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View Full Version : Help please with aged PC connection to equally aged lappie


brockenspectre
2nd Jul 2007, 13:49
Hi all

Hope someone can help me. On Saturday night I logged off AOL broadband and my aged PC as normal. On Sunday morning when I tried to boot up the PC it kept hanging. When I did successfully boot it and tried to access AOL the PC would hang/freeze again. I contacted AOL and the tech guy identified a faulty modem and he ordered a replacement which will apparently take about 5 working days to arrive. With the modem disconnected the PC boots perfectly.

To get online, I have dug out my even more aged IBM560Z laptop (which has no disc/CD rom drives!) and can connect it to the internet via a very slow dial up connection. Obviously the version of AOL running on this lappie is equally ancient but it is working!

As many of you know, I am virtually housebound these days due to the triggering of a form of parkinson's disease just over a year ago, so don't have the wherewithal to just buy brand new puter stuff. Equally, thanks to my parky bo11ox,there is at the mo quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with my former employer, health insurers, lawyer, Dept of Work etc etc. All the documentation/emails on this is stored on the PC and thanks to there being no drives for the lappie I can't transfer them.

The lappie does have a docking station but no USB port so I can't just get one of those tiny USB memory devices. I don't have any spare cables but do have both a scanner and a printer slaved to each other and to the PC via a parallel port so there are two parallel port cables there.

I was wondering if there is some way with the resources I have I can connect the PC to the lappie so I can attach a document stored on the PC to an email I am going to send from the lappie.

Hopefully when the new AOL modem arrives next week it will prove to have been the sole cause of my puter problems, but it would be good for me to have a back-up for the future so I would like a solution.

Thanks, in advance, to anyone who responds!!

Spitoon
2nd Jul 2007, 15:22
What OS(s) are you using?

Windows comes with some functionality to connect two computers in the way that you want (different versions have different levels of functionality). Try searching Windows Help for 'direct cable connection' and have a look here (http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/dccmain.html).

BLUE SKY THINKER
2nd Jul 2007, 16:22
brockenspectre.....

So you are basically looking for an emergency measure for the next week or so.

Just a suggestion: forget the laptop; you say the PC is fine with the AOL (presumably broadband) modem disconnected.

As all your important files are on the PC, set up a separate Pay As You Go (no subscription) dial-up account (assuming you also have a built in 'standard' modem). It takes about a dozen quick 'clicks' and less than five minutes of your time. There are a myriad of companies out there providing this service; I use this one (http://www.nippyinternet.co.uk/dial_up/index.html). It will cost you 1p per minute 1800-0600 week days and all day weekends (3.95p per min. 0600-1800). 60p per hour, as an emergency measure, if you keep to the off peak periods (less than 4p in the day to dispatch urgent e-mails, prepared off-line, all in one go).

Do you usually use the inclusive AOL mail client (?), or an external one, such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird etc (??). If the latter, no problem (apart from slow!); if the former and the only AOL problem is their modem, then the program should work via dial-up (I think). If it doesn't, because it transpires there is an AOL problem in addition to their (presumably USB) modem, then set up your AOL account in Outlook Express, or similar, using AOL's POP3/SMTP settings.

[NB: Even when everything is working (broadband) perfectly, not a bad idea having one of these accounts set up in the background as a backup in a crisis. Costs absolutely nothing until you use it in Pay As You Go mode, but a godsend - temporarily - when all else fails]

BOAC
2nd Jul 2007, 16:29
I may have missed something but I think BS's problems are
1) No modem on the Desktop to use dial-up
2) No suitable cables for Direct Connection (which I believe needs cross-over cables?)

I am stumped for a quick fix - the only POSSIBLE idea I have is to get a friend to take away a copy of your doc on either a floppy or CDROM if you have one on the Desktop, and then to email it to you via the laptop for you to open and attach?

Wishing you luck!

PS You don't have an 'old' dial-up modem lurking inside or in a drawer, do you? If so, you could re-install it and set up one of BST's dial-ups.

BLUE SKY THINKER
2nd Jul 2007, 16:36
"I may have missed something but I think BS's problems are
1) No modem on the Desktop to use dial-up....."
Hopefully not!!!

Assumption was that there is (again, hopefully) an 'internal - "old" style - modem', particularly on a (quote) "aged PC".

Assuming (maybe wrongly) that problem revolves around external USB AOL broadband modem.

dwhcomputers
2nd Jul 2007, 16:46
Hi PM me your address and I will send you a floppy drive that will fit on the connection you have on your laptop

BOAC
2nd Jul 2007, 17:09
Sorry BST - didn't read your post fully:ugh:

Fingers crossed for a 'legacy' modem it is.

brockenspectre
2nd Jul 2007, 17:49
Evening all. Thank you very much to those who replied!

Spitoon - I am using Win98SE on both PC and laptop. As lappie is only AOL5 it isn't loading websites particularly well (they are timing out!) but I will check on connectability.

BST - problem is with an external USB AOL broadband modem - the PC does not have an internal dialup modem. I do take your point about having a backup service in future...it will be put on my "to do" list!

BOAC - spot on mate :ok: Sadly, no old dialup modem lurking - I gave a Freecom one away to charity just two months ago :rolleyes:

dwpcomputers - check your PMs!! :E

Jhieminga
2nd Jul 2007, 17:53
You could get the laptop and PC to talk to each other but for that you need a dedicated cable (null modem cable, null printer cable or laplink cable) to connect two serial or two parallel ports. The cables that you've got for your printer and/or scanner won't accomplish this. Also getting the software for this going can be a challenge in itself.

Getting the cable will take as much time as getting the new modem I'm guessing so this won't solve your problem.

Hope you're back up and connected again soon!

BOAC
2nd Jul 2007, 18:25
BS - do I take it that you
a) Have no CDWriter or Floppy drive on the Desktop
b) If you have, there is no-one 'in range' who can email the doc on the CD to you?

brockenspectre
3rd Jul 2007, 08:45
BOAC - in answer to (a) yeps, the aged PC does have a floppy drive (read/write) and a CD drive (read only); (b) no, there is no-one who can I ask to email me a document stored on to a floppy. I have no family, my friends are not local to where I live and my Shiba Inu dog, while immensely smart, has yet to reveal his ability to use a computer (and in any even would rely on me to provide the hardware!) :)

forget
3rd Jul 2007, 08:49
Where's home?

brockenspectre
3rd Jul 2007, 09:00
forget - SE London/Kent :ok:

shack
3rd Jul 2007, 09:51
If I was near you I'd be knocking on your door with bits but I am afraid my part of France is a long way from you. Come on there must be a Ppruner who is near you.

Tinstaafl
3rd Jul 2007, 14:57
Win 9x include a function called 'direct cable connection' (DCC). It can connect both PCs using a parallel or serial cable. You'll need a double ended parallel cable (if using parallel) not a printer cable. Printer cables have a Centronics plug at one end instead of two parallel plugs (ie IEEE whatever the spec is). You might be able to find a 'Centronics --> parallel' adapter but probably simpler to buy the serial or parallel cable.

Additionally there's 3rd party software that can do that sort connection as well eg Laplink, TranXit2 etc.

Alternatively do both machines have a LAN port? Or you could buy LAN cards for them - they're relatively cheap. Add a crossover LAN cable & the connection should be simple.

Note: If your laptop is old enough its card slot might be limited to the original PCMCIA specification and not the more recent PC-Card spec that superceded it. PC-Card slots are backwards compatible with PCMCIA expansion cards but not the other way around.

BOAC
3rd Jul 2007, 15:32
Wish I was nearer, BS - come on PPruners - someone in that area to help?

brockenspectre
3rd Jul 2007, 16:49
Hi again all

More thanks to Tinstaafl - I had vaguely recalled something about parallel port connection so now I know I would need a two-ended cable! My lappie has PCMCIA ... 'tis that ancient !!

Thanks too shack for wanting to help!!

BOAC - 'tis gonna be all OK as dwhcomputers has confirmed that a floppy drive is on its way to me by Royal Mail. This is perfect timing as I have to get another form completed/returned by the end of the week :ok:

Things that in normal life one would take in stride find someone with parky bo11ox often reduced either to tears or to major tremor and feeling even more out of control.

To realise that one's proon chums can come to one's aid both in spirit and practically is of immense value! Y'all will never know how much!

Many thanks -- its unlikely I know but if I can ever be of help back, never hesitate to ask! :ok:

brockenspectre
5th Jul 2007, 14:22
Afternoon all, I just want to publicly thank dwhcomputers for being a prooner of his word! The floppy drive arrived this morning, the form that I have to complete a.s.a.p. is already downloaded and printed off my PC. Without the drive my stress levels would have been off the gauge as I would be unable to comply with deadlines set by my employer's disability insurer!!!

:ok: