23-05-2003 02:08									#1
	Parallel cable connection between Win XP Pro and Win 3.11 Put an end to popups!

This thing has been giving me grief all day. I've got two computers: my desktop, which runs XP Pro, and my laptop, which is fast approaching 10 years of age and runs Win 3.11 for Workgroups. I use my laptop for typing, because it's convenient and frankly it'd be useless otherwise.

The problem with it is that it seems to require low-density floppies, and I can't for the life of me find any anywhere. I've got no way of getting files off the laptop otherwise, so it becomes pointless. So I hit upon a new idea: using Laplink to transfer the files from one computer to the other via a parallel cable. My dad had an old copy of Laplink for Win 95 which installed fine on the laptop, and after scouring Kazaa I managed to find a copy of Laplink Gold V11 for my desktop, because the Win 95 version won't work on XP.

The problem is that Win XP apparently doesn't have the necessary architecture to support parallel connections via Laplink, which is odd because I can set up a direct cable connection on XP using a parallel cable. The only problem with this approach is that the laptop isn't set up to receive parallel connections, and if it can be I don't have the Win 3.11 disks to install the files from.

Is there any way around this that I've missed? Neither computer has a USB port, so that's not an option.

	23-05-2003 02:28									#2
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Wouldn't it be easier to use a serial cable with a null modem connected to it? I think that would be a lot better supported. I think there's a program in windows and dos that supports copying files that way (at least windows up to 98, not sure about XP). Of course, if the old computer has a modem, uploading them via the net would be easy... And since you can't get anything onto that old computer it might be the easiest/only way.

	23-05-2003 02:35									#3
	Put an end to popups!

I think the names of the program (that cam ewith windows and dos) were called interlink and interserve (or rather, 8.3 versions of those names )

	23-05-2003 04:02									#4
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The laptop is running 3.1?!

It might be best to let it leave this life...

	23-05-2003 09:21									#5
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You could try running laplink over serial cable. It's a lot slower, but should work good enough with small documents. You could also try networking the two computers by setting up a LAN.

	23-05-2003 09:36									#6
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger You could try running laplink over serial cable. It's a lot slower, but should work good enough with small documents.

Yeah, but wouldn't you need to get laplink software onto the laptop?

Also, if you cant get some communications method to work, I would think you could probably find some store online that would sell 5.25 disks, probably cheaply.

	23-05-2003 09:38									#7
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He already has Laplink running on the notebook computer.

	23-05-2003 09:47									#8
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Ahh, whoops. Misread the first post.

(Hey, if you got the software onto the laptop,couldn't you use those disks? )

	23-05-2003 12:55									#9
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Yes, that's what confused me. But every other high-density disk I try fails miserably.

OK, let's give this serial cable option a go. What does the cable I'm going to need look like and where does it plug into?

	23-05-2003 13:40									#10
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You should be able to buy one at the local hardware shop. Ask for a serial cable for Laplink, they probably know what it is. It's similar to a parallel one, but a bit thinner. I think you can make do with the 9-pin cable instead of the 25-pin one. I don't think they have 25-pin ones for Laplink, anyway.

	23-05-2003 13:41									#11
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quote: Originally posted by Paul Hanson Yes, that's what confused me. But every other high-density disk I try fails miserably.

3 1/2" or 5 1/4" ones?

	23-05-2003 14:51									#12
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3 1/2.

	23-05-2003 14:53									#13
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You aren't plugging a parallel cable into a 25 pin serial port are you?

	23-05-2003 15:00									#14
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id say go networking...

	23-05-2003 15:07									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Paul Hanson 3 1/2.

See if you can format a high density one to low density.

	23-05-2003 15:41									#16
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Look for a program called Fastlynx.
See if it runs on your old laptop.

I use(d) this program myself to connect win95 to winXP through a parallel cable.

	23-05-2003 15:59									#17
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quote: Originally posted by Grrr You aren't plugging a parallel cable into a 25 pin serial port are you?

I've definitely got it in the parallel port on my laptop. As for my desktop, I've got it pluged into the only 25 pin female port on the back of it.

I went down to PC World to see if they had the cable I needed, but the best they could offer me was a 9 pin female to 25 pin male with an adaptor, and at £16 I politely told them to forget it.

That's assuming I'm doing this right; The only serial port on my laptop is the mouse port, yet my desktop has two ports that I think are serial ports. One is 9 pin and the other is 25 pin, and they're both male.

	23-05-2003 20:13									#18
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For a serial cable, you need a cable with two modems attached, one a straight through and one a null modem, or you can get one readily fashioned (one came with my copy of pcanywhere). You might need a DB25-DB9 pin converter if the two serial cables have a different number of pins.

Take a look at the serial cables at the bottom of this page particular the serial/null modem cables.

http://www.a1parts.com/cables/io.html

	23-05-2003 20:22									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Paul Hanson That's assuming I'm doing this right; The only serial port on my laptop is the mouse port, yet my desktop has two ports that I think are serial ports.

Well, I seem to remember that there used to be serial mice, so that might be it, but it's also possibly you're not looking at the right port. (Hey, you're in DOS, what do you need a mouse for? )

(Some computer's I know of do come with two serial ports, but that's generally the exception, not the rule...)

	23-05-2003 21:18									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Edan For a serial cable, you need a cable with two modems attached, one a straight through and one a null modem, or you can get one readily fashioned (one came with my copy of pcanywhere). You might need a DB25-DB9 pin converter if the two serial cables have a different number of pins.

What? No, to connect two computers by a serial connection directly, alll you need is a special cable, sometimes known as a null modem cable.

	23-05-2003 21:36									#21
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger What? No, to connect two computers by a serial connection directly, alll you need is a special cable, sometimes known as a null modem cable.

Yes. But in order to build a null modem cable (ie, if you cant find a manufactured one) you need a straight trough and a null modem.

And you might need a converter depending on the size of the serial ports.

(I know someone who tried to connect to linux boxes by serial cable and had to connect 5 different parts (null modem, stright through, DB25 to DB9 converter and a couple of gender changers, IIRC...) to get it working.

	24-05-2003 11:11									#22
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It might be worth mentioning that 9, 15, and 25 pin serial cables all have 9 wires running through them.

	24-05-2003 12:30									#23
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Here should be some more help:

Using Interlink



Pin connections for serial cables