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Transferring files with USB cables

April 5th, 2010, 7:09 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I have an IBM ThinkPad T41p (aka – Type 2373, Model 315) and will hopefully soon be getting a T60 as a replacement. The question is this – how can I move files (and if possible, installed applications) from the T41p to the T60? I have had it suggested to me that ‘just’ connecting a USB cable between the two machine as a kind of hardwired 2-node network would allow me to see the hard drive on the T41p from the T60 and then move or copy files, etc. It sounds too good to be that simple. Please help me understand what I actually need to do.

PC CLUB: You’re correct, it is too good to be true that simply connecting an “ordinary” USB cable can’t be used to transfer files from one PC to another. However, there are other types or “special” USB cables that will do the job quite well. Unfortunately, installed applications cannot be copied from one PC to another. You will have to reinstall these applications using the original CDs, DVDs or by downloading the software from the Internet.

As far as cables go, there are several different types of USB-USB cables on the market. The one used to connect two PCs is called a “bridged” “USB networking” cable, because it has a small electronic circuit in the middle allowing the two PCs to talk to each other. Read the rest of this entry »

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Everything you always wanted to know about Standby, Sleep and Hibernate

March 27th, 2010, 8:29 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Can you please explain the difference between Standby, Sleep and Hibernate and which mode do you recommend? Also, which modes are safer with regard to data loss and which mode conserves the most power?

PC CLUB: This is an interesting and often confusing subject for several reasons. There are differences in performance depending on whether you’re running XP, Vista or Windows 7 plus, the choices are different for desktops than they are for laptops.

Let’s begin with a few definitions. Windows XP uses the term Standby but Vista and Windows 7 use the newer term Sleep. In Addition, Vista introduced another mode called Hybrid Sleep which has been carried forward to Windows 7. The description of these modes is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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How to move your fonts to a Windows 7 PC

February 6th, 2010, 1:31 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Here’s one that should have strong general application. I do editorial work using XP, and have built up a useful stable of fonts. I just got a new computer using Windows 7, and want to move the fonts over to it, but can’t make anything work. Is there a way to do this?

Fonts!PC CLUB: Before we get to the punch line, let’s start with some font facts:

  • Windows 7 ships with 235 fonts, versus 191 in Vista and 133 in Windows XP. PrePressure.com offers a handy  list of typefaces that ship with Windows 7 (link: bit.ly/windows7fonts).
  • The more fonts that you install, the more computer memory (or RAM) is used. Your system must load all fonts at boot-up and this may extend your boot time. This is not as critical with newer PCs since they have faster processors and more RAM but it’s something to keep an eye on. Read the rest of this entry »

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Where are my Contacts in Windows 7?

January 30th, 2010, 2:46 am by

Hi folks! PC Club is moving to Saturday publication with this post. Thanks for reading!

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I notice that the Contacts folder in Windows 7 does not match the Contacts in Windows Live Mail, however, in Vista the Contacts folder does match the Contacts in Windows Mail. What happened?

PC CLUB: The Contacts feature built into Windows has changed with each new version of Windows including XP, Vista and now, Windows 7. This is related to how the built-in support for e‑mail has changed. Windows XP uses the term Addresses and subsequent versions use the term Contacts but the terms are interchangeable. The implementation in each version is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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10 more answers to your Windows 7 questions

December 15th, 2009, 5:01 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

Previous articles on Windows 7 have discussed the details of installing the software and can be found at “All your Windows 7 questions answered, part I” (link: bit.ly/pcclub2) and “Windows 7 part II: How to upgrade” (link: bit.ly/pcclub3).  This article will address other recent questions that have been asked on Windows 7.

Question: I’m enjoying XP, why should I care about Windows 7?
PC CLUB: A lot of you share this belief. Yes, Windows XP remains a robust, reliable, brisk operating system. At the same time, sticking with XP forever isn’t a slam-dunk, either. You miss out on better security, better looks, better search and a huge number of convenience features. And over time, more and more new products and services will require a more recent operating system such as Windows 7. But, if XP is doing the job for you, stick with it.

Q:: Microsoft omitted calendar, address book, photo, video, and e-mail software from Windows 7, how do I get these features back? Read the rest of this entry »

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Windows 7 e-mail survival kit, Part 2

December 9th, 2009, 2:50 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part article. Part-1, at “Windows 7 e-mail survival kit, Part 1,” addressed how to transfer your Outlook Express e‑mail messages and contacts to a computer running the new Windows 7 operating system. This article addresses how to transfer your messages and contacts from Vista’s Windows Mail to a PC running Windows 7.

The transfer: Vista to Windows 7 mail

If you haven’t already done so, you need to download and install the free Windows Live Mail from download.live.com. Be sure to uncheck any additional programs that you do not want to install. You can signup for a free Live ID, but you don’t need one to download the software. You will have to know how to configure your e-mail account with your Internet provider and you must know your User ID and password.

There are many options for Windows 7 but this article will concentrate on migrating from the free Windows Mail to the free Windows Live Mail. You have several other choices in addition to using Windows Live Mail and can read more about it in a previous article at “Will Windows 7 force you to change your e-mail program?“  To begin, follow these steps: Read the rest of this entry »

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Windows 7 e-mail survival kit, Part 1

December 2nd, 2009, 5:25 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

Windows 7 has proven to be a popular topic among readers. Today, I’m beginning part 1 or a 2 part series on Windows 7 e-mail. It addresses how to transfer e-mail messages and contacts from a PC running Windows XP or Vista to a PC running the new Windows 7 operating system.

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Part 1: Windows 7 e-mail survival kit
Part 2: Windows 7 e-mail survival kit
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Let me eliminate some readers first. If you use a Web mail service like Yahoo Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail or Hotmail, you can stop reading. You don’t have to make any changes since your e-mail is stored on the Internet and not your PC. It is always available as long as you have an Internet connection and the service is working.

Migrating Outlook Express to Windows 7 Read the rest of this entry »

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How to reinstall a deleted printer in Windows

November 24th, 2009, 4:10 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Is it possible to configure a Windows Vista computer to run a printer that was on the list of available printers but has been removed from the list?  A Vista type driver for this printer has been downloaded.

PC CLUB: I take it from your question that a printer was deleted and is no longer on the list of available printers. There are several ways to add a printer back to the list of available printers in Vista or XP.

The basic procedure for most printers is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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