Help - getting laptop and desktop talking to each other

So far I have my laptop with mobile broadband working well (apart from painfully slow sending or receiving larger emails) but most of my stuff is still on my desktop, meaning I am having to use a memory stick to move stuff back and forth between the laptop and desktop which I am tiring on very quickly! [!]

So is there an easy way (simple as a cable attachment?) that I can use to be able to connect the two so I can move files from one to the other to work on them?

Please say yes!

I'm no expert, but if you want to keep doing it, you could buy a wireless router, and set up a wireless network. Not sure of costs. you'd maybe need network cards in each as well.

If its a one-off, would probably be easier to keep doing what you're doing. In theory the old co-ax cable would be able to transfer, but you'd probably still need network cards????

I'm sure Grant will be along soon to tell you everythink I've just said is rubbish......

I'm not sure how it was done, but I can plug one end of a cable into my lappie and then access my lawyer's lappie.

Diane

I have the same problem Tigger (am doing that right now with the laptop on the dining table and the PC in the study) and suspect the answer is a network arrangement (either wireless or wired). I'm pretty sure that both the electrician (when he was doing the cabling) and the computer man who came to point my PC to the right place said that a wireless router thingywhatsit would be the thing

I'm no expert but that is what I have in my house. Broadband in to my Desktop PC and a Linksys Wireless Router. My daughter can then fire up her Laptop in another room to connect to the Internet as long as my Desktop PC is connected. Clear as mud?

However I think you will also need to set up file sharing between the two computer and at that point - I'm know nothing!

I'm actually going to be disconnecting it all now as she has moved out and I believe they pull a fair amount of power - but I could be wrong.

Yes.

The answer is yes.

Oh, you wanted to know how? The answer to that is ..... well it depends.

Easiest and simplest way is to set up a mini network involving a crossover ethernet cable, enabling file sharing and some clever applications of similar IP addresses on the same subnet.

Other methods are more elegant, but involve spending money on wireless routers, access points or PCI cards, and then similar magic with the programming and setup on both computers.

Time for me to come for a visit, is it?

get a patch cable, ethernet cable, cat 5 cable... theres lots of names for the same thing just check if you need a crossover or not, most cards will use either.

wyseyes;208010 wrote: Oh, you wanted to know how? The answer to that is ..... well it depends.

Easiest and simplest way is to set up a mini network involving a crossover ethernet cable, enabling file sharing and some clever applications of similar IP addresses on the same subnet.

Other methods are more elegant, but involve spending money on wireless routers, access points or PCI cards, and then similar magic with the programming and setup on both computers.

Never simple, is it?? [}]

I'm not wanting to share applications, just access files created in applications that are already loaded onto my laptop and vice versa if that makes any difference...?

Time for me to come for a visit, is it?

May well be, I can offer coffee

hook a cable up between them, set up a home network, and share the folders containing the files

easy peasy

i was going to suggest local network connection too. Hopefully by week end we shall be back on deck with the desktop released from the container.

Tigger are you working similar to me, i have a tiny coffee table that I am crouched over as its the best corner in the lounge to get signal, and my back is killing me these days (apart from the camping mattress on the floor) on one side.

We have a little beastie called a D-Link ADSL Router 504-T. It act as a network hub / firewall for up to 4 PC's via a standard ethernet cable, and will connect all the PC's at any time to the WWW. It contains all the logon information for the ADSL connection, and we run different E Mail addresses for each of our PC's. I run my system on fixed IP's, but you can use dynamic IP's if you wish. Fixed IP's seemed to be more stable.

I got the whole lot from Dick Smith's. Easy as, as they say.....

Or, you can use a crossover ethernet cable and get two PC's to talk to each other.

...or wyseyes can ride to the rescue in his Holden and sort it all out for you [] thanks so much!!!!