Quick help req. connecting two laptops, not networks

[Byff]

My mate at work has a 4gig file on his laptop that I want. He doesn't have a DVD burner, so how can I take my laptop along and somehow connect the two together to transfer the file?

My lappy only seems to have an output for an external monitor, a telephone jack, network jack and a USB port. I know about linking them with a serial lead, but mine doesn't have one.

Both laptops have WiFi.

How can I do this?

[pmanson]

Try borrowing a small hub or a cross over network cable.

[victormeldrew]

Both have wi-fi? Easy then, set them up for ad-hoc computer-to-computer networks, or any available network. Then have one connect to the others network.

[Byff]

victormeldrew said:

Both have wi-fi? Easy then, set them up for ad-hoc computer-to-computer networks, or any available network. Then have one connect to the others network.

That sounds like the way to go.

Am I likely to have a headache setting this up or is it fairly straight forward?

[scared but happy]

Or IR port as a last chance. Then its same as serial to serial

[victormeldrew]

scared but happy said:

Or IR port as a last chance. Then its same as serial to serial

Until someone walks between the notebooks!

The wireless connection SHOULD be easy to set up, esp if they are running XP.

[ATG]

If you have a cross over cable (which any office IT dept is very likely to have), then use that. Coz a 4 gig file over 802.11b wireless is going to take about 2 hours to copy (if they are both newer laptops you might be lucky and have 802.11g on both in which case you're looking at about 1/2 hour). 100Mb network cable would copy it in 5 to 10 minutes depending on the speed of your discs.

[victormeldrew]

ATG said:

If you have a cross over cable (which any office IT dept is very likely to have), then use that. Coz a 4 gig file over 802.11b wireless is going to take about 2 hours to copy (if they are both newer laptops you might be lucky and have 802.11g on both in which case you're looking at about 1/2 hour). 100Mb network cable would copy it in 5 to 10 minutes depending on the speed of your discs.

Good point, I missed the file size. A cable would be WAY quicker!

[Byff]

Thanks for the suggestions. Turned out ok, another collegue turned up with a laptop with a dvd burner, so used that instead.

I got my file