We have a PC, for home use, & a laptop for travelling about Australia.

We now have the problem of transferring the files etc from the laptop to the PC.

I asked about this at a computer centre today & was sold a 10/100/1000 straight network cable with very basic instructions on how to use it.

I now find references to a "crossover" cable, as opposed to a network cable, with every source saying that the crossover cable must be used.

I learnt to write the alphabet with a stick & slate board & served my apprenticeship on railway steam locomotives.

Yes, I even look like Fred Flintstone.

Any suggestions.

Unless you have tons of information you'd find it much easier to use a USB memory key to transfer the data back and forth.

Some other options are an external hard drive, store any data to the external drive and then just plug that into the PC you want to use.

There are also online storage places that you can use.

Crossover is the type of cable used to connect 2 pc's or laptop to PC, but I would use the external hard drive thing;)

The external hard drive thing is the best solution for your problem ;)

I have seen something that allows that? It has USB plug on each end, with electronics in the middle, I believe you could click and drag from one computer to the other.
I will see if I can find, if you don't first.

Update, here's one for Vista:
Amazon.com: Belkin Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista: Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Transfer-Cable-Windows-Vista/dp/B000JJPZW0)


Another Update, here's one for (98, XP,2000):
Microbarn: A male to A male USB data transfer bridge cable. Used to connect 2 (http://www.microbarn.com/USBCables_CBU-BRIDGE--17-37-100164.html?source=gadwords&gclid=CJPh0Pblio8CFQGdPAod6QN3uw)

The network cable method isn't that hard. Speed will be limited to about 80% of the computer with the slowest connection.. If you plug the two computers together and get a link light, the standard cable will work, otherwise you need a crossover cable.

Loose steps:
Configure the two machines to use DHCP and wired networking. Without a DHCP server, Windows will create two IP addresses.

Use ipconfig /all to find the IP address assigned from the cmd prompt and ping the other computer to test connectivity.

You have to enable windows networking, remove any firewall rules, create a share and make sure both machines are on the same workgroup.

"Yes, I even look like Fred Flintstone."

Haha that takes the cake. Hope you don't drive his car though. Use a router. If you have cable internet you can connect multiple computers through a wireless router. Look up "setting up a LAN" on Google. That would be my suggestion.

Yea, the USB method is probably the fastest direct connect method, but there are may ways. Burning a DVD might also work. We have no idea of how much data that there is to transfer, so we cannot recommend the best method. You have to way cost, time and ease of set up.

If there is already a wireless/wired connection in the house, then that also becoms a possibility.

Questions:

How much data in GB or MB?
Go to the directory containing the pictures and select Properties.

Are both machines connected to the internet at the same time?

What operating system varients are we dealing with?
XP, XP; Vista, Vista, or XP, Vista?

Yesterday, I saw a unit made by Belkin, transfers between XP and Vista Also.