Transfer files from DOS computer to Windows XP (or Windows 98 SE)

[mxlptlx]

I have a computer with a corrupted Windows 98 SE operating system, but
I can boot it into DOS.

I would like to transfer all the hard drive files to another computer.
I have a choice between a computer running XP-Home and a computer
running Windows 98SE.

I have a Laplink cable--with both parallel and serieal connectors--but
I doubt if I could find my old copy of Laplink.

Can anyone suggest a utility to make the transfer--using the laplink
cable--that will work with DOS on the source end and XP or 98 SE
edition on the destination end?

I'd prefer to be able to do it to the XP machine, which will be the
files new home, but if it's easier to go from DOS to 98, there's a
network connection for the transfer to the XP machine.

I found this program Zip.com? Is this a good choice?

And while I'm asking, any suggestions or resources about restoring the
old Outlook Express dbx, etc. files?

Thanks.

 

[Mike]

Install the drive with the corrupted OS as a slave in your XP machine.. you
will be able to copy whatever you need at your leisure, and having done
that, reformat the old drive and use it as a backup device..

 

[mxlptlx]

I had thought about that, but unfortunately my new desktop, Dell
Dimension 2400, has, I believe, room for ony one hard drive.

As I write this I'm using the parallel port transfer utility I
referenced below, zip.com (zip.221). It's painfully slow, 4 mb per
minute, so instead of just copying the whole drive, I'm doing it
selectively.

Fortunately, I had already backed up much of the data on the old
desktop. One of my main concerns is not to miss the Outlook Express
storage files.

Any ideas of a faster way to do this?

 

[Mike]

Your Dell 2400 is a tower type, surely.. there should be at the very least
one spare drive position in there..

 

[mxlptlx]

Your Dell 2400 is a tower type, surely.. there should be at the very least
one spare drive position in there..

I'm fairly certain that the only available space for a drive would be
for another media drive such as a dvd burner.

In any event, I did use a parallel cable to transfer over most of the
critical data from my own machine. The only negative is that DOS
truncated the long file names to 8 character names, so it could be a
challenge to figure out the true name of some files.

 

[Earl F. Parrish]

I had thought about that, but unfortunately my new desktop, Dell
Dimension 2400, has, I believe, room for ony one hard drive.

As I write this I'm using the parallel port transfer utility I
referenced below, zip.com (zip.221). It's painfully slow, 4 mb per
minute, so instead of just copying the whole drive, I'm doing it
selectively.

Fortunately, I had already backed up much of the data on the old
desktop. One of my main concerns is not to miss the Outlook
Express
storage files.

Any ideas of a faster way to do this?

If you only have one IDE connection from the motherboard, you can
temporarily disconnect the CD-ROM drive and connect the other hard
drive instead. You can support the hard drive on a non metallic
surface such as several phone books until you can transfer the files
to a location on the Windows XP drive. When you are done reconnect
the CD-ROM drive as before.

 

[Mike]

you can buy mountings to put a 3.5in drive into a 5.25in space