# Trouble Transferring Files from Old Computer to New Computer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616 "2004-04-29T03:02:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/1 "2004-04-29T03:02:17Z")
I bought a new computer and I’m trying to transfer my mp3’s and Mrs. HeyHomie’s pictures from our old one to our new one. I’m using Windows XP (new computer) transfer wizard and a cheapo transfer cable I bought from Best Buy. I hooked up the two cables. I ran the transfer wizard on the new computer. I made a disk to copy to the old computer. I ran the transfer wizard (using the disk) on the old computer. On both computers, I’ve gotten as far as the screen that says: "1. First, connect your two computers with a cable. 1. Go to the other computer and advance the wizard to this page. 2. Click Autodetect on both wizards to select the serial port setting." I’ve clicked “Autodetect” on both computers and gotten a window that says: “Please wait while the wizard is connecting to the other computer. This may take _a minute_.” [my emphasis] Uh, it’s been several hours, and nothing has happened. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong? TIA ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/2 "2004-04-29T03:08:30Z")
I tried to do this with my new computer. When I finally got it to work (I had to use the OEM XP disk in the old computer), it was so freakin’ slow, I gave up and used CR-RWs to transfer data back and forth. Of course, if you don’t have a CD burner on the old computer, this won’t help. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/3 "2004-04-29T03:08:38Z")
Personally, I’ve had much better success just removing the old hard drive from the old machine, and installing it in the new machine as either a primary slave or a secondary master (the latter is the easiest, as you don’t need to change any jumpers on the drive). If you don’t intend to use the old drive, you don’t even need to bother mounting it, just be sure to place it where vibration won’t cause it to fall onto any delicate components. That said, what _kind_ of transfer cables are you trying to use? USB? Serial? What is the OS on the old computer? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/4 "2004-04-29T04:19:49Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > That said, what _kind_ of transfer cables are you trying to use? USB? Serial? What is the OS on the old computer? Serial cables. The old computer is using Windows 98. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/5 "2004-04-29T04:30:20Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Serial cables. The old computer is using Windows 98. Are you absolutely certain you are using the correct type of serial cable? The correct type is called a null-modem serial cable. This type of cable reverses pins 2 and 3 at one end so that data trasmit at one computer mates up with data receive at the other, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/6 "2004-04-29T05:54:44Z")
Do what Q.E.D says. Even if your setup ran perfectly (which is clearly isn’t), serial cables are ssssllllloooowww… I have 60GB of mp3s and I’ll bet it would take upwards of a week to transfer this via serial cable. /me shudders at the thought ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/7 "2004-04-29T12:33:25Z")
Make sure that the computers do not have the same computer name. ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-transferring-files-from-old-computer-to-new-computer/242616/8 "2004-04-29T13:01:57Z")
I second the suggestion of just removing the hard-drive from the first computer and putting it in the second. Windows will automatically detect it and give it a drive letter. Then you can just drag n drop.