Hi all! So, this topic comes up a lot, I thought I would link some resources that I recently shared in a Facebook group as well as from other places!
So, without further ado, here are some resources and ideas:
- File Transfer Methods using a DOS PC with a Modern PC
- You could take the hard drive out of the retro PC and use a USB to IDE adapter on a modern PC
- This procedure is geared towards CF cards, but you can also mount an IDE drive using it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CtwnnqdNRY
- You could install an XTIDE card in the DOS PC and use a CF card reader with your modern PC!
- No floppy drive on the DOS PC? Prepare a DOS CF card on a modern machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CtwnnqdNRY
- Some good info on XTIDE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdQ6MWnNpU
- With a null modem or LapLink cable, you could use FastLynx 3.3 with a modern PC!
- Note: I have experienced issues with Windows transfer using USB to RS232 adapters, as such, this is not my preferred approach if your modern PC does not have a built in serial port
- Grab a copy of FastLynx 3.3.
- Install it, then go to C:\program files\fastlynx\dos and copy sl.exe to a floppy.
- Load that up on the retro computer and run it.
- Null Modem Cable: From a modern computer with serial port (or if you want to try it, a USB to RS232 adapter). connect as a client
- Laplink Cable: From a modern computer with parallel port, connect as a client
- You could also use Ethernet and just use LAN Manager and access a SMB1 share on a Linux/Raspberry Pi system!
- Tutorial on setting up a SMB1 Raspberry Pi File Server: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Alukm7lPD8
- Tutorial on installing LAN Manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqMzF41dyvk
- I also have several disks preconfigured for various network cards!
- https://github.com/cml37/dos-utils/tree/master/network/smb/lanman/resources
- If yours isn’t listed, I can probably help you make a disk pretty quickly for your card!
- I also have several disks preconfigured for various network cards!
- You could also configure Windows 3.11 networking and connect to a SMB1 share!
- Windows 3.11 for Workgroups Networking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3CCG-wfabo
- Tutorial on setting up a SMB1 Raspberry Pi File Server: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Alukm7lPD8
- You could also use Ethernet and use NFS and access a NFS share on a Linux/Raspberry Pi system!
- Configuring OpenMediaVault and connecting from a DOS PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–Sn87F6aqk
- NFS file server and connecting from a DOS PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiVUmKkqduk
- You could also use a Zip drive, burn a CD, or use a USB floppy drive!
- Some tips on using Zip drives on retro systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPMkKySPtzI&t=401s
- For 8088/8086 systems (and other systems not compatible with the Iomega Zip drivers), you can use Palmzip (NOTE: only compatible with “older” model parallel drives!!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INdI1tRD21A
- If the computer supports booting from a USB thumb drive, you could create on of those as well
- Here’s a procedure I put together for installing Windows ’98 SE on a HP T5300/T5700 thin client without a floppy drive that demonstrates that concept:
- You could buy a Gotek floppy drive emulator for the retro PC and then use a USB thumb drive with floppy drive images!
- You could use mTCP and set up a FTP server on the DOS system, and then use a modern FTP client on the modern system!
- You could use etherDFS!
- You could also you mTCP NetDrive (it’s hot off the press and really cool)
- You could use what I call a “serial transfer server” which involves a Raspberry Pi, a null modem cable, and FastLynx for DOS (Modern OS would access files via a network share)!
- Serial transfer server: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHO8lrzLJ20
- You could use a WiFi enabled USB stick built out of a Raspberry Pi Zero W and an ISA to USB card in your retro machine (this method has its limitations with writing files, just be aware of that as discussed in the video)!
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1VK8LPvErk
- You can 3D print my bracket for the ISA to USB card too: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5350142
- You could also just use a regular USB stick with a ISA to USB card!
- You could take the hard drive out of the retro PC and use a USB to IDE adapter on a modern PC
- File Transfer Methods using two retro PCs
- With a null modem or LapLink cable (or even Infrared!) from another DOS PC, you have several options too, including FastLynx, LapLink, Interlink etc
- FastLynx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSPHmJ90WcI
- FastLynx, Laplink, Interlink (this is showcasing infrared, but a null modem cable or parallel cable will also work): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85xo_3I1X98
- You could use a Zip drive, burn a CD, or use a Floppy drive!
- Some tips on using Zip drives on retro systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPMkKySPtzI&t=401s
- You could use half a dozen other DOS compatible networking solutions!
- You could even make a second DOS PC a SMB1 file server!
- With a null modem or LapLink cable (or even Infrared!) from another DOS PC, you have several options too, including FastLynx, LapLink, Interlink etc
Now for some connectivity fun from legacy PCs to help you get online
- Using a null modem cable, you could set up a PPP connection from DOS using Direct Cable Connection (tried this with Windows XP and Windows 2000 as the host, but may work with more modern OSes as well)
- You could connect a DOS PC to the network and browse the internet
- You can get online with a simulated modem experience using a Serial to WiFi Modem!
- You could use a Serial to WiFi Modem to create a SLIP connection for browsing the web!
- You can use special proxy servers to browse “the old web” directly in your web browser on retro (or modern!) PCs
- ProtoWeb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qs3LVPmLgk
- The Old Net: https://theoldnet.com/
- You can also connect to modern websites from retro computers using FrogFind
- You can also use Discord, Facebook Messenger, and other chat apps in DOS!
- You can also use telnet, FTP, and MUTT from DOS!
- You can even connect to SSH sites using Windows 3.1X and modern Putty!
- You can even print to modern laser printers in Windows 3.X or Windows ’95/98!
- Windows ’95/’98: https://twitter.com/RetroTechChris/status/1605305537985249280
- If you have an original modem, Google voice, and an Obi 200, with some tweaking, you can even use that!
Ok, that’s all for now, this is going to be a work in progress, but this should get you started!