# Best way to move MP3 files from old pc to new pc? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852 "2008-04-03T22:11:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/1 "2008-04-03T22:11:56Z")
My old PC was finally replaced with a snappy new machine, but now I want my mp3 collection off of my old system. There’s only about 4 gigs worth of stuff I want, what’s the easiest way to move them? ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/2 "2008-04-03T22:23:03Z")
A USB jump drive if you have one or can borrow one. Or perhaps a digital camera if you have one. Unless both machines are connected to a router, wired or wireless, then you can network them and drag them from one machine to the other. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/3 "2008-04-03T22:24:12Z")
How old is your old machine? What operating system? Solutions: [ol] [li]Burn the 4GB of data to a DVD[/li][li]Use a USB thumb drive (you can get a 4GB no-name one for about $30 at an office store)[/li][li]If you have a router at home (or DSL or cable modem that also works as a rounter) use an Ethernet cable to connect both computers to a router and set up sharing on the old computer[/li]If you have an iPod activate the hard drive feature of the iPod and use the iPod as a hard disk[/ol] ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/4 "2008-04-03T22:24:24Z")
I went to Radio Shack and got a cable that has 2 USB ends. Connect the computers, and the included software lets you drag and drop whatever files you want. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/5 "2008-04-03T22:41:38Z")
[QUOTE=feppytweed] I went to Radio Shack and got a cable that has 2 USB ends. Connect the computers, and the included software lets you drag and drop whatever files you want. [/QUOTE] I’ve tried a couple of these in the past and they were both terribly buggy. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/6 "2008-04-03T22:43:36Z")
[QUOTE=Myglaren] Unless both machines are connected to a router, wired or wireless, then you can network them and drag them from one machine to the other. [/QUOTE] Or if you don’t have a router you can get a “cross-over” cable and plug one machine directly into the other, creating an ad-hoc network! Drag and Drop! ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/7 "2008-04-03T23:00:11Z")
I don’t have an Ipod, and the old machine was running Windows 98. The CD burner on it was dead too, so I’m guessing that a cable option or the jump drive ideas look like my best options. ---
**Author:** ![Byzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Byzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Byzz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/8 "2008-04-04T02:59:53Z")
Unless the new computer already has 2 hard drives, just take the drive out of the old computer and put it in the new one and copy them. Then toss the old drive or keep it in the new comp if it has any use. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/9 "2008-04-04T03:38:50Z")
[QUOTE=Byzz] Unless the new computer already has 2 hard drives, just take the drive out of the old computer and put it in the new one and copy them. Then toss the old drive or keep it in the new comp if it has any use. [/QUOTE] Great idea, but far beyond my powers. If it’s not plug and play I can’t manage. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/10 "2008-04-04T03:57:47Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Great idea, but far beyond my powers. If it’s not plug and play I can’t manage. [/QUOTE] It is, really. You won’t have to remove more than four screws and all you have to unplug is the SATA cable (the grey ribbon thingy) and the power supply connector (messy bunch of wires running to a little clear plastic connector nubbin, probably orange and yellow wires). Read [this](http://www.dansdata.com/sbs27.htm). You might be surprised at how easy it is. Ignore the “software side” stuff on down- your BIOS will sort everything out for you. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/11 "2008-04-04T04:02:02Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] It is, really. You won’t have to remove more than four screws and all you have to unplug is the SATA cable (the grey ribbon thingy) and the power supply connector (messy bunch of wires running to a little clear plastic connector nubbin, probably orange and yellow wires). Read [this](http://www.dansdata.com/sbs27.htm). You might be surprised at how easy it is. [/QUOTE] Just for the sake of accuracy (fighting ignorance, and all that), it’s ATA (or IDE), not SATA that is a ribbon cable. SATA cables are much smaller, wire-like cables. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/12 "2008-04-04T04:04:57Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] Just for the sake of accuracy (fighting ignorance, and all that), it’s ATA (or IDE), not SATA that is a ribbon cable. SATA cables are much smaller, wire-like cables. [/QUOTE] Probably should just have gone with “ribbon thingy”… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/13 "2008-04-04T04:07:31Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] I don’t have an Ipod, and the old machine was running Windows 98. The CD burner on it was dead too, so I’m guessing that a cable option or the jump drive ideas look like my best options. [/QUOTE] Get the jump drive. A 1 or 2 GB drive will work if you don’t want to pop for a 4 GB drive. I’ve tried to get an Win98 machine to network with a XP machine with a crossover cable, and never did get it to work. Not worth the headache, and if swapping drives is too much trouble for you the cable will be too. The jump drive is easy. Assuming the Win98 box has USB. ---
**Author:** ![Byzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Byzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Byzz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/14 "2008-04-04T04:33:07Z")
A jump drive is probably the best bet. If you have a digital camera and a memory card reader on each computer, you could use the camera’s memory card as a jump drive. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/15 "2008-04-04T06:51:13Z")
On the other hand some jump drives don’t work with Win 98. The hard drive transfer would then be your best option. It is very simple. You would possibly have to remove the ribbon cable along with it as the new computer will almost certainly have SATA drives but there should be a port on the new motherboard for an IDE cable. You don’t need to mount it in the computer unless you want to keep it there permanently, just rest it on something non-conductive - a book is usually ideal. A less technological and slower alternative is to email them to yourself. If your current email account won’t allow such large files, get a Google account or use [YouSendIt](http://www.yousendit.com/) You don’t have to sign up but if you do it increases the number of files and their size that you can send. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-move-mp3-files-from-old-pc-to-new-pc/443852/16 "2008-04-04T07:59:35Z")
Another alternative is to remove the old hard drive, but rather than tinkering with the guts of the new machine, install the drive in a USB external drive enclosure and plug that into the new machine as an external drive. After the transfer, the external drive setup could be used for backups or other file transfer operations.