I wish to connect two computers running DOS using a standard parallel cable.

I need to do this because I want to format the hard drive inside the Zenith Supersport, but I do not want to lose all of the model-specific programs that were shipped with it.

To avoid losing the software, I would like to copy all of the contents of the hard drive to another computer. However, the only method I have available for performing such a transfer is a standard parallel cable and the parallel printer ports between both machines.

I have attempted to use the standard Microsoft Interlink software and LapLink 3, but with no success. I connected both computers together with the cable, yet the programs report that the cable isn't connected.

To my knowledge, both the cable and ports are fully functional. I checked the BIOS settings and both computers have the parallel ports (LPT) enabled.

Are there any suggestions as to how I can establish a connection between the said computers with the given resources at my disposal?

I presume you are using a Laplink Cable, and changed BIOS LPT to Bi-directional ??

http://www.nullmodem.com/LapLink.htm

Neither of my systems have an option for enabling bi-directional traffic through the LPT port. The only option the BIOS affords me is whether or not to enable the LPT port.

Also, I was under the impression that a standard parallel cable used for communicating with an external modem would be suitable for parallel cable transfers. Isn't communication with an external modem bi-directional?

Thank you for the link; it will prove useful if it turns out that I am using the wrong type of cable.

Modems use Serial Cables not Parallel! You really need to research these issues....

"Interlink supports, '3-wire serial cable - 7-wire null-modem serial cable' or a bidirectional parallel (Laplink)cable"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LapLin...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_m...

The dos INTERLINK and INTERSVR commands will do it but they're only availabe with 6.XX.

Otherwise if you can't get the computers connected then just pull the hard drive from one and temporarily install it in the other in order to copy the files.

"I have attempted to use the standard Microsoft Interlink software and LapLink 3, but with no success."

Maybe get the right cable and try FileMaven ?

http://www.briggsoft.com/fmdos.htm

To orbital, I am quite sure that the cable I was using for my external modem was a parallel cable. The modem has a wide 25-pin connector on the back of it.

To DAVEINCAPS, I cannot transfer the hard drives between the machines because one of them uses a proprietary connector for the hard drive.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Serial Modems come with either 25 and 9 pin, because it is 25 pin cable does not make it Parallel!

Yeah, that 286 probably has an MFM or RLL drive. Does it have two slide-on data cables?

I used to use something called 'brooklyn bridge' made by fifth generation systems to transfer in dos. If you google those two terms together you might be able to find it. Otherwise I'd suggest you upgrade to something like 6.22 and use interlnk and intersvr.

http://charm.cs.uiuc.edu/users/olaw...

Ohhh, I see now. So a standard parallel cable won't necessarily enable communication just because it fits in the port.

Thanks, orbital, for the link. I was confusing the printer parallel port with the DB25 serial port. Both look the same to me. I realize what you guys have been trying to say now...

Alrighty, so a special null modem cable or LapLink cable are what I need. And the printer port is the completely wrong port to use for what I'm doing... I need to use the serial instead.

Thanks a lot for clearing this up for me.

STILL HAVE IT WRONG

A null-modem serial cable uses the serial port on each PC.

A LapLink Cable uses the printer port on each PC.

Serial Ports are Male on PC whereas Parallel is Female, not much to confuse there ??

I've had enough of this. I got banned sometime back, and can't even find out why.

A few pertinent facts

Older computers sometimes used DB25 connectors for BOTH the serial and parallel ports, except that the parallel port connector is FEMALE and the serial port connector is MALE (generally) on the computer

ANY communications between computers using either serial or parallel ports MUST USE what is sometimes called a null, communications, data transfer, DCC, Direct Connection, Laplink, Pcanywhere--or a few other names.

THIS IS BECAUSE one computer transmits data out, and the cable must be "rolled" so that it arrives at the second computer on the rx line. Same is true in reverse. Your modem connector already does that in the modem---search DTE, and DCE in regards to ports, communications, serial, etc

ANY of these cables must have their data tx and rx connections reversed from one end to the other--hence the name "null."

I have never seen an external modem that uses a parallel port

Orbital, your last statement is INCORRECT.

Laplink at one time or another used BOTH/EITHER parallel and serial port cables. There have been some minor wiring changes over the years. Usually, the Laplink (brand) cables are blue for serial and yellow for parallel. Some of the blue cables had FOUR connectors---db9 and db25. These were SERIAL cables only. Their entire purpose was to accomodate both earlier and later serial ports with either connector.

TheBrownRobert, your last assumption was also incorrect. You said:

"And the printer port is the completely wrong port to use for what I'm doing"

That is incorrect, but you DO need the appropriate cable, IE a parallel port "null" or "data transfer" cable, and it depends, probably, on what software you are using. Laplink 3 will hook up to EITHER port. In fact, I believe that the first time you run laplink3, it defaults to the printer port.

It's been awhile, I believe that when you fire up laplink3, there is an "O" for "options" at the bottom menu. That is where you setup the ports, and you must save that in the bottom menu, and DO SO for both computers. Sometimes you must restart each program.

Additionally, a great, simple little program I like MUCH better than interlink/interserver is the old linking progam bundled with Xtree Gold, known as "xtlink" search for "xtlink.com" You used to be able to download it.

It will run in the background on one machine, and show a menu on the server. You can run it in the background, say with Winhozed3.x/95/98, and it will show the second machine's drives right up in WinehoedExploder.

On a pure DOS machine, what happens is that your drives from the server show up as renamed drives on the other. In other words, if one machine has A: and C: drives, the server will show up as B: (for it's A: drive) and D: for it's C: drive. If you have a file manager like Xtree Gold, or Dosshell, the same is true.

Xtlink.com seems to be here:

http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/m...

http://lightspeedrefpage.homestead....

Just like Filemaven, laplink3, or (gargle/burp) interlink, xtlink can run from a pair of boot floppies on both machines. Bear in mind that you'll have to load CDROM drivers at startup in DOS if you need access there.

Really, really, last, if you just can't get this to work, if you have a modem you can hook to the old thing, you can even transfer files using an old DOS communications program. There were probably hundreds of these, inclduding Procomm Plus, which is what I used.

Some modems will hook up and "talk" to each other WITH NOTHING MORE than a standard phone wall-to-phone cable hooked between. Some will not, unless you figure a "dummy" line voltage condition, or (gasp) actually use two phone lines!!

A couple more things. If you are going to screw witht this old stuff, you need to find and visit a few pages like this:

http://oldfiles.org.uk/powerload/bo...

which is exactly where you are going to find stuff like laplink3, interlink, etc.

HERE is more on laplink at the bottom of the page:

http://oldfiles.org.uk/powerload/ms...

http://oldfiles.org.uk/powerload/ca...

When I wanted to copy files between 2 old computers, I found 2 programs that work well. The first one, Total Commander, supports transfering files between the printer ports of 2 computers. If you use Total Commander, at least one of the computers has to have at least Windows 3.x, for the DOS computer you download an addon to run a LPT server on DOS. Download it from http://www.ghisler.com/ The other one, FileVan, has a Windows and DOS version, so if you dont have access to a computer with Windows, you can use this one. You can download the trial software from http://www.filevan.com/dos.html You will need a DB25 Male/Male printer cable to use these programs.

Hi Name,

Yeah, Procomm was my fav. Does that mean we're getting a little long in the tooth?

As you say the real LL was a multi-color, triple header.

One thing about LL3~5 [IIRR} is that it can send itself to another box. Pretty handy if one has a dead floppy.

While we're at it, Let's mention good ol Eric Meyers' ZIP. [maybe serial only]

=====================================
If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

Mechanix2Go I'd forgotten that LL3 supports a "remote install" although if I remember, it only works in parallel mode, I'm not certain of that. This did save my bacon years ago, having only one proprietary 360K drive in one machine, and having to transfer a bunch of data to it.

I've tried that, just for kicks on other machines. It seems to be a touchy procedure, and doesn't always want to work.

This is a long story, but the machine was actually an integrated, proprietary system consisting of a much modified 8088 board in some test equipment. There was no way to change the floppy drive, but it did have a parallel port.

At the time I pulled this off, which was mostly just luck, my boss thought I was a genius.

Hi Name,

I think you're right that it was LPT only. And I'm sure you're right that it's touchy.

I usta have a shoebox full of bacon savers; 9~25, 25~9, null modems, gender-menders etc.

Working definition of a genius: a guy who fixes more than he breaks. LOL

=====================================
If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2