Help me transfer data between laptops

August 10, 2006 9:56 AM

DataTransfer Filter: Help me move 8GB of music from one laptop to another...

I have 8GB of I-Tunes music in my Dell Inspiron 700m and would like to transfer it all to a Toshiba Satellite 1135-S155. Both are factory issue.

Secondary question: Is there an easy way to back up what will amount to 20GB of music we'll have in I-Tunes when this is done?

posted by iurodivii to computers & internet (10 comments total)

1)set up an ad-hoc wireless network between the laptops

2)share out the music folder

3)navigate to the shared computer (\\computername in Windows Explorer)

4)copy music

5)???

6)Profit!!!!
posted by hatsix at 10:00 AM on August 10, 2006

I am not trying to copy the music. All the music is from our CD collection and I am just trying to slim-down the dell for work purposes and make my wife's toshiba into the entertainment center of the house (music and DVD's) without having to hand-feed all the cd's into i-tunes again.

I'd like to use your recommendations, hatsix, but the toshiba has no wireless. We are sharing a 4-port router for cable internet though...(please forgive me if this is a dumb question, I don't know much about the inner working of computers; but i suppose that i can skip steps 5 and 6 above)
posted by iurodivii at 10:11 AM on August 10, 2006

If you have access to a dvd burner, burn the music onto two dvd's then copy the music from the dvd's to the other harddrive. That's probably the easiest way.

Also, I always keep an external drive enclosure lying around which are relatively inexpensive. Just drop in your old harddrive and attach it to the laptop via usb/firewire.
posted by deeman at 10:15 AM on August 10, 2006

nope, no dvd burner...
posted by iurodivii at 10:18 AM on August 10, 2006

If you don't have wireless, you can skip step 1


It's a very simple operation, don't be daunted by the fact that it's a lot of data. I've helped lots of people copy music/data from one machine to another.

The main thing is that you have to get the computers to see each other on a network of some sort. If both computers can connect to the internet over the same router, then they can already see each other.

After the computers have the ability to see each other, you need to make it so that the one computer can share out it's data... (right click on folder, click "Sharing and Security", click "Share this folder" and there may be a popup that says "Do you really want to do this", click "Yes")

Then navigate to the computer in Windows Explorer (you can use network neighborhood, or just type \\ComputerName in Windows Explorer), copy the folder with the music in it, go back to the local file system, and paste it there.

As long as both of these machines are yours, you're perfectly fine copying files (rather than "moving"). iTunes will even let you play their DRM'd music on up to 5 computers at the same time.

The ???/Profit steps are an in-joke, I wasn't suggesting that you're trying to make money off of copying music files...
posted by hatsix at 10:28 AM on August 10, 2006

Alright, two suggestions. The first one is how I transferred all of my music when I got a new laptop.

Option #1

1) Go to iTunes on your old computer, make sure it is connected to cable internet, and then go to iTunes and make sure sharing is enabled (preferences menu).

2) On your new computer, download OurTunes, and just download all of your music. It will download really quick because it's over the network.

Option #2 (Time consuming)

1) Go to box.net and for $6 or so buy 10GB of storage. Upload the music overnight - download again.

Let me know how this goes. Good Luck.
posted by ifranzen at 10:30 AM on August 10, 2006

I'll second deeman -- might be a good idea to pick up a USB2.0 external drive for your music collection, and for backing up your digital lives.
posted by omnidrew at 10:34 AM on August 10, 2006

The wired router and Windows Sharing like hatsix suggests will be the fastest.

Making backups to your iTunes [and other stuff] can be done with an external hard drive. Buy the larger kind (cheaper... you can get name brand 150GB for less than $150), not the portable version unless you want to always have the backup with you. I use a Mac so I don't know the best backup software out there for this on a PC, but once a week or so plug in the external drive and back up the stuff. A good backup will compare the two directories and only update the stuff that has changed since the last backup rather than downloading all 20GB all over again.

Make sure your Toshiba does have USB2.0 or an external hard drive option would be painfully slow. You can buy a USB2 card to speed things up.
posted by birdherder at 10:38 AM on August 10, 2006

I'll agree that it's always a good idea to back up your digital data, and an external hard drive is a great way to do this.

However, if this will be the only time you ever use it, an external drive is unnecessary.


As for the OurTunes/box.net suggestion, box.net is nowhere near ideal since both computers are on the same network, connected to 10/100 ethernet. The OurTunes isn't such a bad idea, but the DRM'd music won't get copied over, and neither will any of the non-shared metadata (if they have any ratings, playcounts, playlists... all gone)


Copying over the network really is easy, you don't have to install any new programs, and you don't lose data. It's the simple, complete, foolproof, free way.
posted by hatsix at 10:43 AM on August 10, 2006

This Thread has many answers that will also help you out.

A summary is: Use a USB cable, firewire cable, or cross-over ethernet cable and follow instructions on that page and you'll be able to copy the files very easily.
posted by lockle at 10:56 AM on August 10, 2006