[Solatar]

...to transfer several gigs of music/files from one computer to a laptop? I'd like to back it all up because my desktop isn't very predictable or stable and I want to make use of my large laptop hard drive. Is there a quicker way than burning it on CDs?

[Jeff Vader]

An external HDD?

[Solatar]

I was thinking about, but I didn't want to invest money. However I could probably use it in the future and justify the expenditure. Any other ideas?

There's no way I can plug my computers together via USB and copy and paste over to the laptop was if it were an external HDD is there?

[Herra Tohtori]

LAN?

[Flaser]

A crosslink UTP cable....

...or a serial cable (that connects the serial AKA printer port on both machines) and use Norton or Total Commander...

...removing the laptop's hard-drive and temporarily plugging it into your desktop.

[haloboy100]

LAN?

Yeah, link a CAT-5 (ethernet) cable between two computers and do it that way. I managed to transfer 5 seasons of doctor who (~10 GB) in under 10 minutes on a 10mb/sLAN.

[Kosh]

USB 2.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[haloboy100]

USB 2.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[blowfish]

Gigabit ethernet is faster than USB 2.0 (assuming both your computers and your hub/router have gigabit )

[Scuddie]

And assuming your drives can transfer 110MB/s continuously.

[S-99]

I use skype file transfer to send really big files large distances at fast speeds over the net to people. Skype is free for use for basic stuff like IM, computer to computer calls, and file transfer. Maybe videochat too. The skype file transfer is great.

[Tyrian]

I say use a null ethernet cable.  That's usually the quickest.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Quickest transfer would probably be to remove the drive from the laptop an hook it up to the PC directly as another HD.  Of course you would need the necessary cable/converter to do so.  Quickest as in easiest would be the Cat5 cable or using an existing network.  These days if you have a laptop and PC and internet you probably have them on the same LAN anyway. 

[Stealth]

'nuff said

[Nuke]

LAN?

Yeah, link a CAT-5 (ethernet) cable between two computers and do it that way. I managed to transfer 5 seasons of doctor who (~10 GB) in under 10 minutes on a 10mb/sLAN.

use a crossover cable

USB 2.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that would be intresting to watch since you cant hook a host controller up to another host controller without a gizmo in between.

Quickest transfer would probably be to remove the drive from the laptop an hook it up to the PC directly as another HD.  Of course you would need the necessary cable/converter to do so.  Quickest as in easiest would be the Cat5 cable or using an existing network.  These days if you have a laptop and PC and internet you probably have them on the same LAN anyway. 

you can get an adapter for this

...or a serial cable (that connects the serial AKA printer port on both machines) and use Norton or Total Commander...

i hope you like twiddeling your thumbs! the only thing i transfer with serial cable in network drivers. use a parallel cable instead its slightly faster, so you wont have to twidle so long

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Quickest transfer would probably be to remove the drive from the laptop an hook it up to the PC directly as another HD.  Of course you would need the necessary cable/converter to do so.  Quickest as in easiest would be the Cat5 cable or using an existing network.  These days if you have a laptop and PC and internet you probably have them on the same LAN anyway. 

you can get an adapter for this

Adapter converter whatever.  I just wish I new where the heck mine is.  Saw it once in the last 5 years and forgot where I saw it.

[Ashrak]

just get a crossover CAT5-e or CAT6 and be done with it, byfar the easyest, plug it into your pc and then straight into laptop both of them will get an ip adress like 196.254.c.y and then you can just browse by that adress.

[Mars]

Yeah, what's with all this other stuff?

Put down $10 on a CAT-5E or CAT-6 crossover cable and it'll be done in under 20 minutes.

[Solatar]

Thanks for the advice guys, seems like the ethernet cable wins the day.

[S-99]

Sounds like both of your computers don't have wireless. If they were, you could much easier create an adhoc network and connect one computer to the other with relative ease and do the transfer.