Setting up 2 PC's to share drive

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byrocat

I've got to move a large amount of data from one PC to another so we
can burn picture CD's.

I'm assuming that I'll need router and a pair of network cables to
accomplish this. Is this correct?

Also, what are the steps that I ahve to go through to establish the
connection and to share the source drive?

Thanks!
 
I've got to move a large amount of data from one PC to another so we
can burn picture CD's.

I'm assuming that I'll need router and a pair of network cables to
accomplish this. Is this correct?

Also, what are the steps that I ahve to go through to establish the
connection and to share the source drive?
Click to expand...

Both computers need to have a network interface.
You just need a crossover cable.

Instructions depend on OS-es installed on both PCs.
 
I've got to move a large amount of data from
one PC to another so we can burn picture CD's.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming that I'll need router and a pair of
network cables to accomplish this. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

Nope, no router is necessary.
Also, what are the steps that I ahve to go through to
establish the connection and to share the source drive?
Click to expand...

The simplest approach is to just network the two PCs
and then burn using that config. I normally just burn
directly over the lan, so have the burner on one PC
and quite a bit of the time the files going on the CDs
are coming from another PC on the lan. That works fine.

You can just copy the files across the lan to the PC with
the burner on it before you burn a particular CD too.

As far as networking the PCs is concerned, it can be as
easy as just plugging a crossover cable between the PCs.

Going the router route works fine too. Just plug
the PCs into the router and carry on regardless.
You can just use a switch or hub too.
 
I've got to move a large amount of data from one PC to another so we
can burn picture CD's.

I'm assuming that I'll need router and a pair of network cables to
accomplish this. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

A hub is usually cheaper and will be fine if you don't plan to conenct
them to the internet.
Also, what are the steps that I ahve to go through to establish the
connection and to share the source drive?
Click to expand...

Depends on the OS you have but usually it's a matter of setting a
shared permission on the target drive and then looking it up on the
destionation PC via network link in Explorer. If you use XP, us the
network wizard to set both PC with names and connections and then look
for the hard drive (via My Computer icon on your desktop) you want to
share, right-click and click on sharing and security. Enable sharing.
 
Impmon said:
A hub is usually cheaper and will be fine if you don't plan to conenct
them to the internet.
Click to expand...

No hub , switch or router is needed but just a ccross-over LAN cable and for
many late model NICs even a cross-over isn't needed.
 
I've got to move a large amount of data from one PC to another so we
can burn picture CD's.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming that I'll need router and a pair of network cables to
accomplish this. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

You can get by with just a crossover cable. That's a special cable you
can get at the computer store.
Also, what are the steps that I ahve to go through to establish the
connection and to share the source drive?
Click to expand...

You did not specify the operating system, so I will assume Windows 2K
or XP. Personally I would use Win2K because it's easier to configure.
Just be sure to get Service Pack 4 from Microsoft after you install
it.

As you install Win2K you will get to a point where the installer will
ask you if you are on a network. Tell the installer you are on a
peer-to-peer network, which is also called a "WORKGROUP". Do not
install for the option having to do with a DOMAIN, as that requires a
Win2K Server which you do not need to fool with.

At some point you will have to choose your IP address. Although you
can pick just about anything since you are not going to connect to the
Internet, I would recommend you stick with the traditional
"non-routable" IP addresses. The most common range is
192.168.1.1-192.168.1.255. The first three bytes are fixed - the last
byte is what you choose to designate the address of a particular
machine.

You want to pick the last byte carefully, as some of the values are
reserved - for example the last byte = 1 is usually reserved for the
router gateway, which you do not have now but might want to set up
some day, and 255 is reserved for broadcast. I recommend you choose
192.168.1.10 for one machine and 192.168.1.20 for the other.

You don't have a gateway to the Internet, so you can skip the part
about DNS. Just tell Win2K that you are providing the IP address so
you won't be using DHCP. Then insert the IP address and click on the
mask and it will fill in automatically.

I recommend that you create a new user so you won't be using the
Administrator account. There are some security issues in Win2K
associated with using the Administrator account. But make sure that
you enable the new user with Administrator privileges. You will also
need to create users/permissions for the other machine. Go to Control
Panel > Users and Passwords and set up the remote user account.

Now that you have the two machines connected together with the
crossover cable and Win2K is running, go to one of them and set up the
share for the other. Go to Windows Explorer, highlight the C: drive,
right click and click on either Sharing or Properties > Sharing. If
you want you can share only the directory that contains the files you
will work with. But since security is not an issue you just as well
share out the entire C: drive.

Rename the share getting rid of any "$" (which hides the name on other
machines). Use the simple name "C-DRIVE" (without quotes, of course).
Now permission it for the remote user on the other machine. You can
access the shared drive by using the hardcoded IP address and drive
name:

\\192.168.1.20\ (notice the double backslash).

in Network Places, which is on the Desktop. Give it some time to
browse the network and establish the connection. Finally you will get
the usual window with the shares enumerated. You can treat those
objects as though they are on your machine.

If all this is foreign to you, then I recommend going to the bookstore
(Barnes and Noble) and getting a primer on setting up Windows
networking.

--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"Whatever crushes individuality is despotism."
--John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
 
hi ,

if you have a good scsi-equipment you can use one drive at two
controllers . nice option !
 
You can get by with just a crossover cable. That's
a special cable you can get at the computer store.
Click to expand...
You did not specify the operating system, so I will assume Windows 2K
or XP. Personally I would use Win2K because it's easier to configure.
Click to expand...

No it isnt with that level of networking.
Just be sure to get Service Pack 4 from Microsoft after you install it.
Click to expand...
As you install Win2K
Click to expand...

He isnt going to be doing that, whatever OS is being used is already installed.
you will get to a point where the installer will ask you if you
are on a network. Tell the installer you are on a peer-to-peer
network, which is also called a "WORKGROUP". Do not install
for the option having to do with a DOMAIN, as that requires a
Win2K Server which you do not need to fool with.
Click to expand...
At some point you will have to choose your IP address.
Click to expand...

Nope, you can use the dhcp default.
Although you can pick just about anything since you are
not going to connect to the Internet, I would recommend
you stick with the traditional "non-routable" IP addresses.
Click to expand...

You dont know whether either PC is connected to the net or not.
The most common range is 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.255.
The first three bytes are fixed - the last byte is what you
choose to designate the address of a particular machine.
Click to expand...
You want to pick the last byte carefully, as some
of the values are reserved - for example the last
byte = 1 is usually reserved for the router gateway,
Wrong.

which you do not have now but might want to set up some day,
and 255 is reserved for broadcast. I recommend you choose
192.168.1.10 for one machine and 192.168.1.20 for the other.
Click to expand...
You don't have a gateway to the Internet, so you can skip the
part about DNS. Just tell Win2K that you are providing the IP
address so you won't be using DHCP. Then insert the IP
address and click on the mask and it will fill in automatically.
Click to expand...

Awful lot of farting around compared with the XP wizard.
I recommend that you create a new user so you won't be using the
Administrator account. There are some security issues in Win2K
associated with using the Administrator account. But make sure that
you enable the new user with Administrator privileges. You will also
need to create users/permissions for the other machine. Go to Control
Panel > Users and Passwords and set up the remote user account.
Click to expand...

Awful lot of farting around compared with XP simple file sharing.
Now that you have the two machines connected together with the
crossover cable and Win2K is running, go to one of them and set
up the share for the other. Go to Windows Explorer, highlight the
C: drive, right click and click on either Sharing or Properties > Sharing.
If you want you can share only the directory that contains the files
you will work with. But since security is not an issue you just as
well share out the entire C: drive.
Click to expand...
Rename the share getting rid of any "$" (which hides the name on other
machines). Use the simple name "C-DRIVE" (without quotes, of course).
Now permission it for the remote user on the other machine. You can
access the shared drive by using the hardcoded IP address and drive
name:
Click to expand...
\\192.168.1.20\ (notice the double backslash).
Click to expand...
in Network Places, which is on the Desktop.
Click to expand...

Or just browse the network and see both PCs by name.
Give it some time to browse the network and establish the connection.
Finally you will get the usual window with the shares enumerated.
You can treat those objects as though they are on your machine.
Click to expand...

Bet he doesnt know what that means.
If all this is foreign to you, then I recommend
going to the bookstore (Barnes and Noble) and
getting a primer on setting up Windows networking.
Click to expand...

Makes a hell of a lot more sense to use one of the simple
primers on the net. Not that you need one with XP networking.
 
wolfgang said:
no , easiest is "laplink-shit" .

who says he has the nics ?
Click to expand...

To not have an Ethernet interface the machine would have to be ancient. All
my machines are networked and the only ones with NICs are a couple of PIII
servers that needed two.
 
Costs peanuts to add one if he doesnt.
Click to expand...

two are needed and cable ( yes , still low cost ) .

a scsi-cluster costs nothing if he/she has the needed equipment ( scsi
in both machines ) , and it has the highest performance and security !
 
wolfgang schneider said:
Rod Speed (e-mail address removed) wrote
Click to expand...
two are needed
Click to expand...

Duh. Its unlikely that neither PC has one.
and cable ( yes , still low cost ) .
Click to expand...

In fact much cheaper than laplink.
a scsi-cluster costs nothing if he/she has the
needed equipment ( scsi in both machines ) ,
Click to expand...

Unlikely. Much less likely than having nics in both machines.
and it has the highest performance and security !
Click to expand...

Bullshit on the security. And the performance of
nics is perfectly adequate for what he wants to do.
 
wolfgang said:
two are needed and cable ( yes , still low cost ) .

a scsi-cluster costs nothing if he/she has the needed equipment ( scsi
in both machines ) , and it has the highest performance and security !
Click to expand...

Wolfgang, what are you smoking?

The guy asks what he needs beside cables to hook a couple of machines
together, he doesn't have enough experience to get Ethernet going and a
drive shared without handholding, and you go off about esoteric hardware
that nobody but datacenters and hardcore hobbyists are likely to have,
that's a challenge for even an experienced administrator to set up so that
it works reliably.

As for "the highest performance and security", there is no disk on the
market that can saturate Gigabit Ethernet, which you can find on sale at
Staples for 25 bucks or so, so the performance is moot, and with two
machines sitting on a table with a 6-foot crossover cable between them,
you'd do better to lock the door and clean your gun than dink with the
computers if you think that there's a security issue.
 
no , easiest is "laplink-shit" .

who says he has the nics ?
Click to expand...

And slow. Unless the OP happens to have early Windows or DOS Laplink
via parallel port won't be supported, only serial. Try shuffling
several GB's over serial port.
 
wolfgang schneider said:
two are needed and cable ( yes , still low cost ) .

a scsi-cluster costs nothing if he/she has the needed equipment ( scsi
in both machines ) ,
Click to expand...

Yeah, SCSI cables obviously are for free.
 
wolfgang schneider said:
Rod Speed (e-mail address removed) wrote
Click to expand...
direct connections as a part of os usually are for free .
Click to expand...

Pity you rabbited on about laplink.

Even a laplink cable alone costs more than a crossover lan cable.

More than a crossover and two nics too.
 
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