All these solutions require the laptop and the desktop to be near each other at the time of transfer and both have to be running for the transfer to work.
I'm not being frivolous when I suggest that you do not ignore the possibility of a portable CD-Rom writer. Computers can be remote from each other and the transfer can be accomplished "asychronously". That is the PCs are not actually interacting with each other. And the files are backed up on the CD of course.
Much more expensive, naturally. See my earlier thread on this subject.
http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/For...ML/000545.html
BTW I'm not prejudiced; I am a LAN devotee and would otherwise recommend the installation of network cards etc. I use Coax to avoid the need for a USB hub. A PCMCIA NIC for the laptop will set you back about £100. That for the PC can be found for £15-30. Coax is cheap and can be bought from PC World or Maplins in made up lengths. Software (except for some NICs) is all in the Windows packages.
[This message has been edited by fobotcso (edited 06 January 2001).]