Transfer files over wireless network between two laptops?

I want to transfer some video files from my laptop to another laptop (both vista) because mine has no space on the hard drive left. My DVD drive doesn't work and I have no USB sticks. So best way I'm thinking is to transfer wirelessly, thing is I don't know how to...help..

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  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Can you plug into the same router? ie each others box out of the broadband.
  • ExaminusExaminus Posts: 22,396
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    If you don't connect through a router you'll need to set up an Ad-Hoc network.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 74
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    Can you plug into the same router? ie each others box out of the broadband.

    I have a BT Home Hub which both laptops are connected to but I don't think it has two ethernet ports.

    However, I have a spare belkin router which I can plug both laptops into but there will be no internet connection. Will that work?

    If you don't connect through a router you'll need to set up an Ad-Hoc network.

    Both laptops are conntected to the Home Hub, how do i set up a ad-hoc network?
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    temporarily, you may be easiest to unplug the whole broadband thing, and plug both into your belkin. That may be the easiet way. It will get over teh pain of setting up an ad-hoc network.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 74
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    temporarily, you may be easiest to unplug the whole broadband thing, and plug both into your belkin. That may be the easiet way. It will get over teh pain of setting up an ad-hoc network.
    Once I've connected both what do I do?
  • Alan FAlan F Posts: 1,043
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    If you have both laptops connected correctly (wirelessly) to a BT Home Hub all you have to do is enable file sharing on the computer to which you wish to transfer the files. (in explorer, right click the directory into which you wish to place the file and follow the 'sharing' dialogue.

    Then go to other laptop and in My Network Places/Entire Network/Microsoft Windows Network you should be able to see the directory on the other laptop. This can be mapped to a drive letter and then will show up in My Computer.

    Once you can 'see' the directory you can copy the files into it via the wireless network.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,327
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    You can connect two PCs together simply by using a crossover Ethernet cable (available anywhere you can get cables).

    If you want to connect more than two PCs you'll need a hub or (better) a switch.

    Most Routers have a 4 port ethernet switch built in so you can share both the contents of your computers with each other and the Broadband connection to the Internet. A variation of these types of routers is a Wireless router, which allows you to connect both Ethernet cable or Ethernet wireless. The choice is entirely up to you as to whether or not you use both cable and wirelessly connected computers (careful here, I don't mean both types on each computer simultaneously) connect to the wireless Router.

    To further complicate matters, you can have a purely local wireless network too, without using a wireless router. Such small wireless networks don't even need a wireless router, (see the following paragraph to see how to share an Internet connection using this method) , because they can use the "ad hoc" method.

    And how about this. Connect one PC to your modem using an Ethernet cable into a network interface card (with an rj45 ethernet socket), plug a wireless network interface card into the same PC, then your PC can be set up to act as if it were a wireless router by invoking Windows Internet Sharing over a wireless network of computers. But it's a devil of a difficult thing to set up, it ruins the "host" PCs performance when doing other stuff too, and finally the "host" PC needs to be switched on all the time a connection to the Internet is required by other computers.

    What I'm saying is there are many different ways of skinning this cat.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    To follow on from RobAnt,

    Probably easier to say what equipment you have, then we'll tell you the cheapest way to go.
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