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Ask Slashdot: Old PC File Transfer Problem

Posted by samzenpus on from the I'll-never-let-you-go dept.

An anonymous reader writes I have an old Compaq Contura Aero laptop from the nineties (20 Mhz, 12 Mb RAM, Windows 3.11, 16-bit, PCMCIA, COM, LPT, floppy) with 160 Mb drive that I would want to copy in full to a newer machine. The floppies are so unreliable — between Aero's PCMCIA floppy drive and USB floppy disk drive — that it is a total nightmare to try and do it; it just doesn't work. If that option is excluded, what else can I do? I have another old laptop with Windows XP (32-bit, PCMCIA, COM, LPT) that could be used; all other machines are too new and lack ports. Will be grateful for any ideas.

11 of 466 comments (clear)

  1. file transfer by pen-helm · · Score: 5, Informative

    There used to be a program called Laplink that would transfer between machines over a cable. You could get special parallel "Laplink cables," but perhaps a null-modem serial cable would also work. (Light googling suggests you can use a 7-wire, null-modem serial cable.)

    I see there is a laplink.com web site.

    Wikipedia says, in MS-DOS 6.0 (and PC DOS 5.02) there was something like it included: INTERSVR and INTERLNK. But it looks harder to use.

    1. Re:file transfer by MrBingoBoingo · · Score: 5, Informative

      Probably faster to unplug the hard drive, order an adapter, and let UPS deliver it. The filesystem should be supported by any modern OS. If the disk works it will be a matter of browse and pluck.

    2. Re: file transfer by gerf · · Score: 5, Funny

      I have one on the shelf next to me. Yawn. Email me if you'd like to borrow it.

    3. Re: file transfer by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 5, Informative

      It took me about 14 seconds to find one for $20 on Amazon. IDE or SATA hard drive, USB2 interface. Took me longer to type that than to find the enclosure. Could probably find one even cheaper if I took the time.

    4. Re:file transfer by onproton · · Score: 5, Informative

      Regarding this idea: a couple of years back I bought this universal hard drive adaptor, since then it has gotten me out of quite a number of jams. After removing the drive, you can attach it to one of the adapter's IDE/PATA/SATA ports and directly access the files via a USB connection from the adapter - I'd say this is probably the least frustrating way to handle this situation.

    5. Re: file transfer by wierd_w · · Score: 5, Informative

      I dont know if you are serious or not--

      No. No ancient aliens. ESDI was in use in server equipment from that era. 200mb ESDI interface drives were pretty common inside IBM PS/2 series towers of that era.

      Specifically, found inside IBM PS/2 model 60 systems.
      http://ps-2.kev009.com/pcpartn...

      These featured an MCA ESDI hard disk interface in the later models. (Early models had MFM controllers.)

      If you suspect aliens, please inform the person selling this 680mb ESDI drive on Ebay.

      http://www.ebay.ca/itm/MICROSC...

      MFM and ESDI technology didn't get much beyond the 600-700mb before it was completely eliminated, but you CAN find drives that large with that interface type.

      No aliens involved.

    6. Re:file transfer by ihtoit · · Score: 5, Funny

      laptops haven't had parallel ports since 2010. Serial ports went out around the same time. Firewire is hen's teeth as is PCMCIA/Cardbus, and finding something with an infrared port is like bottling unicorn farts.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  2. Pull the disk by borcharc · · Score: 5, Informative

    Get a ide controller and whatever adapter you may need and just plug the hd into your current workstation. Perhaps one of those usb -> ide deals would also be a easy answer. Why make it more complex then that?

  3. Jeez, don't make this harder than it needs to be. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Simple way:

    1. Open up old laptop. Run defrag program. Set it to show the entire blockmap for the old hard drive.
    2. Turn on new laptop's webcam, set it to stream output to a text file. Focus webcam on the blockmap from the defrag program on old computer.

    The webcam will read the contents of each block on the old laptop's HD and write it to the text file on the new laptop. Easy peasy.

  4. Old School Kermit by captjc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Null Modem serial cable and download a copy of Kermit. I recently had to do this to transfer software from Windows 7 to a PLC network card that for some reason was a 286 embedded PC running DOS. Worked fairly well.

    Kermit For Windows

    Kermit for DOS

    --
    Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
  5. It's a compaq aero... hdd is ide 40 pin by Darkelf · · Score: 5, Informative

    5 seconds on Google verified this machine has no USB... tho it's age should make that obvious.

    It uses a standard 2.5" notebook hard drive, with the standard 40 pin IDE interface.

    If you don't want to pull the drive... Laplink cable is easiest.

    Pulling the drive is still a good, easy option, attach to a cheap usb interface.

    You also mentioned 16bit pcmcia... if we have a pc card NIC, access to Internet? The ftp xfer option is there too.

    --
    -Darkelf