Another possibility, assuming both your computers have modem connections on the back, is to use a null modem connector and then run a cable connection the 2 machines. A null modem connector can be built easily, or bought at Radio Shack, etc. for around $5.
Then you can just copy files across at the maximum speed of your telecom software. I don’t remember exactly, but I believe it’s typically 30,000-40,000 chars/sec. Your CD-RW speed may be faster than that, but using that requires downloading & learning a new piece of software.
The maximum speed for serial transfer over null modem cable, if I remember my days of writing RS-232 apps correctly is 115,200 bps.
I recently had to buy null modem and cable (try explaining ‘No, the connectors aren’t both the same, I’m going from a Sparc to a PC’ at Radio Shack), and I think it ran me around $8 to buy both.
Hard drive installation/removal is actually a lot easier than it sounds, and there are some nice sets of step by step instructions on the web. Even if you are using the CD burning method now, I’d recommend learning about HD installation, since you may at some point want to add more disk space. (Hard Drives generally come with detailed instructions and pictures when you buy them.)
Someone suggested using the Nero demo, and I think that’s a good idea. The demo has all the functions you’ll need for the type of burning that you want to do, and it’s pretty user-friendly. The wizard will let you go through making the CD’s step by step, and you can drag and drop files into your CD layout much like you would through Windows Explorer. One warning though, CD burning can be pretty resource intensive, so I’d suggest that if you’re burning lots of CD’s, you reboot occasionally or you’ll run a higher risk of burning ‘coasters’ (CD’s that don’t work) as there is less and less RAM available, and remember to clean out your temporary storage area. Multi-tasking in Windows (especially with ICQ) has given problems with burning CD’s in the past, since all those interrupts can lead to buffer-underrun.
I’ve used both Nero and Roxio’s Easy CD Creator, and both work just fine, so either one should do the job for you. The Nero Demo is probably a better option though, since you won’t need it for very long and probably don’t want to buy software for a computer that’s being decommissioned.
Feel free to e-mail me if there’s anything I can help with.
Jomo, I’d recommend overcoming the fear of moving your hard drive over to the new machine. It’s very easy, and it will save you an enormous amount of time. The parts in your computer aren’t quite as delicate as you think.
As for CD-burning software, if you plan to burn more than just a few disks, you’ll want Roxio or Nero on your new box as well. While XP has the ability to read and write CD-Rs, it pretty much sucks.
:sad: I tried repeatedly, countless times, to download the Nero. It simply will not download. It fails every time. I have given up.
What I do not understand is why it should be so damned difficult to simply format a damned CD-R with Windows 98.
So I have not yet gotten anywhere with the project to transfer the massive quantities of my files. I may be so desperate as to begin to consider taking out the hard drive and slaving it, but it’s a big hurdle to overcome my fear of causing serious damage to hardware, software, or OS. “You risk copying over important system files if you do that without creating another directory for all those files.” What important system files, exactly? This is why I’m scared to start messing with anything vital. I would really prefer to simply use CD-Rs to transfer my data. No system files, of course.
I don’t know why the Nero download is impossible. The server is in Germany? It’s very frustrating.
Ok…here is a page, one of many, that shows how to install a hard drive. Follow it in reverse to uninstall from the 98 machine first.
Make sure your jumpers are set to SLAVE.
Once you get it in the machine and XP is recognizing it, you’ll be able to Explore the drive just like any other drive. You’ll see nice little folder icons and the like. Now your 98 data is on your XP machine.
If you’re going to keep that 98 drive in there forever, that’s cool. Now it’s a second drive.
If you want to just copy some data over to the new machine’s Hard Drive and then take the 98 drive out, then I suggest either just dragging the files to their new locations on your C drive or making a folder on the C drive for all your “old” data and copying it there.
As for what Handy says - don’t just copy the 98 hard drive OVER the XP hard drive. You don’t want to overwrite anything that’s already there. If you want all the drive contents to come over, just make a folder on your C drive called “WINDOWS 98 STUFF” and copy the data there.
Don’t worry about messing up your hard drive or anything on it by physically moving it. I do this all the time and I rarely lose data - and when I do it’s a result of poor planning, not the hard drive.
I’m also in the “put the old drive in the new computer and copy your files over” camp. We’re talking about removing 4 screws or less (maybe none), a power connector and an 80-pin ribbon cable (IDE cable). If you open your new computer and look at your it’s hard drive it should be fairly obvious how to hook up your old one similarly. If you don’t have an IDE cable with an open connector you can temporarily remove your CD writer and put the old hard drive in it’s place using the same power and cable connectors. It’s nigh impossible to plug them in wrong. Setting the old one to “slave” may not be necessary if you do this. Follow the cable all the way to the motherboard (can’t miss it, it’s the biggest printed circuit board in your computer) and see if it connects to any other devices before it plugs in to the motherboard. Chances are it probably doesn’t. If it does then look on your old hard drive for printed instructions on the master/slave setting for the jumper. If you see that it’s set for CS (cable select) then you should be good to go, just install your old hard drive, boot up and copy away.
Another option is to just leave the old hard drive in there and don’t copy any files. Of course if you’ve removed the CD writer to do this then you will need to find an additional open connector on your IDE cable for the hard drive, or if there is none, go out to your local computer and buy a cable with 2 connectors (well, 3 actually, one goes to the motherboard and the other 2 to hard drives or CD-ROM drives). Then just buy a cheap hard drive for the the old computer if you plan on selling it.
Since you know what files you want to transfer there really is no difference than what I spelled out above and transferring with CD-Rs. Rather than transferring via CD you would be tranferring over cables internally (and a whole lot faster). You run the same risk of copying over “important system files” in either scenario, but XP shouldn’t let you do anything too drastic anyway.
If you insist on the CD-R route, you can also try the trial version of Fireburner. Since you have Win98 on the old computer you’ll also need to download the Adaptec ASPI driver found at the bottom of their download page.