I want to copy a huge amount of files on my desktop to my new laptop. I have a flash drive, but it does not have huge capacities. Is there a way I can connect my desktop and my laptop directly and transfer files that way? Do I need a USB cable to connect both computers?
The easiest and most effective way to transfer large amounts of files is by connecting the laptop and the computer through a LAN network, giving you the possibility to browse each other's files and make transfers between them.
Please follow these steps to ensure that everything will work fine:
1. First make sure that your computer is plugged in a modem, router or gateway that will provide internet access.
2. Right click on the location that you want to transfer files and select the Share option. A new list will appear in which you must select a homegroup.
3. Turn on your laptop so you can prepare the files for sharing.
4. From the laptop, open the Network and Sharing Center from the Start Menu.
5. Browse the files that you want to transfer by clicking the computer's name from the list of Media Devices. Insert a password if needed.
6. From there you can right click and copy files from the computer to the laptop.
If you want to connect your desktop computer to your laptop, you are simply connecting two computers directly. And for this job or for you to be able to connect two computers directly and copy files from one computer to the other, you have to use a crossover cable. You cannot use a standard straight-through cable because the two computers will not connect or will not see each other.
If you know how to wire a crossover cable, you can make one but if you don’t know how, you can just buy it from a local computer store or buy it online like this Belkin Category-5e Crossover on Amazon for $10.55 plus $15.58 for shipping if you’re from overseas.
This is a 10-feet CAT-5e molded patch cable with RJ45 male-to-male connectors and 50-micron gold-plated connectors for clear transmission.
