I’m trying to figure this out also.

Maybe there is something that can adapt to a serial or parallel port. 🤔

But a ide to cf adapter on a rear bracket seems like the best bet if no pci is present.

There are isa to usb cards but Idk how prwctical they are for non boot drives on super old xt systems.

Well, it has PCI and ISA slots, so I thought about some sort of PCI extender with external USB ports, but all I've found is PCIe and that's not an option unfortunately.
If nothing works, I suppose a second HDD connected to an IDE to USB adapter might be the most straightforward option.

What motherboard is it?

The usb to ide adapters are good, but not ideal. You have to take apart the computer to do it that way.

Many pentium 1 mobos had usb.

Btw, do not buy a usb 2.0 card.

They actually will slow the computer down.

A usb 1.x card may work.

If nothing works, the still is the good old laplink cable or null modem 😀
Jou just need a serial or parallel port and the right cable (or fix your own cable) and interlink/intersvr programs from PC-DOS 5.02 / MS-DOS 6 or higher. They also work on Windows 9x DOS mode 😀

Can't remember the model, should double check, but I'm 100% sure there's no USB.
I got other PCs with PIII CPUs, all have USB ports, so I gave it for granted but nope 😀

waterbeesje wrote on 2022-07-19, 20:31:

If nothing works, the still is the good old laplink cable or null modem 😀
Jou just need a serial or parallel port and the right cable (or fix your own cable) and interlink/intersvr programs from PC-DOS 5.02 / MS-DOS 6 or higher. They also work on Windows 9x DOS mode 😀

Painful 😁

Harlock wrote on 2022-07-19, 20:03:

- Network, but I'd rather not connect that old computer to anything

"that old"???

No PC is too old for LAN.
And a Pentium one is very easy to network - PCI NICs can be found for pennies, and OSes from that era usually have networking built in.

Sure, there's plenty of other options, but my favourite is definitely LAN.

Grzyb wrote on 2022-07-19, 20:41:

"that old"??? […]
Show full quote

Harlock wrote on 2022-07-19, 20:03:

- Network, but I'd rather not connect that old computer to anything

"that old"???

No PC is too old for LAN.
And a Pentium one is very easy to network - PCI NICs can be found for pennies, and OSes from that era usually have networking built in.

Sure, there's plenty of other options, but my favourite is definitely LAN.

It will be a Win95 or Win98, never tried to set a file share between modern machines (Win 10 or newer) and such OS.
Not my preferred choice, but I might as well take it into consideration.

LAN is the best method. You'll never go back.

Ideally, if you have some spare hardware (old PC or Pi) set it up as a server running RetroNAS. That means you don't have to think about how to get old & new systems talking to each other, juggling different SMB versions etc - it makes it all pretty seamless.

There are PCI USB adapters on eBay, but they don't always say what USB version and they rarely say what PCI version.

I always use optical drives on non networked systems. CF, Zip and LS120 drives are good if you have any.

Pierre32 wrote on 2022-07-19, 21:46:

LAN is the best method. You'll never go back.

Ideally, if you have some spare hardware (old PC or Pi) set it up as a server running RetroNAS. That means you don't have to think about how to get old & new systems talking to each other, juggling different SMB versions etc - it makes it all pretty seamless.

Seconded. LAN makes things a lot easier. You may even be able to skip the whole "transfer" bit entirely and just access files and run programs straight from network drives. My approach is if it can be networked, it will be networked and it will have network drives - I can't be bothered copying stuff around with FTP. DOS 3.0+, OS/2 1.1+, Classic Mac, all versions of Windows, all unix-like will all do network drives fine. The only limitation is if the machine has no expansion slots at all and no built-in networking - so basically very old laptops and weird things.

Security isn't a big concern - I'm not forwarding ports on my router to Windows 95 and I'm not using a web browser on Windows 95 so for someone on the internet to talk to my windows 95 box they'd have to already be inside my lan in which case I've got bigger problems than my Windows 95 box being hacked. But its possible to do network drives without using TCP/IP at all making the computer completely invisible to modern windows and the internet in general which only understand IP.

Removable media (CF Cards, DVDs, CDs, flash drives, floppy disks, physically moving hard disks around) are a method of second-to-last resort. I'd use them only if network wasn't an option. Inconvenient and slow but its hard (not impossbile) to install an OS and get a computer on the network without at least one floppy disk or CD.

If it can't be networked and removable media isn't workable there is always a serial cable or parallel cable. Laplink, fastlynx, Kermit (which is available for windows and just about everything else), and probably lots of others.

some time ago i saw this video
it involves connecting a modern pc and an old computer

you need some cables and a raspberry pi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHO8lrzLJ20

its the only thing i can think of, other than using laplink with a more older pc that is not new

Most times I go thrifting these days I see at least one wifi router with a USB port. These can be used standalone as your USB to network card adapter, serving up the contents of a USB drive by SMB. Wifi turned off if you want, or an isolated not interwebbed SSID you can bop onto with a modern box dump stuff on the drive and disconnect again. Hell if you're handy with a soldering iron, I believe there are both SD card and USB mods that can be done to the old WRT54G routers, along with supporting firmware, and use one of those if you can scratch one up free. You could also use one as a large wifi dongle to just suck data off somewhere else in your home network.

usb 2 pci cards slowing the system down?

Never heard that one before.

MarkP wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:44:

usb 2 pci cards slowing the system down?

Never heard that one before.

Which USB 2.0 cards for old motherboards

It’s nuts, some of my systems will be slowed down by like a whole third just by installing a USB 2.0 card

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:51:

MarkP wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:44:

usb 2 pci cards slowing the system down?

Never heard that one before.

Which USB 2.0 cards for old motherboards

It’s nuts, some of my systems will be slowed down by like a whole third just by installing a USB 2.0 card

Can't say I've experienced the same. Has anyone else on Vogons witnessed this?

The OP just wants a way to transfers files so even if a system is slowed down the PCI usb card can be removed when the data has been transferred to a usb stick et al.

My preferred way if networking or CF is not an option: https://youtu.be/vBVWHsm7yOI?t=251

MarkP wrote on 2022-07-20, 05:16:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:51:

MarkP wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:44:

usb 2 pci cards slowing the system down?

Never heard that one before.

Which USB 2.0 cards for old motherboards

It’s nuts, some of my systems will be slowed down by like a whole third just by installing a USB 2.0 card

Can't say I've experienced the same. Has anyone else on Vogons witnessed this?

The OP just wants a way to transfers files so even if a system is slowed down the PCI usb card can be removed when the data has been transferred to a usb stick et al.

🤷‍♂️ I posted benchmarks in that thread. Others noticed it also. They are in that thread.

I think it may only be specific usb controller chips that do it.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-20, 05:42:

MarkP wrote on 2022-07-20, 05:16:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-20, 04:51:

Which USB 2.0 cards for old motherboards

It’s nuts, some of my systems will be slowed down by like a whole third just by installing a USB 2.0 card

Can't say I've experienced the same. Has anyone else on Vogons witnessed this?

The OP just wants a way to transfers files so even if a system is slowed down the PCI usb card can be removed when the data has been transferred to a usb stick et al.

🤷‍♂️ I posted benchmarks in that thread. Others noticed it also. They are in that thread.

I think it may only be specific usb controller chips that do it.

That thread is large. I prefer specifics like system specs, OS etc. A dedicated thread on that particular problem would be more useful imho.

A s per my previous post it is still one of many options to try out.