Thanks All! Success! Let me relate my experience for anyone else in the future:
1. Took about 20 minutes of tinkering before the old win98 computer became visible on the network. Not exactly sure what I did but tried making all three different connections with the XP networking wizard. Must have done something right because after 15 minutes of failures (old win98 computer not being visible), there it was.
2. As with Steve's advice, simply giving corresponding work group names as all that entailed. However I do believe the original setup via the XP disk did in fact take on the old win98 computer because a lot (or the necessary) protocols were already installed including file and printer sharing checked off (enabled)
3. Once the two machines are connected, all you see is printer and sharedfiles (or something). Having never done this before, it took a bit to figure out where / how to browse the entire drives of the old computer. Very simple \\<computer name>\C$ and drive D$ get you directly into the drives of the second machine as though you were sitting at it. Very very pleasing.
4. Transferred the need files, just over 1GB in 1 hour and 8 minutes. Again very pleasing and absolutely nothing to doing it.
5. Created shortcuts to C$ and D$ in IE's favorites and simply access the drives with one click thereafter.
6. I will install a second network card on the XP and make a full time connection (call it a extra large external drive) to operate off the old computer instead of filling up the drive of the new XP with years of data. I suspect I can set the box up side by side and not require the monitor or the mouse and key board, and just power it up when needed.
Very pleased with all of this as cost nothing except about 10 dollars for the cross-over CAT's.
Now:
7. Switching back to internet connection on XP after seems I had to reconfigure a new ethernet connection. I am not sure why I cannot have two connection icons (one internet and one lan), but suspect that with the second card installation, it will read this and then allow for it.
BIG NOTE HERE:
after re-doing the internet network connection, it creates exactly that, a brand new connection (there's nothing to setting up the internet connection just check off the full time broadband and everything else is automatic), however because it is a new connection, the ICF is disabled (default), make sure to re-enable it. Also some of the past problems such as PNP and other defaults that have had problems in the past, are again enabled.
Just be aware that making or resetting the internet network connection, defaults everything.
Otherwise, very very simple and very happy. Exactly what I need and have secured the necessary data from the old computer to the new one without a hitch.
Thanks and again and good luck to anyone else who has never done this before, just click away and it will come right.
----- Steve Winograd [MVP] wrote: -----
In article <02db01c3bb7b$cfa95b20$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Sue"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I have two computers, one new XP Home and the other
>Win98. I want to connect the two via the ethernet cards
>with cross-over cables in order to transfer files from
>the old computer to the new computer. Big problem I have
>is that the old computer's CD-drive is broken.
>>I have made and copied the networking application from
>the XP computer to the old one on floppy disk. However
>trying to install it calls for the win98 CD to be run.
>>I think microsoft network is a protocol already installed
>on the old machine but I suspect even rebooting will
>require the installation of files from the CD which
>doesn't work.
>>Is there anyway to manually apply whatever needs to be
>done to the win98 computer, or is their a disk somewhere
>or set of files I can download to disk which covers
>installing and chaning anything in networking on win98?
>>Maybe there is a software program I can install on the
>old computer which includes everything?
>>Any help appreciated.
Here are some possible solutions to the problem:
1. It's never necessary to run XP's Network Setup Wizard on any
computer. If Win98 is already set up with the TCP/IP protocol and
configured to obtain an IP address automatically, it should work as
is. In that case, the only change I'd recommend is setting the
workgroup name to be the same on both computers. That isn't strictly
necessary, but it makes networking a little bit easier.
2. If you really need the Win 98 CD files, they might already be on
your hard disk. Search for files named "win*.cab". If you find a
folder containing several dozen of them, point to that folder when the
system asks for the Win98 CD.
3. It's possible that the necessary files are already installed. Tell
the system to look for them in C:\Windows\System, or even tell it to
skip them.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)
Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm
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