Help mapping network drive via internet for file recovery

I need to set up a logical drive on my computer that my laptop can see
via the internet. The computer is running Windows XP Pro, and the
laptop is running Windows 98SE. Can Windows do this, or is there
freeware to do this?

(I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).

I need to recover files from a laptop that were accidently deleted. I
have an application that sees the files, and can restore them to
another drive. If I could only make it so the laptop sees an "E" drive
that's actually a directory on my computer - through the internet.

(I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).

Any help greatly appreciated.

wrote:

> I need to set up a logical drive on my computer that my laptop can see
> via the internet. The computer is running Windows XP Pro, and the
> laptop is running Windows 98SE. Can Windows do this, or is there
> freeware to do this?
>
> (I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
> don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
> laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).
>
> I need to recover files from a laptop that were accidently deleted. I
> have an application that sees the files, and can restore them to
> another drive. If I could only make it so the laptop sees an "E" drive
> that's actually a directory on my computer - through the internet.
>
To map a directory via internet you can use an ftpserver/netdrive
combination. The are lots of lightweight freeware ftpservers out there, and
netdrive is a driver created by Novell (freeware), which maps a driveletter
on a ftpserver.

On 12 Dec 2006 21:16:25 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>I need to set up a logical drive on my computer that my laptop can see
>via the internet. The computer is running Windows XP Pro, and the
>laptop is running Windows 98SE. Can Windows do this, or is there
>freeware to do this?
>

Using windows file and printer sharing, you can connect to shares over
the Internet the same as if connected by a cable.

The problem, of course, is that in its simplest form you give everyone
else on the Internet access to your files too so you need to be
careful.

You can change the (exception and scope) settings on the windows xp
firewall so that file and printer sharing can only be accessed by the
ip address used by the win98 machine to make the connection.

Once the firewall is set correctly you can bring the Internet
connection up and connect to it by mapping a drive to
\\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx\sharename (where the x's are the ip address of the
remote xp machine)




Jim.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ps.com...
>I need to set up a logical drive on my computer that my laptop can see
> via the internet. The computer is running Windows XP Pro, and the
> laptop is running Windows 98SE. Can Windows do this, or is there
> freeware to do this?
>
> (I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
> don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
> laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).
>
> I need to recover files from a laptop that were accidently deleted. I
> have an application that sees the files, and can restore them to
> another drive. If I could only make it so the laptop sees an "E" drive
> that's actually a directory on my computer - through the internet.
>
> (I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
> don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
> laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).
>

Are you not able to temporarily remove the drive from the laptop? If so,
you could connect it to your other PC via a USB/IDE cable (by far the best
option)

If not, you can connect the 2 PCs together provided both have either an
Ethernet port (crossed cable required) or both have a firewire port
(standard cable required). Neither requires any software to be installed as
both versions of windows supports networking on both systems as supplied,
but it will trigger a registry update on connection which presents a small
risk of your deleted files being overwritten. If either of these interfaces
are not present on both machines, then there is no way of networking them
without installing additional hardware. Even installing an Ethernet or
firewire card will trigger the installation of the appropriate drivers, with
the corresponding risk of overwriting the required files.

If you are able to network them, then both machines require different
computer names and different IP addresses, but contrary to common opinion,
do not have to members of the same workgroup.

Creating a drive that can be seen on the local network is easy, but
creating one that can be seen over the internet (e.g. from anywhere in
the entire world) is a whole different matter.

Why don't you just use a USB hard drive or a USB flash drive? Since you
are using Windows 98SE, you will need drivers to see the USB device, but
most of these things do have the drivers available. Alternatively, for
the one-time purpose of data recovery only, you can network the laptop
and the desktop together with nothing more than a crossover cable.


(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I need to set up a logical drive on my computer that my laptop can see
> via the internet. The computer is running Windows XP Pro, and the
> laptop is running Windows 98SE. Can Windows do this, or is there
> freeware to do this?
>
> (I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
> don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
> laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).
>
> I need to recover files from a laptop that were accidently deleted. I
> have an application that sees the files, and can restore them to
> another drive. If I could only make it so the laptop sees an "E" drive
> that's actually a directory on my computer - through the internet.
>
> (I can't network the computers directly without more hardware, and I
> don't want to install stuff and distrurb the deleted files on the
> laptop - I want to install as little software as necessary).
>
> Any help greatly appreciated.
>

On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 10:07:08 -0500, Barry Watzman
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Creating a drive that can be seen on the local network is easy, but
>creating one that can be seen over the internet (e.g. from anywhere in
>the entire world) is a whole different matter.
>

Actually, it is *exactly* the same. There is no difference at all.


Jim.

"James Egan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Actually, it is *exactly* the same. There is no difference at all.

There is... you go through at least one (and probably dozens) of routers if
you're trying to access a drive over the Internet. Although "the Internet at
large" will generally pass any TCP/IP traffic on any port, it's not at all
unusual that particular ISPs have some ports blocked or that, if the machine
in question is behind a NAT gateway, the NAT isn't configured to route the
appropriate ports to the appropriate machine on the LAN.

On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 08:24:13 -0800, "Joel Kolstad"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>There is...

No there isn't.

>you go through at least one (and probably dozens) of routers if
>you're trying to access a drive over the Internet.

So what? He doesn't have to configure anything differently because of
this.

> Although "the Internet at
>large" will generally pass any TCP/IP traffic on any port, it's not at all
>unusual that particular ISPs have some ports blocked

Well if Bellsouth block the netbios ports then I guess he's unlucky.
However, they probably don't.

> or that, if the machine
>in question is behind a NAT gateway, the NAT isn't configured to route the
>appropriate ports to the appropriate machine on the LAN.

If that were the case he would probably already have a local network
and wouldn't be asking this question.

If he has equipment like that to traverse, it is simple enough to
configure and has no bearing at all on the fact that the configuration
of his pc to share files over the Internet is *exactly* the same as it
is sharing over a LAN.


Jim.

Barry Watzman wrote:
> Creating a drive that can be seen on the local network is easy, but
> creating one that can be seen over the internet (e.g. from anywhere in
> the entire world) is a whole different matter.
>
> Why don't you just use a USB hard drive or a USB flash drive? Since you
> are using Windows 98SE, you will need drivers to see the USB device, but
> most of these things do have the drivers available. Alternatively, for
> the one-time purpose of data recovery only, you can network the laptop
> and the desktop together with nothing more than a crossover cable.
>
>

Hmmm. Good idea. Thanks. Would you recommend a Lexar or Swivel flash
drive (that's what's at the store by my house). The old PIII laptop
has USB 1.1 and Win98SE. Both manufacturers says the drives work with
98 and USB 1.1 (they are USB 2.0 drives).

Well, first, be sure that you can get the driver for W98SE; some come
with the driver, some don't have a driver at all, and some have a driver
but you have to download it from the web site.

USB 1.1 will work but it will be really slow. If the amount of data is
large, you could be looking at a lot of time. Transferring a gigabyte
at USB 1.1 speeds could take quite a few hours. A network transfer
using a crossover cable would be a lot faster.

I don't think that the brand of drive matters, as long as you have the
W98SE drivers for it.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> Barry Watzman wrote:
>> Creating a drive that can be seen on the local network is easy, but
>> creating one that can be seen over the internet (e.g. from anywhere in
>> the entire world) is a whole different matter.
>>
>> Why don't you just use a USB hard drive or a USB flash drive? Since you
>> are using Windows 98SE, you will need drivers to see the USB device, but
>> most of these things do have the drivers available. Alternatively, for
>> the one-time purpose of data recovery only, you can network the laptop
>> and the desktop together with nothing more than a crossover cable.
>>
>>
>
> Hmmm. Good idea. Thanks. Would you recommend a Lexar or Swivel flash
> drive (that's what's at the store by my house). The old PIII laptop
> has USB 1.1 and Win98SE. Both manufacturers says the drives work with
> 98 and USB 1.1 (they are USB 2.0 drives).
>