hi i have an old pentium 166 notebook pc with a modem port and i want to transfer all of the files on the computer to my new computer. However, it has win 98 first edition and could not use usb flash drives nor my current zip drive. Does anyone know any good direct modem to modem transfer software that will work for my old computer?

You could upload and download from: www.yousendit.com (i GB limit).

Both Windows 98 and Windows XP come with Hyper Terminal. You can use that to transfer files via the serial ports. You will need to connect the two computers via a null modem cable which can be obtained from most computer stores. Just set it up to connect via the appropriate serial port and not the modem. Depending on the sizes of the files you want to transfer it will be a slow process but faster than using a modem. Depending on the serial port hardware you could get a transfer speed of around 921kbs but probably nearer 468kbs. You will have to experiment to see which is the fastest speed both serial ports will support. The fastest upload speed you will get with a modem is 33kbs Stuart

Actually, you could probably also use hyperlink from modem to modem IF you don't have, and don't want to buy, a null modem cable---also sometimes commonly known as a "Direct Connection, Laplink, PCanywhere, data transfer" cable, and probably a few other names. modem to modem can be a pain, first It's about the slowest method. Some modems won't "hook up" without a phantom power supply to emulate line current, and some will You have to set hyperterminal for the modem PORT (com1, etc) Some modems are fussy with each other. You also might consider buying an adaptor which wil allow you to temporarily hook your laptop drive to an IDE channel on your desktop. There is a program in '98 called Direct Connection---I don't know if you can still use it in XP or not.

Do you have Ethernet capability? You could just transfer to another computer with a crossover cable, or send it to a PC that has a burner. You can avoid many of these Windows problems with Linux. Linspire eases the transition for new users

You might also be able to find a USB 2.0 card for you laptop that will work with WIN98 and allow you to use a USB key or an external USB 2.0 HDD.

http://www.computing.net/hardware/wwwboard/forum/38532.html Parallel Laplink Cable !!