File and folder transfer from Windows

[Andy3142]

I'm new to Linux. I'm trying to rescue an old netbook for a new job which requires transferring large amounts of files and folders from a Windows laptop. Will Puppy make that easy to achieve by any means? The machines can be coupled via the router or hard-wired to each other by ethernet or USB cables.

It's a 32 bit Samsung N220, 1GB RAM, Intel Atom N450 CPU, 230 GB HD. Slow.

I've tried many distros in the past (not Puppy) and the only one that made all features of the netbook work is Debian-based Antix. The trouble with Antix is that it doesn't use systemd/systemctl as Debian does. This means that installation instructions etc written for Debian often do not directly work with Antix and that makes already-techie setups unworkably fiddly.

In Antix I've had problems with simply publishing a folder as shared, with mini-servers like Droopy, with various things that share files but not folder, let alone complex things like SSH. Today I'm failing to set up/given up with Syncthing, a one-click install in Windows.

So I'm trying to find a distro where someone can say in advance "Yes! It's easy to transfer folders from Windows, and here's how." Might that be Puppy?

Many thanks

Andy
Bristol UK

[wizard]

You should be able to do it with BionicPup32 from here:
viewtopic.php?t=165
First, make a bootable USB, see here:
viewtopic.php?t=5192

You'll then be able to boot and run from the USB.

Once this is running successfully and your network is active, post back for instructions to setup file sharing on the local network.

wizard

[rockedge]

So I'm trying to find a distro where someone can say in advance "Yes! It's easy to transfer folders from Windows, and here's how." Might that be Puppy?

Many thanks

Andy
Bristol UK

Yes. And to add what wizard has posted, there are some tools built in Puppy Linux that will make it possible to transfer all the Windows system folders and files you'll need too.

Get yourself a working Puppy Linux (using wizard's recommendation of Bionic32) and then mention you're ready to proceed....it should be pretty straightforward to do without having to dive deeply into the OS to do it.

[rockedge]

I almost forgot to mention the entire group of users that consider Puppy Linux a Windows systems rescue and retrieval system. Carry around USB stick drives with some Puppy frugally installed on it for performing the main job of booting a Windows run machines with the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death", and retrieving the data from the machine's storage. There is an industry of computer repair people who recognize Puppy Linux's strengths when the question is, "what to use when the Windows Whatever hits the fan?".

[Flash]

To add to what everyone else has said, if you can get any 32-bit Puppy Linux running in the netbook and you have external storage of any kind (hard disk or flash drive), Puppy can easily copy files and folders from the netbook to the external drive. Then you can copy from the external drive to the final destination. No need at all to fight with networking.

This is how I would do it (and have done it) because it leaves you with a backup copy in the external drive.