TheVibe wrote:

What are some file transfer methods (e.g. USB stick or CD RW) which I could use to transfer files or drivers from a new pc to an older pc? Specifically, I would like to transfer drivers for my V3 3500 TV to WIN 98SE and MS DOS6.22.

There are lots of options.

I'm assuming that the Windows 98 SE PC is something like a Pentium and has USB ports.

You just need to install a USB storage driver, then you can use a USB stick just like on modern machines. Very quick and convenient.

CD-RW also works well.

Other options are:

Removing the hard drive from the Pentium and connecting it to a modern PC. The exact method depends on what hard drive you're using. For IDE drives, you can get IDE to USB adapters. Same for CF cards. Not sure about SCSI, but I'm sure there is a way.

Another option is networking. This works really well, especially if you work on lots of machines and want to build up a driver library of some sorts for easy access.

Then there are ZIP drives, parallel, IDE, SCSI.

Floppy of course, but here you're limited to size, but you can 7-zip into a bunch of 1.4M files. Slow but it's another option.

Personally I use USB, network and removing the HDD the most. For very large files, nothing beats removing the HDD. For quick stuff, USB is the way to go. For setting up new machines, loading drivers, network is very convenient, as I have all the drivers organised in folders ready to go.

But putting together a well organised driver CD can also work well.

Networking is fine. If the machine has Win98SE it is a piece of cake (you'll need to install an update if you're not willing to disable some security options in your main machine). If Windows folder sharing does not work for you, you can always fall back to FTP (Filezilla server on main PC is easy and quick, and you can use that even in DOS6.22). I'll assume this is not an option for you right now, as if you can do networking, unless you have a separate network for your retro PCs that is isolated from the internet, you might just as well download the drivers directly from your retro PC.

With 98SE+ you can use USB flash drives as long as you install the drivers first. Good after everything is set up, but you'll have to find a way to transfer the USB drivers first.

You can use CDs/DVDs as well. If you're going to setup a bunch of PCs, I recommend filling a CD with a bunch of network drivers (specially for the common ones like Realtek, Intel, SiS and VIA PCI NICs Windows 98 doesn't support out of the box... ISA NICs are usually supported already), universal USB flash-drive drivers, the DSCLIENT update (you can get it from the Unofficial Service Pack for 98SE) and whatever network software you like using in DOS. That way this CD alone would be all you'd need to enable your retro-PC to use more convenient ways to transfer files.

If all fails, a null-modem cable is an option too, specially if you'd rather avoid moving the HDD around.

I was quite amazed by having a DVD drive working on DOS and Win 3.1. I use a DVD-RW to copy stuff to the machine.

All I use is Network and USB

philscomputerlab wrote:

I'm assuming that the Windows 98 SE PC is something like a Pentium and has USB ports. […]
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TheVibe wrote:

What are some file transfer methods (e.g. USB stick or CD RW) which I could use to transfer files or drivers from a new pc to an older pc? Specifically, I would like to transfer drivers for my V3 3500 TV to WIN 98SE and MS DOS6.22.

I'm assuming that the Windows 98 SE PC is something like a Pentium and has USB ports.

You just need to install a USB storage driver, then you can use a USB stick just like on modern machines. Very quick and convenient.

CD-RW also works well.

Other options are:

Removing the hard drive from the Pentium and connecting it to a modern PC. The exact method depends on what hard drive you're using. For IDE drives, you can get IDE to USB adapters. Same for CF cards. Not sure about SCSI, but I'm sure there is a way.

Another option is networking. This works really well, especially if you work on lots of machines and want to build up a driver library of some sorts for easy access.

Yes, I have a pentium 3 with 2 USB ports.

The USB's are not plug and play, I have to install drivers for them?

Removing the hard drive will not be possible since my main pc is an iMac with windows 8.1.

How exactly does networking work? It sounds like a nice option.

alexanrs wrote:

If Windows folder sharing does not work for you, you can always fall back to FTP

That sounds like a nice option.

So far I think CD-RW, USB and possibly networking are all viable options but do all these methods apply for MS DOS 6.22

You can easily get files into MS-DOS from a CD... Getting data out of there, though, is a trickier business... USB support in DOS is also finicky, and in DOS 6.22 (no FAT32 support), you'll be restricted to old sub-2GB 1USB flash drives... if you can even get it to work.

For networking in DOS, have a look at mTCP. It has an FTP client.

There are many options as they already have said.

Disconnecting HDDs and connecting them to your modern rig is still an option even for a Mac PC. This is 0 investment method normally, but in your case a bit of a purchase might be required. There are SATA/IDE HDD docking stations around with USB/eSATA interfaces. Just as an example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-2-5-3-5-SATA-IDE … =item25907e071d

The other 0 investment method is burning CD/DVDs as required, but it's tedious just like FDDs and ZIP drives. Yes, not that much, but close.

If you have working USB ports in your retro rig, your retro OS is something like Windows 98 or newer (windows 95 OSR2.1 or 2.5 are also somewhat OK, but not as less problematic as W98), and you don't care about pure DOS data transfer, you can just easily use your USB sticks, providing that you have Windows 98 drivers for them on hand. Sandisk Cruzer Micro USB sticks with 2 and 4 GB capacity that I have, are working just fine with their official W98SE drivers, according to my experience. There are also unofficial but very popular universal USB storage drivers for Windows 98 around.

You can also try one of the USB/floppy converters, but be ready to be a problem solver, if you want the cheap ones (i.e.: Gotek). They are either expensive and less problematic, or cheap and relatively problematic (too many versions to chose from, shitty software, etc.).

Network transfer is also another option, as long as you accept to go thru all the hooplas required to connect two devices using two different OSes from different ages trough the same modern network.

Another option is using Compact Flash Cards or SD cards with bracket or drive bay type CF/IDE or SD/IDE interfaces. Something like these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KDQ4-CF-to-IDE-3-5-Ma … =item4d142838dc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-3-5-40-Pin- … =item2c943ed3b6

or even:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/STARTECH-COM-35BAYCF2 … =item418ee32cd8

This method is my preference for pure DOS data transfer, and believe me, I tried all of the above, in the past. 😢

For really old systems (those that do not support USB and has DOS installed) I use CD-RW discs.
For never systems (those with USB and Win98) I use a mix of DVD-RW and network.
Networking is by far the best option of all type of methods, if I may say so.

(I don't use the method of swapping harddrives around. I guess, I am lazy in these matters. 😁 )

TheVibe wrote:

How exactly does networking work? It sounds like a nice option.

This. If you'r question was about setting up networking: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/814235
(Just a little help, if you need it)

Other than that. Networking is the best option. You don't need to fiddle and mess around
with burning tools and "collecting" data in folder's and stuff.
You just copy to a different folder, and the speed are better. (Just go all cable, on this)

This might help: http://www.philscomputerlab.com/network-tutorial.html

It's really simple once you know the steps 😀

I got fed up with SMB inconsistency between 9X, XP and 7 so I just VirtualPC2007 a 98 in 7 and drag-and-drop my way through to my 98, while leaving my 7's network settings alone 😀

philscomputerlab wrote:

This might help: http://www.philscomputerlab.com/network-tutorial.html

It's really simple once you know the steps 😀

yea but for that you have to disable things like password protected sharing, so I go with FTP.

If you install the DSCLIENT update I mentioned a few posts ago (and set LMCompatibilityLevel to 3 in the registry) you can actually use Windows File Sharing without disabling security in your main PC. I share my files between my main PC and two Win9x machines without trouble that way.

I use the following approach:
I put a Linux with Samba-Server in a Virtual Machine. I setup the Samba server to share a folder without any security to the LAN where the old computers are connected. This is all setup in the samba.conf.
Now on the host I can map with the VM extensions any host folder to the folder which is shared by the Linux in the VM.
This is very convenient because:
- I can clone the VM with the small Linux on any other computer. (e.g. Laptop with external USB hdd with all the files, used this already successfully at the "long night of computer games 2015")
- I can map any folder of the host with the VM extensions to the folder in the VM which Samba shares.
- Network reacts fast, works with DOS, WfW 3.x, Win9x a.s.o.
- works on a retro machine on the fly with a copy of WfW 3.x (VGA+Etherlink III), I use such a setup with additional diagnostic tools for testing 'new' hardware.
- I don't have to change anything on the host system or install additional helpers on the retro systems. I can start and stop the VM on demand and it boots up in a few seconds.

I mainly use networking (windows shares) and CD-RW (when copying the ISO file over network is not viable). Floppy's when network drivers needs to be installed.

I use the following:

1) LAN
2) Plugging the HDD/CF directly to modern rig
3) USB, CD, ZIP, etc.

The most fuss-free option is always LAN, once you found out how to make it work.

+1 to all for LAN, the only one reliable and comfortable solution 😀
Using floppies\CDs is annoying and slow, unless you are made system disk and copying some files to bringing network on machine. USB drives are nice, but the disadvantages are same as floppies\CDs - you need to copy file to removable media, then plug it to targer system and copy files to it. Slow and disturbing 🤣

by the way, CD-RWs are good solution for games on compact discs 😀

windows 98 can actually share by network itself, just tested on a windows 8 machine, I entered into network folder and it showed all computers over the network, I double clicked my windows 98 machine anda tadahhh, I was in 😁....

For usb, there's an unoficial patch, where you can just plug any usb mass storage, it'll detect it and will install a generic driver that will work on the fly

I have a home FTP site (that is also external if anyone wants some drivers), it also acts as my Call of Duty United Offensive server, and I store everything I think I need on it.

Therefore, the first thing I install (via floppy most of the time) is the Network card, whether it be on my Amstrad 8086, or my i486, as long as I have that link open I can either FTP in or if I have MS Net Client 3 (but most of the time not because DOS networking is more tempermental than I can be bothered with) or if it is Windows then I;ll use the workgroup neighbourhood networking so I can download my drivers like that.