Re: Trying to link a Windows 3.11 laptop to a Windows Me desktop

In article <052101c3b0b3$111be060$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Chris Pedro"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>We have a dying laptop (running Windows 3.11) that has
>served us well for the past 8 years. Unfortunately,
>almost since the beginning, the floppy drive has not
>worked, which up until now, was fine. But now with the
>hard drive dying, there's a ton of work stored on that
>computer that we'd like to save elsewhere.
>
>We recently bought a desktop with Windows Me. Is there a
>way to connect the two computers in such a way to transfer
>the files on the laptop to the desktop? Someone has
>already suggested connecting the two - laptop serial port
>to the desktop parallel port. In fact, they're connected
>now, but no one wants to recognize the other.
>
>Any way to do this? (PLEASE?!)

If the old computer has Windows for Workgroups 3.11, you can network
it with Windows Me using Ethernet.

If I recall correctly, WfW3.11 has the NetBEUI and IPX/SPX protocols
built-in. It doesn't have TCP/IP built-in, but you can download and
install TCP/IP from here:

How to Obtain TCP/IP-32 3.11b for Windows for Workgroups
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;99891

This site should have information on networking WfW 3.11:

http://www.wown.com

If Ethernet isn't possible, you can use Intersrv and Interlnk:

http://kime.net/directcc/directcc31.htm
http://www.rosebiz.com/linkup.html
--
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


Steve Winograd [MVP]

Sorry if I sound a little dense on this. Years ago I did
use interlnk and intersrv to transfer info to and from the
laptop to another Windows 3.11 machine, but like I said,
that was yeeears ago :-)

I downloaded Interlnk and Intersrv from one of the links
you provided. Intersrv comes up just fine on the Windows
Me desktop, but doesn't recognize the Windows 3.11 laptop.

When I try it the other way around, Intersrv comes up just
fine on the Windows 3.11 laptop, but doesn't recognize the
Windows Me desktop.

Hmmmmm... The cable is a DB9 Female / DB25 Male Serial
Modem Cable. It's connected to the serial port on the
laptop, and I think it's connected to the parallel port???
on the desktop. Frankly I didn't want to have to
disconnect most of the wires from the back of the desktop
to get it out to take a reeeeal good look at the back of
it, so I pretty much just felt around the back of the
desktop to see where the 25-pin connector would fit. Does
the cable need to be connected to the serial port on the
desktop? Hope that's it!

Thanks for your help!
>-----Original Message-----
>In article <052101c3b0b3$111be060
$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Chris Pedro"
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>We have a dying laptop (running Windows 3.11) that has
>>served us well for the past 8 years. Unfortunately,
>>almost since the beginning, the floppy drive has not
>>worked, which up until now, was fine. But now with the
>>hard drive dying, there's a ton of work stored on that
>>computer that we'd like to save elsewhere.
>>
>>We recently bought a desktop with Windows Me. Is there
a
>>way to connect the two computers in such a way to
transfer
>>the files on the laptop to the desktop? Someone has
>>already suggested connecting the two - laptop serial
port
>>to the desktop parallel port. In fact, they're
connected
>>now, but no one wants to recognize the other.
>>
>>Any way to do this? (PLEASE?!)
>
>If the old computer has Windows for Workgroups 3.11, you
can network
>it with Windows Me using Ethernet.
>
>If I recall correctly, WfW3.11 has the NetBEUI and
IPX/SPX protocols
>built-in. It doesn't have TCP/IP built-in, but you can
download and
>install TCP/IP from here:
>
>How to Obtain TCP/IP-32 3.11b for Windows for Workgroups
>http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;99891
>
>This site should have information on networking WfW 3.11:
>
>http://www.wown.com
>
>If Ethernet isn't possible, you can use Intersrv and
Interlnk:
>
>http://kime.net/directcc/directcc31.htm
>http://www.rosebiz.com/linkup.html
>--
>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
>.
>

One more thing ... When I try to start Interlnk on the
Windows Me desktop, it asks me to modify Config.sys and
restart the computer. Does Config.sys still exist?
It "should" be in the root directory, but there isn't one
there!

Thanks!

>-----Original Message-----
>In article <052101c3b0b3$111be060
$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Chris Pedro"
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>We have a dying laptop (running Windows 3.11) that has
>>served us well for the past 8 years. Unfortunately,
>>almost since the beginning, the floppy drive has not
>>worked, which up until now, was fine. But now with the
>>hard drive dying, there's a ton of work stored on that
>>computer that we'd like to save elsewhere.
>>
>>We recently bought a desktop with Windows Me. Is there
a
>>way to connect the two computers in such a way to
transfer
>>the files on the laptop to the desktop? Someone has
>>already suggested connecting the two - laptop serial
port
>>to the desktop parallel port. In fact, they're
connected
>>now, but no one wants to recognize the other.
>>
>>Any way to do this? (PLEASE?!)
>
>If the old computer has Windows for Workgroups 3.11, you
can network
>it with Windows Me using Ethernet.
>
>If I recall correctly, WfW3.11 has the NetBEUI and
IPX/SPX protocols
>built-in. It doesn't have TCP/IP built-in, but you can
download and
>install TCP/IP from here:
>
>How to Obtain TCP/IP-32 3.11b for Windows for Workgroups
>http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;99891
>
>This site should have information on networking WfW 3.11:
>
>http://www.wown.com
>
>If Ethernet isn't possible, you can use Intersrv and
Interlnk:
>
>http://kime.net/directcc/directcc31.htm
>http://www.rosebiz.com/linkup.html
>--
>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
>.
>

In article <06c801c3b109$7547fd20$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Chris Pedro"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>We have a dying laptop (running Windows 3.11) that has
>>>served us well for the past 8 years. Unfortunately,
>>>almost since the beginning, the floppy drive has not
>>>worked, which up until now, was fine. But now with the
>>>hard drive dying, there's a ton of work stored on that
>>>computer that we'd like to save elsewhere.
>>>
>>>We recently bought a desktop with Windows Me. Is there a
>>>way to connect the two computers in such a way to transfer
>>>the files on the laptop to the desktop? Someone has
>>>already suggested connecting the two - laptop serial port
>>>to the desktop parallel port. In fact, they're connected
>>>now, but no one wants to recognize the other.
>>>
>>>Any way to do this? (PLEASE?!)
>>
>>If the old computer has Windows for Workgroups 3.11, you can network
>>it with Windows Me using Ethernet.
>>
>>If I recall correctly, WfW3.11 has the NetBEUI and IPX/SPX protocols
>>built-in. It doesn't have TCP/IP built-in, but you can download and
>>install TCP/IP from here:
>>
>>How to Obtain TCP/IP-32 3.11b for Windows for Workgroups
>>http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;99891
>>
>>This site should have information on networking WfW 3.11:
>>
>>http://www.wown.com
>>
>>If Ethernet isn't possible, you can use Intersrv and Interlnk:
>>
>>http://kime.net/directcc/directcc31.htm
>>http://www.rosebiz.com/linkup.html
>
>Sorry if I sound a little dense on this. Years ago I did
>use interlnk and intersrv to transfer info to and from the
>laptop to another Windows 3.11 machine, but like I said,
>that was yeeears ago :-)
>
>I downloaded Interlnk and Intersrv from one of the links
>you provided. Intersrv comes up just fine on the Windows
>Me desktop, but doesn't recognize the Windows 3.11 laptop.
>
>When I try it the other way around, Intersrv comes up just
>fine on the Windows 3.11 laptop, but doesn't recognize the
>Windows Me desktop.
>
>Hmmmmm... The cable is a DB9 Female / DB25 Male Serial
>Modem Cable. It's connected to the serial port on the
>laptop, and I think it's connected to the parallel port???
>on the desktop. Frankly I didn't want to have to
>disconnect most of the wires from the back of the desktop
>to get it out to take a reeeeal good look at the back of
>it, so I pretty much just felt around the back of the
>desktop to see where the 25-pin connector would fit. Does
>the cable need to be connected to the serial port on the
>desktop? Hope that's it!
>
>One more thing ... When I try to start Interlnk on the
>Windows Me desktop, it asks me to modify Config.sys and
>restart the computer. Does Config.sys still exist?
>It "should" be in the root directory, but there isn't one
>there!
>
>Thanks!
>Thanks for your help!

The cable that you have won't work, Chris. It's a "modem cable",
designed for a connection between a serial modem (which has a 25-pin
female connector) and a computer's serial port (which has a 9-pin
male connector.

Connecting two computers directly to each other requires a
double-female "null modem cable", which reverses some of the wiring
internally. The second web page that I listed has details.

A computer's parallel port has 25-pin female connector like a modem,
but it isn't possible to transfer data between a serial port on one
computer and a parallel port on another computer.

However, I forgot that Interlnk uses the config.sys file and that
Windows Me doesn't process config.sys. You can create a config.sys
file and type commands into it, but Windows Me will automatically
replace it with an empty file at boot time. So, I don't think that
Interlnk/Intersrv will work at all, and I apologize for giving you a
false lead.

Here are some possible ways to do the file copying:

1. Create an Ethernet network between the computers.

2. Get an old version of Laplink and the appropriate Laplink parallel
cable for connecting the computers. I'm sorry, but I don't know the
details of using Laplink.

3. Do you know someone who has a Windows 95 or 98 computer? Those
Windows versions process config.sys and can use Interlnk, provided
that:

a. You have the right type of cable, and:
b. You copy the files to a FAT, not a FAT32, disk partition.

You could copy files from your old computer to the third computer and
then copy the files to your new computer using a CD burner or an
Ethernet network.
--
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