Computer Hope
Other => Other => Topic started by: swalters on May 09, 2007, 06:32:25 PM
-
I need to find two ways to transfer information from a 1981 PC to a computer of today. So far I have possible ideas of using a serial data transfer and even focusing on the cassette tape used for memory at that time, but I have no idea how to do the actual work, please help.
-
Well we definitely need more information. Like What are the 2 Computers? What Operating Systems? Etc, Etc...
-
Any data on a 1981 computer has a good chance of being corrupted.
Is this from a Lotus document system?
Do you have it on a large floppy disk? Or is it on an actual hard drive?
-
snap old school
-
The information is on hard disk in the 1981 PC with DOS, the current operating system is Windows XP - other than that, no other info
-
Is it an IDE drive? Hook it up as a slave. Everything should be pretty much backwards compatible.
-
It is seriously doubtful that the old drive can be slaved in a modern computer. Most likely it uses MFM or RLL encoding (pre IDE) and would need an adapter to work in a modern machine, if it would work at all. Floppy drives still use MFM encoding but the interface precludes connecting to a floppy controller. If a direct cable connection can be established between the two machines, it might be possible to transfer data. XP might balk, but it is worth trying if the data is valuable. You might also have to transfer the data to floppies.
-
2K and I are obbviously old school and he is absolutely correct. Does the old machine have a floppy drive? If so, what size? How much data is involved?
-
I was going to say i had an old HDD lying around that did work, but I looked up the specifications and it turned out to be from 1990'. Guess it ain't that old.
ST175A (http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/ata/st157a.html) :)
-
2K and I are obbviously old school
....
I remember using something called LineLink or LapLink, or something like that - on DOS machines. Used the parallel port, if I remember correctly.
Googled, and found:
http://www.laplink.com/llv/
The description sounds like what the original poster is looking for.... but somehow it just doesn't seem like the software I once used.
Maybe it is just modernized.....
Am I ringing any bells out there, with the other old timers?
Is there any potential to this, as a solution for the original poster?
-
Laplink was available with some version of DOS and Windows 3.1, but I don't remember what version was required.
-
It would be nice if the original poster could mention the version of DOS he is using.
For what it is worth, the software in that link I posted above says:
" PC-DOS or MS-DOS 3.1 or higher, or DR DOS 5 or 6 "
I see you've inquired as to whether he has a floppy drive. If he does, then the version of DOS becomes moot - he could boot 6.22 if he wanted.
-
i like this topic i can learn about old school stuff
-
i like this topic i can learn about old school stuff
My first computer:
>Click here< (http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus/intro.html)
:D
-
I'll wager he only has a 5 1/4" 360K floppy drive.
-
I'll wager he only has a 5 1/4" 360K floppy drive.
How would that affect him?
-
willyw that would confuse me to know end
-
Thats where the drivparm command came into play. You could set the parameters for the floppy drive to be something other than the default. Could also be used to set parameters for tape drives and HD. You couldn't make a drive be something it is not, but you could make a 5¼ inch 360K drive read and write 1.2m 5¼ disks. Same for 3½ inch 720K and 1.44m drives. With tape drives and HD's you had to specify heads, sectors, and tracks, which could also be done with floppy drives but generally was not necessary.
None of this should have any effect on data transfer.
-
He's going to have to have some appropriate size floppy disks and then an appropriate cable to hook to a newer machine.
-
Had a quick look around.
If anyone is interested, old versions of LapLink can be downloaded here:
http://oldfiles.org.uk/powerload/msdos.htm
-
You're all so eager to show off your knowledge of old junk that you forgot to notice the guy never came back..
-
You're all so eager to show off your knowledge of old junk that you forgot to notice the guy never came back..
"(Read 109 times)"
But we don't know who else may benefit.
By the way, who says it is junk? :)
-
You're all so eager to show off your knowledge of old junk that you forgot to notice the guy never came back..
I noticed, but it got to be fun. I like to tinker with "the old junk".
-
I like to communicate with people older than 15 sometimes. ::)
-
Oh, yeah! I bet when I mentioned MFM and RLL, there wasn't a 15 year old on these boards that knew what they meant.
-
I am positive you are correct. ;)
-
Enlighten all the 15 year olds, then?
-
Enlighten all the 15 year olds, then?
Do you need enlightment as well? ;D
MFM = Modified Frequency Modulation
RLL = Run Length Limited
Any HD that was rated for RLL could be formatted for either RLL or MFM, but not all MFM rated drives could reliably be formatted RLL. RLL allowed 50% more data to be crammed on a drive.
-
So why is it incompatible?
-
The data itself is not, the drives are. Most of those old drives required a dual cable hookup. They are not IDE compatable and cannot be hooked up to an IDE connector. It is possible to connect one IF one can find the proper adaptor. When IDE became the standard, manufacturers made adaptors to allow the old drives to be used. Then again, these adaptors were ISA. At the time, PCI wasn't even a figment of someones imagination. For several years computers were made with both ISA and PCI slots. Some even had "dual use" slots that accepted either type of card. I have an old machine that has those slots plus a proprietary slot for a memory card (you couldn't just plug in a memory stick like we do now). It has a 9 megs of total memory. At the time it was manufactured, it was a genuine "golly whopper" muscle machine. ;D It has a 20 year old RLL HD that was still working when I set it aside about 4 years ago in my "tinker around" shop.
-
::flashbacks:::
:you have enter a topic where past comes to life:
-
::flashbacks:::
:you have enter a topic where past comes to life:
entered
-
what can i say im taking a higher english next semter
-
I hope the "semter" is coming soon.
-
Fire Fox will help you greatly with spell checking....
r943r0s 28oo y3p- 708 t43q53o6 295y w-3oo dy3di8ht
-
ummm....dont have firefox at work
-
what can i say im taking a higher english next semter
Aw, for us?
-
lol as a requirement to get my gen ed done
-
ummm....dont have firefox at work
This website is your friend:
http://portableapps.com/
-
i forgot about that site, used it many time to halo my high school's internet restrictions (oh good times)