Travel Technology - Lap-Top back-up to second lap-top

I'm away from my office and need to copy the "My Documents" (about 4GB) folder on my lap-top to another lap-top and wondered if there was an easy way to do this over a direct network cable between the two.

Both lap-tops are running XP Home Edition and both have standard network sockets. I don't have any fixed network infrastructure like hubs or routers but do have a X-over network cable.

I'm not 100% familiar with networking and / or changing the network settings so am a bit reluctant just to blindly connect the two together and try a few settings.

Can this process be done fairly easily or do I have to go through setting each lap-top with an IP address?

Hi BOH (is your username anything to do with the airport?)

You have several options...

To connect the two computers using just the network ports, you'll need a special type of cable called a "Crossover" cable. You can get these from Maplin or PC World (UK) and I'm guessing Circuit City or similar in the US. A normal network cable won't work.

Otherwise, you can beg/borrow/steal a hub or a router from a friend. These are small boxes that you plug the computers into using normal network cables.

Other options are to buy a USB link cable (same shops as above) or try to link wirelessly using wireless networking or bluetooth.

Once you've linked the computers together (assuming you're using windows), click on start, then help, and search for "Home Networking Wizard". That will guide you through the process of sharing the data.


Good luck!

Hi BOH (is your username anything to do with the airport?)

You have several options...

To connect the two computers using just the network ports, you'll need a special type of cable called a "Crossover" cable. You can get these from Maplin or PC World (UK) and I'm guessing Circuit City or similar in the US. A normal network cable won't work.

Otherwise, you can beg/borrow/steal a hub or a router from a friend. These are small boxes that you plug the computers into using normal network cables.

Other options are to buy a USB link cable (same shops as above) or try to link wirelessly using wireless networking or bluetooth.

Once you've linked the computers together (assuming you're using windows), click on start, then help, and search for "Home Networking Wizard". That will guide you through the process of sharing the data.


Good luck!

Thanks - as I originally mentioned I already have the X-over cable and both PC's are running XP Home Edition. Is it really as simple as just following the "Help" instructions - any risk of data loss with the wrong settings etc?

I live about 5 miles from BOH airport, hence my username.

Thanks - as I originally mentioned I already have the X-over cable and both PC's are running XP Home Edition. Is it really as simple as just following the "Help" instructions - any risk of data loss with the wrong settings etc?

I can't see how you could lose data if the network didn't work. The bigger issue would be leaving a security hole that allowed someone in the next time you connected to the internet.

If both computers have 1GB network adapters, as my IBM T42 does, you don't need a cross-over cable as the adapters are automatically sensing.

But networking is not as simple as inserting the cables between the two comptuters, and you will need some kind of synchronizing software (Microsoft has a free one for download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e0fc1154-c975-4814-9649-cce41af06eb7&DisplayLang=en).

There is a wizard in XP that will help you set-up the network, but it sounds like the easiest way for you to do this is with an external USB hard drive, particularly since that will also give you a back-up device.

If both computers have 1GB network adapters, as my IBM T42 does, you don't need a cross-over cable as the adapters are automatically sensing.

But networking is not as simple as inserting the cables between the two comptuters, and you will need some kind of synchronizing software (Microsoft has a free one for download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e0fc1154-c975-4814-9649-cce41af06eb7&DisplayLang=en).

If you prefer not to get the Sync software you can "share" a folder. Just right click on the folder and select "share".

Can you get online with both laptops? If you can, go to foldershare.com, set up a free account, and set the mydocuments folders to synch on both machines.

Walk away and let it do it's thing.

I have been using foldershare's free version for over a year and I've never had an issue with it. From when it's set up, every time you change a file, add a file, or delete a file in the my documents folder (or whatever you are sharing), the same changes will be made to the other machine as soon as it's online.

I share between three machines, I can work on something on a laptop, and when I get home or in the office the changes are all there, as long as the laptop got online for a bit.

The first 4 GB will take a while, but after that it's pretty much instant every time there is a change.

Thanks - as I originally mentioned I already have the X-over cable and both PC's are running XP Home Edition. Is it really as simple as just following the "Help" instructions - any risk of data loss with the wrong settings etc?

I live about 5 miles from BOH airport, hence my username.

Use the crossover cable, regardless of how fast your network adapter(s) may be you'll still need a cross over cable

From there you'll need to assign each adapter a static IP address, say 10.2.1.0 and 10.2.1.1 in the same subnet

Share a folder on the machine you're copying from and move all the stuff over.

Don't guess the copy from machine has a DVD or CD burner does it?

Use the crossover cable, regardless of how fast your network adapter(s) may be you'll still need a cross over cable


Sorry, that just isn't so. I presume you are not familiar with auto-sensing network adapters.

Sorry, that just isn't so. I presume you are not familiar with auto-sensing network adapters.

WRONG
if the user is not using Hub/switch/router(as he posted) he WILL need a crossover cable

Ethernet Crossover Cables
| Reference | A crossover cable directly connects two network devices of the same type to each other over Ethernet. Crossover cables are useful for temporary networking of two computers when a network router, switch or hub is not available or not functioning. Networking students and anyone else who deals with wired networks should become familiar with this kind of cable.
linky (http://compnetworking.about.com/b/a/212711.htm)

Auto Sensing=

NWay is a telecommunications protocol used with Ethernet networking devices (such as router and switch) to automatically negotiate the highest possible common transmission speed between two devices. The NWay protocol (also known as auto-negotiation or auto-sensing) was developed by National Semiconductor in 1994 in response to the networking industry's need for a mechanism to handle the connections between devices with varying connection speeds.

In an Ethernet network, a device may have the capability to operate at different speeds. NWay currently supports at least the following technologies:10BASE-T, 10BASE-T duplex, 100BASE-T, 100BASE-TX Full Duplex, and 100BASE-T4. Expanded support capability is likely in the near future.

When a connection to a network device (known as the link partner) has been established, the NWay protocol determines what modes that device uses, sends information about its own capabilities, and automatically configures the highest common performance mode. NWay works by taking control of the cable connected to a network device and operating like a rotary switch (an electromechanical device with a rotating shaft at one terminal that makes or breaks connections with other terminals) to change to the best mode possible, and passing control of the cable to the appropriate technology.

The benefits of NWay technology include:

* Efficient connections at the highest possible performance levels without any need for user intervention
* Protection of network integrity, because if the devices involved lack a common technology, NWay will not make the connection, thus protecting users from the potentially serious problems that can be caused by a connection that a hub cannot recognize or accept
* backward compatible
* An architecture that supports flexibility and extensibility.

You can sense all day what speed/duplex to run at but with out the crossed pairs you'll never be able to talk to each other

I can assure you that I can directly connect my IBM T42 and IBM X40, both of which have 1GB Intel NICs, without a hub/router/switch and either with a cross-over cable or not. Works both ways.

E.g.:

http://www.csc.shoremicro.com/html/faq.htm

for Gigabit Ethernet, all cross-over functions are negotiated between the endpoints and crossover cables are not required for proper operation.

This all depends on which Ethernet chipset the laptops use. Some gigabit chipsets have auto-MDI/MDIX selection, some don't. Even some 10/100 chipsets have it. So the answer to whether or not you would need a crossover cable boils down to "it depends."

Use the crossover cable, regardless of how fast your network adapter(s) may be you'll still need a cross over cable

From there you'll need to assign each adapter a static IP address, say 10.2.1.0 and 10.2.1.1 in the same subnet

Share a folder on the machine you're copying from and move all the stuff over.

Don't guess the copy from machine has a DVD or CD burner does it?

It depends on the cards. I wasn't aware of autosensing cards but about 4 hours ago I took a network wire an unplugged it from a machine, stuck it in a switch and ran another wire from the switch to the machine. The switch had no uplink ports. I did *NOT*, however use any crossover cables--the switch figured out the backwards cable and worked with it fine.

It depends on the cards. I wasn't aware of autosensing cards but about 4 hours ago I took a network wire an unplugged it from a machine, stuck it in a switch and ran another wire from the switch to the machine. The switch had no uplink ports. I did *NOT*, however use any crossover cables--the switch figured out the backwards cable and worked with it fine.

Unless both are autosensing... you only need a crossover cable when linking two active devices (laptop to laptop or switch to switch). When linking a desktop or laptop to a switch, normally you would use a straight though cable. However, an autosensing switch WOULD figure out what you need and make the changes to get you connected.

Most new switches, hubs, and even laptops are autosensing these days. I always carry both kinds of cables in case I need them.

Unless both are autosensing... you only need a crossover cable when linking two active devices (laptop to laptop or switch to switch). When linking a desktop or laptop to a switch, normally you would use a straight though cable. However, an autosensing switch WOULD figure out what you need and make the changes to get you connected.

Most new switches, hubs, and even laptops are autosensing these days. I always carry both kinds of cables in case I need them.

Original configuration: cable from the server room to the computer.

New configuration: cable from the server room to the switch, cable from the switch to the computer. (There were also some more cables added but they aren't relevant to the issue.)

If it was not autosensing it would have required a crossover or a crossover port on the switch (many switches have such a port). This switch had no crossover port, I didn't use a crossover cable. If it couldn't figure out the cable was backwards it wouldn't have worked at all.