How to Connect Two PCs Using a 1394 Cable

FireWire can transfer data at very high speeds.

FireWire is a high-speed system for transferring data between electronic devices, such as computers and digital video cameras. It is similar to USB with one large exception: FireWire supports a direct connection between two computers, while USB does not. If you need a fast way to transfer large amounts of data between two computers that both have FireWire ports, a direct connection with a FireWire cable is one of the simplest ways to accomplish this.

Things You'll Need

• 2 computers running Windows XP
• FireWire cable

Instructions

1. Connect the FireWire cable to the FireWire ports on the two computers. After a moment, you should see a new local area network (LAN) icon appear in the system tray of each computer. Hover the mouse over the icon, and Windows displays a pop-up saying "1394 Connection."

2. Click the "Start" button on either computer, and then click "My Computer."

3. Click the "My Network Places" link on the left side of the window.

4. Click "View Workgroup Computers" under "Network Tasks." You should see an icon on this screen representing the second computer.

5. Double-click the icon to connect to the second computer. Windows displays a list of each shared folder on the computer.

6. Browse through the folders to locate the file that you would like to transfer, and drag it to the desktop to transfer it over the FireWire cable.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are unable to share files between two computers after connecting them with a FireWire cable, check to make sure that both computers have the same "workgroup" name. Right-click the "My Computer" icon on one computer and select "Properties." Click the "Computer Name" tab, and then click the "Change" button. Both computers should display exactly the same name in the "workgroup" box at the bottom of the window. If you need to change the "workgroup" name on one of the computers, restart the computer after making the change.

• If you are unable to see any files after connecting two computers over FireWire, the computer may not have any shared folders. To share a folder, right-click the folder and select "Sharing and Security." Click "Share the folder on the network," type the name that you would like to use to identify the folder and click "OK."

• Microsoft removed support for networking over FireWire from Windows beginning with Windows Vista. The instructions in this article do not work for computers running Windows Vista or Windows 7.

References

• Microsoft: IP Networking Over the IEEE 1394 Bus is Not Supported in Windows Vista
• Support PCs: The Fastest Way to Transfer Files: FireWire Networking