have to check it out. Is there an xp compatible version? As this will be xp to vista.

    Originally Posted by smrpix
    twisted pair (crossover) ethernet cable,
    I hadn't thought of that. I think I still have the crossover cable from my time fooling with a hacked xbox 1 (original xbox not the new "one").

    Originally Posted by jman98
    Any chance you can do USB 3.0?
    I do have a usb 3 pci card on my quad core win 8 computer. However is that xp compatible? I do have several 2tb usb 3 harddrives I could copy to.

    If usb 3 is xp compatible that is certainly an option.

    Though can xp read 2tb drives? I'm sure I've asked before.

    I actually do have some 500gb usb 3 drives I use as backups so I could go that route as I don't have a TON of data to transfer. But its more than I want to burn to disc. That would take forever even using dual layer dvds which I do have.

    Now I suppose this could be an excuse to look into buying a bluray burner. (actually can you do bluray data burning in xp????) But I only have one bluray rom and I'd have to remove that from my win 8 pc and put it back into my vista pc. THough it would only be for the transferring session.

    Options, options, options.....

    I'll have to research some more.

    Oh by the way the usb 3 card I have is a rocketfish one I think. Bought it at bestbuy.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
    Quote Quote  
  6. Ethernet is easiest. You might need a crossover cable (some computers/devices can auto-sense and switch the port rather than requiring a crossover cable).
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member classfour's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    The Heartland, United States
    Search Comp PM
    Windows Easy Transfer is by far the easiest I've used: Select the profiles to transfer, and all photos, music, etc. will be transferred. On the receiving machine: your desktop background may not transfer from XP to 7, due to the original not being standard in 7. This is a minor annoyance - because your pictures and other items will be moved.

    Microsoft has a free download for XP machines - you only have to install it on the source machine, and run the program as you would in Vista or newer.

    I transferred nine or ten profiles in 2013 using Windows Easy Transfer and a large (16GB) memory stick from XP machines to 7 machines without any problems - and all of the user's files were transferred. The hardest part of the process was checking the box for the profiles to transfer, and naming the transfer for later reference.

    In both source and target machines it was a start/run....walkaway...finish process.
    ;/ l ,[____], Its a Jeep thing,
    l---L---o||||||o- you wouldn't understand.
    (.)_) (.)_)-----)_) "Only In A Jeep"
    Quote Quote  
  8. Most USB 3 external drives are backward compatible with USB 2, though there may be partition size issues with xp.

    I don't know why folks would think of Blu Ray recordable as a good archive medium, but maybe someone knows something I don't.
    Quote Quote  
  9. I move files between my two PCs over ethernet multiple times a day. It's got to be gigabit ethernet though, otherwise it'll be ridiculously slow.
    If the PCs in question are currently connected to the internet using the same router, or even if they're just connected to the same router, then they're probably ready to connect to each other. There's a good chance a router will only have 10/100 ethernet ports though, which could be a little disappointing, unless the PC doesn't have a gigabit ethernet port either.

    I've got the PCs connected to a gigabit switch, which then connects to the router so there's no need for "PC traffic" to go through the router's 10/100 ethernet ports, but is anyone else connected in a similar manner and noticed file transfer speed changes considerably depending on how they're transferred?

    To explain....
    When using a PC to access a drive on a second computer and copy and paste files from it, you could call that "pulling files". The other way would be to copy files on a PC's hard drive and paste them to the hard drive of another computer. Let's call that "pushing files".
    For me, "pulling files" has always been way faster than "pushing" them. Probably up to 4 times faster. At a rough guess, it might take a minute or a minute and a half to "pull" a 4GB video file from another PC. "Pushing" it in the other direction might take 4 minutes or more.
    Quote Quote  
  10. The fastest way is to remove the drive from one of the computers and put it in the other. Then just drag/drop or XCOPY from the CLI.
    Quote Quote  
  11. Member classfour's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    The Heartland, United States
    Search Comp PM
    I move files to and from a server over the network daily. Can also move files from PC to PC over the network - but it's a singular process, not one that encompasses every file in the user's folders (i. e. - you would select files to move from individual folders, not all at the same time), and takes more effort on the part of the person doing the transfer.

    If all you want to do is move a few files - network, USB, or installing the drive in your PC as a temporary drive to access files is a solution, but not as efficient as Windows Easy Transfer.

    If you don't have a network switch - you'll have to purchase or fabricate a crossover cable or crossover adapter to use the network method.
    ;/ l ,[____], Its a Jeep thing,
    l---L---o||||||o- you wouldn't understand.
    (.)_) (.)_)-----)_) "Only In A Jeep"
    Quote Quote  
  12. Member yoda313's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    The Animus
    Search Comp PM
    Well the usb3 is out of the question. I forgot that I used a pci-e card on the quad core dell that I bought in the middle of last year.

    THe xp is so old I don't think pci-e was even on the drawing board. I think it was 2004 or 5 when I got it.

    I do like the idea of the harddirve swap. I can do pata to sata easily enough.

    My internal drive on the xp is 120gb. So if I can find a good deal on a 300gb or more pata drive that is still new and unopened I think that might be the best way to go.

    Originally Posted by classfour
    your desktop background may not transfer from XP to 7, due to the original not being standard in 7. This is a minor annoyance - because your pictures and other items will be moved.
    Actually I'm just after the data files. Profiles and screensavers and thing like that don't matter to me.

    Thanks everyone for contributing.

    And fyi I don't have gigabit anything. My lan cards on the pcs are all standard 10/100. I do have a nice netgear wifi n 600 router but its not gigabit. When I bought it early last year (2013 that is) the gigabit routers were substantially more than standard 10/100. I didn't forsee a need for that speed on the lan side. I guess I could have had a benefit with it now.

    But I think I'll be looking for deals on pata drives. I think I'll stay away from used ones since I want this to be long term. Though i'll still be doing backups and everything. Just piece of mind you know.

    Thanks again.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
    Quote Quote  
  13. I just use an external hard drive. Works for me
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
    Quote Quote  
  14. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    PA USA
    Search Comp PM
    I've used Laplink software and cable to move files with success every time.

    http://www.laplink.com/index.php/individuals/pcmover-for-windows-8/feature-overview


    It's not cheap but it's reliable.
    It's not important the problem be solved, only that the blame for the mistake is assigned correctly
    Quote Quote  
  15. Originally Posted by classfour View Post
    If the machines are windows PC's, the easiest is to use Windows Easy Transfer, which is built in to Vista, 7 and 8, and is a free download from Microsoft.
    I second that, the main advantage is it transfers your user settings at the same time. If you have a Windows (XP->8) installation disc look in the support folder for a MigWiz folder and just double click the MigWiz.exe file. I don't know what the version from Vista is like, but the one from Win 7 is much nicer than XP's.

    One thing to watch for is on PC's with multiple drives or partitions, make sure to hit customize for each users and uncheck the extra drives otherwise Migration Wizard will want to copy everything off that 2 TB second hard drive...
    Last edited by nic2k4; 19th Jan 2014 at 21:55.
    Quote Quote  
  16. Originally Posted by yoda313 View Post
    And fyi I don't have gigabit anything. My lan cards on the pcs are all standard 10/100. I do have a nice netgear wifi n 600 router but its not gigabit.
    It will take longer than using Gigabit but that's still the easiest solution.
    Quote Quote  
  17. Member yoda313's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    The Animus
    Search Comp PM
    Well now that football (nfl) is done for the season I finally tackled this project I've been putting off.

    I got a 1tb sata drive for my dual core pc for 65.00 yesterday at office depot. It was only 15.00 more than the 500gb on sale. I only had a 120gb or so to transfer from my xp machine to my vista machine but why not double my capacity for so little? (fyi the c drive on the hp vista is only 60gb or so - I had moved the previous extra drive to my quad core pc so the vista pc only had the c drive and since its small thats why I needed a new drive).

    So I decided to go the paragon software backup route. I already had a backup onto a usb 3 harddrive from my xp computer in the paragon archive format. (fyi both the xp and vista computer are usb 2 only so it does take awhile but I just let it run on its own and do other stuff while it works).

    I copied the backup archive from the usb drive to the freshly formatted 1tb internal drive. I then restored the files to "disk c" on the new e drive. I'll probably rename it "xp computer files" or something in the future.

    I guess I wasted time in that I probably could have restored the files directly from the archive that was on the usb drive. However I just left in overnight to do the job so no big deal (ran some windows update downloads at the same time so it wasn't wasted uptime after the transfer was done - yes i know paragon has an auto shutdown feature but I had other stuff that needed to be run).

    So aside from getting my printer connected and moving it to where my xp computer is right now I'm pretty much all set.

    Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice.

    How long does vista have until its shutdown date?
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
    Quote Quote  
  18. Member p_l's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Search Comp PM
    Quote Quote  
  19. Member yoda313's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    The Animus
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by p_l View Post

    Thanks. I'll have a few years before I have to do this again.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
    Quote Quote  
  20. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    South Florida
    Search Comp PM
    My two computers are networked so, there is no problem.
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!