Lapink cable?

[mikey_dude]

Hello,

I wondered if you could help with a little query...

I am looking for an suitable cable connection between my main 2k machine and other PCs which come and go in my workshop so I can easily transfer files. I am thinking about a USB laplink cable but am hesitant as it requires software and I don't really want the hassle of installing software on every machine.

Is there a suitable cable (USB/serial/parallel) available on the market which I could just plug in and transfer files?

Thanks

[hobey19]

why not just use ethernet? put a switch in the room and then just have a bunch of cables running off of it, and plug them in. most comps these days have a NIC card, so that would probably be your best bet.

craig

[EzyStvy]

direct cable connection
A link between the I/O ports of two computers created with a single cable rather than a modem or other interfacing devices. In most cases, a direct cable connection is made with a null modem cable.


null modem cable
Special cabling that eliminates the modem's need for asynchronous communications between two computers over short distances. A null modem cable emulates modem communication.

[mikey_dude]

Thanks for the replies.

I have thought of ethernet but a lot of the PCs I get into the workshop are quite old and so do not have NICs, otherwise I add them straight to my router.

I am looking at a serial transfer cable from Belkin Pro Series, do you need to install software on both machines or will it work as soon as you plug the cable into both machines? It would be great if it was plug and prey...

[EzyStvy]

Windows Help File:
Direct connections overviewWith Network Connections, you can create a physical connection to another computer by using a serial cable, a DirectParallel cable, a modem, an ISDN device, or other method. For example, you may have a Windows CE Handheld PC that you want to connect to your network. Or, you may have two or more networks in the same location that are not physically connected. If you want to use resources on both networks from one computer, you can use a serial cable connection with an RS-232C null modem cable. You connect an RS-232C cable from a COM port on the computer to a COM port on your remote access server, which is used to create network access. You can also use an RS-232C null modem as a substitute for a network adapter if your computer is located physically near (less than 50 feet of cable) a remote access server.

The DirectParallel driver supports computer-to-computer connections by using standard and enhanced (ECP) parallel ports, which use Parallel Technologies' Basic or Fast parallel cables. For more information about using a DirectParallel cable for a direct connection, see DirectParallel access.

Remote access authentication methods control access to your network, not resources on the network. Having a Windows CE device directly attached to a computer on your network is analogous to having a computer attached to your network, but not logged on. In that instance, you attached and accessed the network without using authentication of any kind.

Once you are present on a network, resource control is managed in various ways: Local Users and Groups, Active Directory, Group Policy, file and printer sharing, and so on.

Therefore, if you have set up a direct network connection using, for example, a Windows CE device, you need to ensure that resource control is in place that enforces access to privileged folders, printers, and so on.

Authentication methods are designed for remote computing, where the computer dialing in does not have access to the network until credentials such as user name and password are exchanged.

For information about creating a direct network connection, see To make a direct network connection.

Note

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.



Cables That Are Compatible with Direct Cable Connection
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;142324

[mikey_dude]

OK thanks for that. I'll settle on a USB/serial cable where ethernet connection is not an option.

[glc]

A serial null modem cable is VERY SLOW - parallel is a much better option, it can be almost as fast as USB 1.1.

These days, I usually just temporarily install a NIC or remove the hard drive and slave it into the bench machine. It's a lot faster in the long run.

[mikey_dude]

Thanks glc, I knew the speeds varied but I didn't realise parallel was almost as fast as USB 1.1.

I do sometimes install a NIC in PCs (especially those I work on regularly) but for others, I never usually bother.

[glc]

Depends on the type of parallel port. If it can be set to ECP, that's the fastest.

[mikey_dude]

I have ECP set in the BIOS on my bench machine. I'd only usually be transferring drivers from the net to the other PC anyway, not like I wanna move lots of important data across (if I wanted to do that I'd connect it to my LAN).

[glc]

For doing that, I usually burn them to a CD-RW or use my USB flash memory key. I do a burn instead of formatting and packet writing in case the other machine can't read UDF - then I erase the RW later.

[mikey_dude]

I have been using CD-RWs for some time now but I have had quite a few old machines recently with old CD drives which cannot read CD-RW, and I only find this out afterwards so I have to go back and burn a CD-R, without multisession, which, for a 15mb file, wastes quite a few CDs.

[glc]

Have you actually *burned* the CD-RW, like you would a single session CD-R?

Yes, I've seen drives that can't read them, my laptop being one of them. It even has problems with some brands of CD-R. Anything with a USB port and Win98+ can read a USB key - with 98 you just have to install the driver that came with the key, ME/2K/XP is plug and play.

[Mesaeus]

I also like to temporarily plug in a NIC. The ones I like to use are Intel PRO/100 NIC's, since they're 10/100 and all Windows versions from W98 SE up seem to have drivers for them. So I just have to screw in the card, plug in a patch cable and I'm set.

[gbirke]

How big are the files your transferring? How about using a memory stick?

[jbert]

I've run into the same problems, and believe me, a flash drive is your best bet. No hardware installs, no messing with administrative rights, no cabling issues. I use flash drives for everything that I need.