Linking PCs made easy

A computer is a self-contained powerhouse but sooner or later you'll have information on it that you want to move to somewhere else. On a day-to-day basis this might mean taking the whole computer with you (if it's a notebook), copying MP3 files onto CD or even synchronising data with a handheld computer.

Come the time when you buy a new computer and realise that everything you need is stuck on the old one, though, the question of how to perform a large-scale file transfer takes on some urgency. Short of single-handedly supporting the ailing floppy disk market, what do you do?

The answer, or answers - for there are several - lie in this feature and, by the end of it, you'll be armed with a battery of ways to get information from one computer to another. We quote maximum theoretical data transfer speeds in this feature, but do remember that all manner of external influences affect real-life performance.

Disks-to-go
The first and perhaps most obvious method of transferring files is with a decidedly low-tech 'sneakernet' arrangement: copying files onto disks and taking them from one computer to another on foot.

At the bottom end is the venerable old floppy disk drive. Floppy disks are vulnerable to heat and magnetism and are woefully slow at both reading and writing data. On the plus side, you don't need any special software to use the drive and disks are reasonably cheap when bought in bulk.

Capacity is the real problem though - a mere 1.44MB per disk - but this can be partially overcome with disk spanning. This is where a file-transfer job that is too big for a single disk is split into parts. A utility such as WinZip is ideal for this, as it both reduces the size of files and prompts you to pop new disks in the drive until the job is complete.

Stepping up a level, we find recordable CD drives, now an integral part of every new PC. Blank CD-Rs are 10 a-penny - well, 10 a-pound - and last more or less forever. You do need special CD-recording software but most drives come with a basic application in the box and Windows XP even includes one.

Up the scale again, we find an entirely different technology - USB removable storage lets you store anywhere from 16MB to 2GB of files, depending on the model. Like floppies and CD-RW before them (but unlike use-once CD-R), USB storage drives can be wiped clean and reused time and time again.

They work immediately with any Windows XP computer that has a USB port, weigh next to nothing, fit in your shirt pocket and offer the ultimate in plug-and-play convenience.

The main concern with removable media is that both the source and target computers must have the same drive. This is generally a given with floppies and CDs, and even USB ports are near-universal. It does, however, limit your options considerably if you use a proprietary option like Iomega's Zip or Jaz drives, which is why we ignore them here.

You get none of the ancillary benefits of a network with removable media, which may or may not sway you towards a fancier solution. On the upside, files copied to a floppy disk, CD or USB drive can be transferred to as many PCs as you like without ever having to worry about cables.

Enabling with cabling
If you have two computers in close proximity to each other - within a few metres - it might make more sense to set up a physical link between them. This link need be nothing more than a cable and can be left in situ or removed at will. Your computers can 'talk' to each other and send files to and fro without involving disks or drives.

Versions of Windows prior to XP (with the exception of Windows 2000) include an application called Direct Cable Connection. This allows you to hook up two computers via their (slow) serial or (much faster) parallel ports. More recently, the same technology has been enhanced with the introduction of USB cable connections (faster again).

There is some excellent third-party software around, notably Laplink products, that specialises in file transfers via cables and offers advanced options. However, you can get by with Windows alone. Windows XP is also compatible with direct cable connections, of course, but the terminology has changed and you'll find yourself using the New Connection Wizard to get the files a-flowing.

The critical consideration with all direct cable connections is the cable itself. You can't use an everyday serial, parallel or USB cable, but must instead find a 'null modem' version. This twists things around (literally - wires are crossed over) to enable the cable to both send and receive data.

However, direct cable connections are strictly one-way at any given time - you can send files from computer A to computer B, or from B to A, but you can't do both simultaneously. You must also specify which computer is the 'host' (with the files) and which is the 'guest' (the one that wants them) every time you set up the connection.

The initial setup is a little fiddly. You must ensure that the host and guest computers have the same network settings - easily done but a faff nevertheless. You also still have to perform 'proper' network tasks like naming each computer, setting up a workgroup and sharing drives.

If that's making your eyes water, Direct Cable Connection may not be for you. Still, aside from the minimal expense of the cables, this arrangement is convenient and essentially free.

However, we must reserve special mention for network crossover cables. If two PCs have built-in network ports or fitted network cards (cheap and easy to install), you can connect them with a special network crossover cable and benefit from a high-speed connection that's always available.

For our money, a crossover-cabled network is unarguably the way to go if your computers already have network ports - and possibly justifies the cost if they don't.

Networks large and small
If, however, you have more than two computers and want to shift files freely among them, a fully fledged network is a must. The usual method here is to connect each computer centrally, using either a hub, switch or router - a smart box that channels file transfers in the right direction and controls network 'traffic'.

There are some excellent network-in-a-box products available that contain everything you need to get started but it boils down to having a network port in each PC, a hub to sit in the middle and a bunch of standard 'Category 5' network cables to make the connections.

All versions of Windows include the software you need to set up a network - Windows XP makes by far the easiest job of it - and thereafter it is simply a case of deciding which files and folders you wish to share across the network and which to keep private.

Subject to these settings, the physical location of files becomes almost irrelevant - anybody using any computer on the network can grab files from, or send files to, any other computer. Because no disks are involved, file transfers are effectively free and unencumbered by capacity restrictions.

If you foresee yourself shuffling huge files around frequently, it is worth ensuring that you get hardware that supports the faster 100Mbps network standard, not just the older, slower 10Mbps one. Most new-ish network cards and hubs will fit the bill nicely.

What then of that other familiar network, the internet? Well, if you have a chunk of web space and you haven't quite got around to building a website yet, you could always use it as a virtual warehouse and fill it up with files.

Failing that, you might sign up for a basic web-hosting package and acquire say, 100MB of dedicated storage space. Check the terms and conditions carefully, as some web hosts disallow file storage.

The advantages of online storage are twofold. Because uploaded files are held remotely, they are safe and secure, regardless of what happens to your computer. This makes it an ideal option for critical backups and can save the day in the event of theft or damage.

More importantly for present purposes, files can be downloaded from the online storage site using any computer anywhere in the world - all that is required is an internet connection. This is flexible file transfer on a global stage.

If you have never uploaded files before, you'll need to learn the basics of FTP or, if you have Windows XP, use the Add Network Place wizard for a simplified approach. The main limitations with online storage are the price and availability of web space and the time it takes to transfer files to the server.

On a typical broadband connection, upload speeds are capped at 256Mbps, which means that every megabyte takes upwards of 30 seconds to transfer in perfect conditions (or a minute or more in practice). Assume upwards of five minutes per megabyte on a dial-up internet connection.

Don't forget email either - as easy a way to transfer small files from hither to thither as you could wish for. For instance, you can send yourself a file as an email attachment from one PC and then download it to another using the same email account. Most ISPs limit the size of email attachments though, so it's hardly ideal for larger jobs.

Alternatively, you can use instant messaging to send files across the internet. Both the source and target computers must have an active internet connection and a subscription to one of the instant messaging services, like AOL or MSN Messenger. Somebody also has to be sat at either end to initiate and authorise the file transfer. Still, there are no size restrictions and no disks, drives or cables are required.

Finally, we have a couple of wireless options. The first, Wi-Fi, is really just an extension of the networking principle discussed above. Instead of cables though, Wi-Fi uses radio waves to transmit data through thin air. To get started, you need to install Wi-Fi adaptors in each computer and connect a 'wireless access point' - a smart box with aerials - to your network hub.

Alternatively, seek out an all-in-one wireless gateway and router. This conveniently combines wireless access and hub functions in the same device, and can even control and share an ADSL broadband internet connection across your network.

Wi-Fi-equipped computers talk to one another through the network exactly as if they were wired to a hub, with the dual advantages that you no longer find yourself tripping over cables and can surf the internet from your garden. Transfer speeds are usually a mite slower than a cabled network: they peak at a theoretical 11Mbps, although you can up this by a factor of five if you opt for newer '54g' kit.

Bluetooth, by contrast, is a comparatively short-range wireless technology that lets hardware devices exchange files without cables. Bluetooth's teething troubles and painfully slow progress to market are now legendary but, for instance, it is now possible to install a Bluetooth PC card adaptor in a notebook computer, a Bluetooth dongle-style adaptor in a desktop computer and have the pair seamlessly synchronise emails, contact details and other files.

Bluetooth is, however, primarily intended to reduce cabling around the desk area and get devices like printers and mobile phones working together wirelessly - a noble enough aspiration - and is far too slow for large-scale file transfers or networking. For that, Wi-Fi is best.

All joined up now
For many people, a full-blown network, wired or wireless, is overkill, particularly when you can string a cable between the back-ends of two computers and shunt files from one to the other. Even that is unnecessary if you are content to use removable media and do the sneakernet shuffle.

Others may prefer a combination of methods. For instance, you might back up your daily work files to a slice of web space, carry your work around with you on USB removable storage, archive your long-term files on recordable CDs, and use a network for moving information between or among PCs.

We end with a couple of tips. First, use a compression program like WinZip - or Windows XP's built-in file compression feature - to squeeze files into smaller dimensions. This saves space on disks and makes for faster transfers. Secondly, always copy rather than move files from A to B. Delete the original files only when you are certain that a transfer has succeeded. Good luck with your moves!

Out with the old, into the new
If you are upgrading to a new computer, thinking about scrapping the old one and wondering how to transfer hundreds of important files in the meantime, hold that hasty horse. Why not simply install the old hard disk drive in your new system? It's a straightforward procedure which we have covered before in Workshops.

The important thing to remember is to change the hard disk's jumper settings during the move, otherwise Windows will not recognise it and your computer may fail to start.

If the old hard disk will use the same ribbon cable as the main hard disk then the jumpers should be set to the 'slave' position. Alternatively, if you have only a single CD or DVD drive installed in your computer, you can install the old drive as the slave device on the secondary channel/cable instead. Again, change the jumpers from master to slave.

You should find a guide to jumper positions on the hard disk casing. If not, consult Ontrack's useful archive of popular hard disk settings: www.ontrack.com/jumperviewer.

Once installed, the old drive will show up in Windows with the next available drive letter. For instance, F: drive if your main hard disk is C:, your CD-RW drive is D: and your DVD drive is D:. You can then copy or move files from the old to the new drive freely.

Wizardly ways
When you've spent months or even years working on one PC, you'll most likely have it set up in a very personal way. But when the time comes to replace it, you'll find that everything you worked so hard to customise - Desktop settings, mouse and keyboard preferences and so forth - is suddenly locked in limbo. The prospect of configuring a new computer to look and behave just like your old one is grim indeed.

However, if you are upgrading to a Windows XP system, help is at hand in the form of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. This addresses precisely this scenario and can transform a new computer into a near clone of your old one at a stroke.

The wizard scans your original system, compiles a record of customised settings, and saves the lot as a single file. You then take this file to your new Windows PC and run the wizard again to reinstate your preferences.

The easiest way to get going is with an original Windows XP installation CD-ROM. Pop it in your old computer - it works with any version of Windows from 95 onwards - and select 'Perform additional tasks' from the welcome screen, followed by 'Transfer files and settings'.

If you don't have an XP CD, run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on your new computer first - click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools - and select the new computer option. The next step lets you create a floppy disk which you can use to run the wizard on your original PC.

Note that if you let the wizard copy the entire contents of the My Documents folder, as it will by default, you could easily end up with a file way in excess of 700MB. The trick is to exclude files and use the wizard to transfer program and Windows settings only. You can then transfer files and folders separately using any of the transfer methods discussed here.