A computer cable question

[CarolynM]

RE: ....copying the disk to another hard drive and then using a cable to load it to your laptop are... (from Richard's reply to my computer question yesterday)

My laptop and Dad's desktop computer are often sitting next to each other in "our office/guest bedroom" because that is where the internet connection is located. The 2 machines are not networked together and both run WindowsXP. Since the greeting card program installed on Dad's computer when it would not first install on my laptop; IF I had needed to use a cable to connect the our 2 computers together in order for the program to install on my laptop, WHAT kind of cable would I have needed to use???? One that has an USB connector on both ends? Or would I need a different kind of cable? What is ne name of the cable (and what it looks like) that I would needed to use? (If I don't have it here already, I want to get one for "just in case such a problem occurs" so that I will be ready.)
Please advise.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
CarolynM

[Graydon]

To connect two computers directly... I've found the simplest approach has been to use a "crossover cable".

It looks just like a standard network cable (like the phone cable with a wide plug) but it will be labeled on the box and on the cable itself as "crossover". The one I got was orange so as to help ensure you didn't get it confused with the normal ones.

Office Depot has them... sitting right with the normal network cables... so read carefully.

It's been a while since I've had to do that... but I think if you search windows help (press F1 while looking at the desktop) on either computer and query "crossover cable" and hopefully the how-to for using it will come up.

[Rson]

So you have computer A that has a program loaded on it and you want to run the program on computer B from computer A?

NO can do.

However, are they both using the same network? Sharing is easy to do and takes a few mouse clicks.

[ldelacruz]

I don't think you will be able to copy the program to the other computer and actually make it work. You can copy the file but it won't be the entire program and will not run on the new computer.

[Rson]

Here is Why.....When you install a program you not only make a directory with the new program in it but you make entries into the root of the system.

Think of it as a tree.....there is the trunk and all you can see but under the earth are all sorts of roots.

[CarolynM]

I was thinking more on the lines of this idea: Put the greeting card CD in the CD drive on the desktop where it worked properly (computer A) and run some kind of cable to my laptop in order to install the program onto the hard drive of my laptop (computer B) since the CD disk wasn't working in my laptop's CD drive at first. If I bought a crossover cable as suggested by Graydon, would I have then been able to install the greeting card program onto my laptop if the other suggestions not worked for me?
Please advise.
CarolynM

[eRoc]

Here's what you do:

1.Connect crossover cable between computers
2. Share the Cd drive on your desktop computer. (right-click, properties; Share name D$)
3. Connect to the cd drive on your desktop from your laptop:
On the laptop: START>RUN>\\*INSERT_DESKTOPCOMPUTERNAME_HERE\D$
4. Run the setup file

[ldelacruz]

What Eric said should work. If not try copying the file to your local hard drive and then run setup again.

If you have a hub or router you would not need to get a crossover cable. You could use two regular ethernet cables with the router.

[chano]

my shot. may be a bit techy..but. create an ISO of the disk. run a virtual drive on machine b. mount the ISO on the virtual drive(no disk needed) install setup. etc.

Create an ISO with cdburnerxp

http://cdburnerxp.se/

for the virtual drive...i use magicISO

http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/mi...c-overview.htm

[ramblinray]

Why not just copy the CD to a flash drive, put the flash drive in the laptop and install it from there. Sometimes simple is just that, simple.

[Rson]

When you say they are not networked together....do they share the same internet connection? Do you have a router?

[Dobick]

Originally Posted by ramblinray

Why not just copy the CD to a flash drive, put the flash drive in the laptop and install it from there. Sometimes simple is just that, simple.

This was the solution that entered my mind immediately when I saw this thread.

my laptop does not have an optical drive, so this is the solution I use most often to load programs.

[eRoc]

Originally Posted by ramblinray

Why not just copy the CD to a flash drive, put the flash drive in the laptop and install it from there. Sometimes simple is just that, simple.

LOL. You are so right. That would probably be the easiest thing to do, especially if you're going to have to buy something(crossover cable). I have all my PC's networked together, so my advice would have been simpler for me. But for simplicities sake, deffinately a USB flash drive would be the way to go.


And to think, I just finished my last Final Exam at ITT Tech LAST NIGHT to get my Associates Degree in Computer Networking systems.

Maybe I should go back to school......lol...sometimes we make things harder then they really are.

[ldelacruz]

Flash Drive is the winner! Why didn't I think of that?

[CarolynM]

Originally Posted by ramblinray

Why not just copy the CD to a flash drive, put the flash drive in the laptop and install it from there. Sometimes simple is just that, simple.

Gee, I already own several jump drives. I didn't think about copying the CD to the Jump drive to install the program! I'm glad you mentioned that option!!!! I've moved data and photos from one computer to the other by using jump drives; never used a jump drive to install any programs. When I was asking my other question, using cables from one machine to the other was a possible solution if wiping the CD with a lens cloth and rebooting my laptop did not solve the problem. If copying the program from CD to jump drive and install from the jump drive to my laptop is the best answer, I guess there is no need for me to buy crossover cables.

Thank you everyone! This forum is the best!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
CarolynM