How can I copy from one computer to another?

[Tricky]

Not just a file or two, but virtually everything in my PC Documents file, approximately 50 gig. I don't have (or need, most of the time) an external hard drive. Most of my files are backed up on various disks, but I don't want that hassle. I just want to plug one computer into the other and say "copy".

I'm betting this is really easy, but I really don't know crap about computers.

Thanks

[cyborg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_crossover_cable

[Hindmost]

What I do in a case like this is take the hard drive out of the computer that you want to copy and connect it in the new computer with a parallel cable...I am assuming you have tower computers here. When you boot up the computer, the drive you attached will come up as a separate drive and you can copy from one drive to another very quickly.

With laptops, I would use a crossover cable ethernet.

glenn

[Reality Believer]

If you have a router with your internet connection, chances are there are at least 4 ports on the back. You can connect both computers to the router and set up a network between them. Use a regular Ethernet cable and run the home networking wizard in the control panel.

[This Guy]

What I do in a case like this is take the hard drive out of the computer that you want to copy and connect it in the new computer

SNIP
glenn

If you have a router with your internet connection, chances are there are at least 4 ports on the back. You can connect both computers to the router and set up a network between them. Use a regular Ethernet cable and run the home networking wizard in the control panel.

If the hardware is in place, I'd go the 2nd route. If not, the drive move isn't that hard a thing to do. Even if all the interfaces on the 2nd computer are in use, you can temporarily swap out a CD ROM or DVD drive with the hard drive. Just make notes of the jumper settings on the hard drive. Make it match the CD your swapping out, and hook it up, and boot the computer. Use Windows explorer to do the coping, and shut it all down, put things back like they started. This does assume you have the same drive types, or at least that the same interface types are available in both computers. (IDE/SATA/SCSI).

Just beware of static charges (I always leave the power cord connected/plugged in, but the power supply cut off on it's attached switch, and keep in contact with the case as much as possible, to drain any charge that tries to build up. I minimize any movement across carpets, and silly things like that also ;)).

The nice thing about the 2nd option, is that it allows you to repeat the task anytime, with little effort. You can buy a cheap Ethernet Hub for $30 bucks or so, and a couple cables, and assuming you have built in ports on the computers, have you a mini network in no time.

If you already have the computers connected (sharing a Internet connection?) you just have to map one of the drive to the other computer so you can copy the files. Won't go into that unless you ask though. Too much typing, before knowing if you want/need the info :)

[Soapy Sam]

I bet at least half of what's on the old pc is garbage anyway. Why copy it to the new one?

[wooooody64]

You could copy all of your files to a few DVD's if you have a DVD writer :) or to CD depending on many files you have.

or get some space on an ISP and copy all your files to there and then downlad them again to your new PC.

[logical muse]

If you are going to use cables, make sure they are quantum-energised for wholer 1s and nuller 0s.

[JonnyFive]

Got $20? Try an external HD enclosure: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2542565&cp (This is for the IDE interface, but they have SATA enclosures as well for slightly more money)

Just plug your old HD in, then connect the enclosure to your new computer. Basically, you turn your old HD into an external USB HD. As an added bonus, you will then have an external hard drive to do whatever you want with.

[Malamule]

50GBs is quite a bit to copy over a network, it'd be very slow at 100mbit(approx 700megabytes a minute max, likely much worse with overhead) and unacceptable at 10mbit. I would only go about it this way if you've got a gigabit Network adapter in both machines and your switch is gigabit capable. Moving a drive from one machine to another is trivial and far and away the fastest way of going about it. Your internal drives, if they are 7200rpm drives will transfer at 50/60mbytes a sec(3-3.5Gigabytes/Minute) which will be 4-5 times faster than over a 100mbit network. Moving the drive from one machine to the next will take several minutes. Do the math.

[JonnyFive]

50GBs is quite a bit to copy over a network, it'd be very slow at 100mbit(approx 700megabytes a minute max, likely much worse with overhead) and unacceptable at 10mbit. I would only go about it this way if you've got a gigabit Network adapter in both machines and your switch is gigabit capable. Moving a drive from one machine to another is trivial and far and away the fastest way of going about it. Your internal drives, if they are 7200rpm drives will transfer at 50/60mbytes a sec(3-3.5Gigabytes/Minute) which will be 4-5 times faster than over a 100mbit network. Moving the drive from one machine to the next will take several minutes. Do the math.

Plus, if you don't want to stick it in the new machine, then an external drive enclosure with a USB 2.0 connection will transfer at a sufficient rate to match the drive's transfer rate.

Personally, having done the internal drive thing, I'd actually recommend using an enclosure rather than sticking the drive in the new computer. It's a lot more elegant, and doesn't require opening the box and futzing with the connectors after you've already pulled the HD from the old box. Plug it in the USB port, and Windows will detect it as another drive for the copying.

[Segnosaur]

Plus, if you don't want to stick it in the new machine, then an external drive enclosure with a USB 2.0 connection will transfer at a sufficient rate to match the drive's transfer rate.

Personally, having done the internal drive thing, I'd actually recommend using an enclosure rather than sticking the drive in the new computer. It's a lot more elegant, and doesn't require opening the box and futzing with the connectors after you've already pulled the HD from the old box. Plug it in the USB port, and Windows will detect it as another drive for the copying.

Heck, why even remove the drive itself? I once bought an external hard drive with 320 gig for around $120 Canadian, and it plugs right into the USB port.

You could transfer all the computers from the first computer onto the external drive, then copy all the files from the hard drive onto the second computer. No messing about with cables, etc.

And, you end up having an extra external hard drive you can use for backups, plus your original computer still has its hard drive so it is still useful as a second machine.

Edited to add: Sorry, just noticed that in the orignal posting Tricky said he didn't want a second hard drive. So, ignore my advice.

[Malamule]

Personally, having done the internal drive thing, I'd actually recommend using an enclosure rather than sticking the drive in the new computer. It's a lot more elegant, and doesn't require opening the box and futzing with the connectors after you've already pulled the HD from the old box. Plug it in the USB port, and Windows will detect it as another drive for the copying.

Certainly nothing wrong with that. For me, swapping drives isn't a big deal. I just let the old drive hang there in space, not really mounting it or something, it's minimally intrusive. I've done it hundreds of times over the past 25+ years. Shrug. Using a USB2.0 Clamshell works fine. Can't say the same about a USB 1.1 or earlier though.

[H3LL]

I would take the punch cards from one computer and feed them into the other.

.

[JonnyFive]

Certainly nothing wrong with that. For me, swapping drives isn't a big deal. I just let the old drive hang there in space, not really mounting it or something, it's minimally intrusive. I've done it hundreds of times over the past 25+ years. Shrug. Using a USB2.0 Clamshell works fine. Can't say the same about a USB 1.1 or earlier though.

I figured since Tricky said he didn't "know crap about computers" it might be better.

USB 1.1 was a dog, especially compared to 2.0. What a difference that was!

I actually have a funny story about swapping hard drives. I put my old IDE drive in my new computer before I installed the OS on the SATA drive. For some reason, the new install of Windows decided the SATA drive was going to be the F drive. That caused a bunch of problems with idiot Windows programs that were coded by morons who assumed the drive Windows was on would always be C, so I had to go through a whole song and dance to get the drive letter back to C. Rargh!

Moral of the story: Always install the OS before you fiddle with crap, not while you're fiddling with crap!