Principled Man Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I was freaking OUTRAGED by the cost of a USB transfer cable at Best Buy. Twenty-five freaking dollars..... Is there a better, cheaper way? I have ethernet cable; will that work? All I want to do is transfer old files from my old Dell and my father's VERY old Gateway computer into my newer Dell. Do I have to bite the bullet and buy that USB A-A cable? Technology can be such a PAIN..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narps Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I am technologically underdeveloped myself................. :fuckinputer: Just wanted you to know I feel ya............ :codger: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoopid Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 (edited) If you get a cat5e crossover network cable (they *might* sell them at someplace like Best Buy) this will connect them together cheaply, but this requires knowing how to set static IP addresses and create a network share for the documents you want to move over. If you're wanting to do a litle homework to save a buck, you can try that. Another option is to buy a usb-sata/ide adapter that will allow you to plug the old hard drive from the Gateway and make it accessible from the USB port (will show up as a D: or E: or F: drive). Then you can copy/paste to your heart's content. Finding these locally might be a challenge depending o nwhere you live and what stores are available. I've always bought the ones I've needed online. Unfortunately these adapters usually run $15-25, so not much cheaper than the first solution you found. You might be able to physically install the old hard drive in the new computer if it has the right connections. If it's old it likely has a ribbon style IDE connection/cable, and an older white colored 4 pin molex cable for power. You might have those connections inside the new computer, you might not. Installing it should allow you access, but does run the slight risk of stopping the PC from booting (depending on the boot device order set on your motherboard's BIOS). This is a possibly 'free' option if you're willing to do some homework. Edited November 16, 2013 by stoopid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narps Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 If you get a cat5e crossover network cable (they *might* sell them at someplace like Best Buy) this will connect them together cheaply, but this requires knowing how to set static IP addresses and create a network share for the documents you want to move over. If you're wanting to do a litle homework to save a buck, you can try that. Another option is to buy a usb-sata/ide adapter that will allow you to plug the old hard drive from the Gateway and make it accessible from the USB port (will show up as a D: or E: or F: drive). Then you can copy/paste to your heart's content. Finding these locally might be a challenge depending o nwhere you live and what stores are available. I've always bought the ones I've needed online. Unfortunately these adapters usually run $15-25, so not much cheaper than the first solution you found. You might be able to physically install the old hard drive in the new computer if it has the right connections. If it's old it likely has a ribbon style IDE connection/cable, and an older white colored 4 pin molex cable for power. You might have those connections inside the new computer, you might not.Nothing personal, but was that in English? ............. :o :sarcastic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesweetscience Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I was freaking OUTRAGED by the cost of a USB transfer cable at Best Buy. :wtf:Twenty-five freaking dollars..... Is there a better, cheaper way? I have ethernet cable; will that work? All I want to do is transfer old files from my old Dell and my father's VERY old Gateway computer into my newer Dell. Do I have to bite the bullet and buy that USB A-A cable? Technology can be such a PAIN..... You don't have USB drive to copy the data? How much data is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principled Man Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 I was freaking OUTRAGED by the cost of a USB transfer cable at Best Buy. :wtf:Twenty-five freaking dollars..... Is there a better, cheaper way? I have ethernet cable; will that work? All I want to do is transfer old files from my old Dell and my father's VERY old Gateway computer into my newer Dell. Do I have to bite the bullet and buy that USB A-A cable? Technology can be such a PAIN..... You don't have USB drive to copy the data? How much data is it? Not much data at all. Just some photo files and a few Word documents from each of the old computers. I was hoping to just connect them to my current Dell, download the files, and then donate the computers to recycling or wherever. Am I missing something simple? I thought I was knowledgeable in PC tech, but perhaps not..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesweetscience Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I was freaking OUTRAGED by the cost of a USB transfer cable at Best Buy. :wtf:Twenty-five freaking dollars..... Is there a better, cheaper way? I have ethernet cable; will that work? All I want to do is transfer old files from my old Dell and my father's VERY old Gateway computer into my newer Dell. Do I have to bite the bullet and buy that USB A-A cable? Technology can be such a PAIN..... You don't have USB drive to copy the data? How much data is it? Not much data at all. Just some photo files and a few Word documents from each of the old computers. I was hoping to just connect them to my current Dell, download the files, and then donate the computers to recycling or wherever. Am I missing something simple? I thought I was knowledgeable in PC tech, but perhaps not..... Well there are couple ways to tackle it. If the data is small enough just use a thumb drive or USB drive to move the data from one PC to the other. You could network them if you have the right cabling and equipment but it's not a simple process for someone who has no previous understanding about it. In other words, I could do it in a few minutes but probably would not be able to instruct you on how to do it through a message board. The other option you have is to use a cloud drive like DropBox or Google's cloud drive. DropBox has a free account that gives 2 GB of storage which might be enough. Not sure what Google has. Sign up, copy your files to the cloud drive then log into the second machine sigh into the cloud drive and copy the data. Do you have ethernet cables and a switch? Usually most routers and even modems from ISP's have a built in switch. Also what operating system and versions are the PC's? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdogged Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Just buy a cheap $10 usb thumb drive and use that. Doesn't really matter what size because you can transfer the files in multiple sessions. That would probably be the easiest and least technical way to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USB Connector Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Depends on how much you're looking to transfer. If it's only a handful of files just get an 8gb USB drive for $10 and use that to transfer the files (plug it in, copy/paste the files, plug in to new computer, copy files to new computer). If you're trying to move more than 100gb, you'll probably want to get that cable. However, I recommend you invest $50-$75 and buy an external hard drive if those are important files so you can keep back ups. There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you realize you've lost some super important files that you can never get back because you didn't back them up. Technology can be such a PAIN..... As one of my profs once said: "Computers are dumb as f*ck. Anything that makes them seem otherwise is thanks to an illusion created by the software developer and proper use of the software by the client." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principled Man Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 Do you have ethernet cables and a switch? Usually most routers and even modems from ISP's have a built in switch. Also what operating system and versions are the PC's? I'm using a Dell XPS 8300, which is hooked up to a Netgear wireless router, and my OS is Windows 7. My monitor is a Dell S2209W. My old Dell (Dimension E510) and the old Gateway both use some version of Windows. I have an extra ethernet cable. Could I just use that and hookup the two PC's directly? Or can I go thru the router? I do have a 2GB USB drive (which should be big enough), but I'll have to see if my current monitor cable will fit the other computers. If the cable fits, then I can do it that way. I loathe the idea of paying $25 for a short cable that probably cost a dollar to make....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narps Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 (edited) Your experience makes me even more grateful that I have a 23 year old son and a 26 year old daughter ............. :codger: :fuckinputer: I am still the master of the Betamax however............... Edited November 17, 2013 by Narpet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusGal Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 The $25 that you would pay for the cable is a premium for ease of use compared to the network solution (limited by your ability to configure Windows networking) or the USB solution (limited by the size of USB drive you buy and money you're willing to pay). If you are only talking about a few documents, I'd buy an external USB hard drive (they're pretty cheap these days) and use that as your transfer media. I use my USB drive for my photos and music. It makes porting things from PC-to-PC easier (when I upgrade, for example), provides me with a back up for critical documents and is quite inexpensive (around $100 - $150). :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
launchpad67a Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Just plug in a USB Thumb Drive and copy the files to it. This is your easiest and quickest solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesweetscience Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Do you have ethernet cables and a switch? Usually most routers and even modems from ISP's have a built in switch. Also what operating system and versions are the PC's? I'm using a Dell XPS 8300, which is hooked up to a Netgear wireless router, and my OS is Windows 7. My monitor is a Dell S2209W. My old Dell (Dimension E510) and the old Gateway both use some version of Windows. I have an extra ethernet cable. Could I just use that and hookup the two PC's directly? Or can I go thru the router? I do have a 2GB USB drive (which should be big enough), but I'll have to see if my current monitor cable will fit the other computers. If the cable fits, then I can do it that way. I loathe the idea of paying $25 for a short cable that probably cost a dollar to make....... Use the thumb drive. That is the easiest solution for you. You cannot connect them directly with a regular ethernet cable. It would have to be a crossover cable . You could network them through the router if the router has a switch built in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principled Man Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 Do you have ethernet cables and a switch? Usually most routers and even modems from ISP's have a built in switch. Also what operating system and versions are the PC's? I'm using a Dell XPS 8300, which is hooked up to a Netgear wireless router, and my OS is Windows 7. My monitor is a Dell S2209W. My old Dell (Dimension E510) and the old Gateway both use some version of Windows. I have an extra ethernet cable. Could I just use that and hookup the two PC's directly? Or can I go thru the router? I do have a 2GB USB drive (which should be big enough), but I'll have to see if my current monitor cable will fit the other computers. If the cable fits, then I can do it that way. I loathe the idea of paying $25 for a short cable that probably cost a dollar to make....... Use the thumb drive. That is the easiest solution for you. You cannot connect them directly with a regular ethernet cable. It would have to be a crossover cable . You could network them through the router if the router has a switch built in. Thanks to everyone for the help. :) am using the USB drive that I had. I just had to pull out my computer desk and hook up my old computers to my monitor. I'd much rather do that than buy a transfer cable and use it just once. That would be silly......... I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney_rebel Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I used to use this: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusGal Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I used to use this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=391nufZ1fawListen to that hard drive screaming! :o 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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