Connecting PC to Laptop over Wireless

[Jamez]

I have finally decided to transfer all of my music, pictures and work files to my Laptop from my main PC, but short of copying everything to CD (which is time consuming) I don't know how to go about it.

My PC and Laptop are connected to the internet through a Belkin wireless router. If I log into two seperate MSN accounts, I can use the Shared Files folder to transfer a few things relatively quickly (around 500 Kbps) - but again that's time consuming.

Is there any way I can directly connect to my desktop PC and transfer files? Something like remote assistance would be good (RA doesn't seem to work on computers connected to the same wireless network).

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Stuart*]

A USB>USB data transfer cable would be the best solution, something like this:

http://www.callcct.com/Shop/Data-Transf ... sfer-Cable

Which seems relatively cheap (I'm sure there are UK mail order sites, but one from the US would work just as well I'm sure)

[Neil Jones]

Set both computers to the same workgroup (in XP, right-click My Computer -> Properties -> Computer Name). Reboot the systems.

Now share the folders you want to share, right-click on them -> Sharing and Security. You should now be able to see said folder on the second computer and use drag & drop as needed. The fact that you're connecting wireless makes no odds.

[Sput]

Yeah, do what Neil says, but remember you might need to place a candle on a map of Cornwall and recite an incantation backwards as it's windows file sharing AND windows wireless networking.

[Stuart*]

Yeah, do what Neil says, but remember you might need to place a candle on a map of Cornwall and recite an incantation backwards as it's windows file sharing AND windows wireless networking.

And dance around the candle naked, we will require an MP4 video of this to be posted in the thread to ensure that we are all chanting with you

[cwathen]

If you have relatively new equipment, then the fastest way is to use a crossover ethernet cable between the network ports on your laptop and desktop.

Why do this? Well wireless LAN typically communicates at 54Mbits/sec (which will copy just over 400MB of data per hour), USB2 at 480Mbits/sec (3.6GB per hour), but modern wired ethernet operates at 1Gbit/sec, letting you shunt over more than 7.5GB of data per hour (assuming the other components in the system can keep up).

It's all faster than when I used to copy data between PCs using a parallel cable between the printer ports, which could easily taken 5 or 6 hours to copy 100MB of data.

[cdd]

Just a note about security - this is all very well but take care with folder sharing as, if you subsequently go to a public place with your laptop, you will have your shared folder available for anyone in the same workgroup to view. I recommend using the built-in 'Shared Documents' folder to copy, and removing your files from there once you're done.

[cdd]

Just a note about security - this is all very well but take care with folder sharing as, if you subsequently go to a public place with your laptop, you will have your shared folder available for anyone in the same workgroup to view. I recommend using the built-in 'Shared Documents' folder to copy, and removing your files from there once you're done.

Plus call your workgroup something like WANKATANK.

Yep - but I think you can still discover devices on workgroups other than your own. It's less user friendly, but - I think - possible. It partially depends on the type of network you're on. Just like adding a dollar sign before the name of the network share hides it from the folder list meaning you can only access it if you know the directory - but it can still be discovered and appears in listings (only hidden in GUI).

But I could be wrong about all that - in any case I'd err on the side of caution.

Vista in theory lets you do password protected shares, so all this nonsense should be a thing of the past.

[Sput]

You can assign a share to a specific user account if I recall, although it's a numbing experience. Still, you can always turn off the sharing after you're finished!

[Pete]

Yeah, do what Neil says, but remember you might need to place a candle on a map of Cornwall and recite an incantation backwards as it's windows file sharing AND windows wireless networking.

I have tried doing this to make printer sharing work between XP and Vista to no avail. It demands my vista password on XP, despite me unticking password protected printer sharing, and then conveniently forgets it, and then declares that the printer no longer exists.

gay

[Sput]

Bonjour!