Exasperation has set in transferring files...

[John Schmidt]

My old computer is XP so doesn't have the Windows Easy Transfer the new one has. So, I tried to download it off the net...didn't work, old one keeps hanging up. So, downloaded it to a disk in the new unit and then attempted to load it on the old one through the CD reader. It loaded but won't open. Looks like I have only a couple options; take it somewhere and have them pull the hard drive and load it to a server...then to the new computer, or take forever and use a flash drive and do it a little at a time. Does anyone have any other suggestions? This is really starting to PO me big time....and the more I use Win-7, the more familiar I am with it. It's getting easier to use, but I still absolutely detest the fool thing. They took a great & simple OS and made it more complicated. Idiots.

[Quicksilver]

 If you have a network connector on both. Get a network cable. Plug into network connectors on both.  Put both computers in same workgroup. Share the harddrive on old computer. Transfer files as needed.

[BigAlOfMD]

If you have a network connector on both. Get a network cable. Plug into network connectors on both.  Put both computers in same workgroup. Share the harddrive on old computer. Transfer files as needed.

To connect two computers via direct network cable without a router or switch requires a crossover cable.

I believe store bought  crossover cables are usualy red.

I believe there are also computer to computer USB cables but I've never used one.
Before network, we used to use serial or parallel.

[Colin]

You definitely need a cross over ethernet cable if you are connecting the two computers together.

If, however, you you have both computers currently connected by network (ethernet) cables to your adsl / cable router then you don't need to buy anything.

Just set up a windows workgroup as suggested above and the just share the folders with the files in you want to copy and pull them from the old machine onto the new machine. Remember this is only data you cannot move programmes in the same way.

[DarkMeister]

Ran into same thing when replacing my daughter's computer. From XP to Vista.
Picked up a cheapo Vantec "SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter". Pulled the old hard drive, plugged this contraption in, USB into the new computer - and Presto Molesto.
Not sure if that's any quicker than a flash drive, but it worked for me.
If I really had the need, could've downloaded ghosting program and did the whole drive, but there was no point to that.

[Serk]

Actually, most newer computers won't need a crossover cable.

If one of the computers has a GB (1000MB) speed network card, which has become the defacto standard, part of the standard for GB Ethernet is that the network interface cards are auto sensing of crossover, and will switch themselves on the fly...

IF one of the computers has a GB network card, you can just plug an ethernet cable from one computer to the next... (The card doesn't have to be running at GB speed, it just had to be GB capable...)

Of course, you'd still have to configure networking between the two of them, and that's beyond the scope of this post, but it is probably possible without a physical crossover cable or switch/hub...