getting a new PC set up, need some answers to help in arranging things

Diosoth · 06 Jun 2013

Not exactly a W7 issue since I'm putting an old Windows XP machine in. I just bought a Dell Optiplex 745 to serve as a backup PC as well as to play older games the 7 has issues with(either by general incompatibility, 16-bit installers, etc). However, I need to get this set up and had to work around my space. I've already run a basic test to make sure it worked on arrival, which it did- I got a keyboard and mouse with it and hooked up to my Gateway monitor, though until I finish physical setup I won't be using it.

I got a new Vizio TV this week as well and will hook this old PC up to the VGA input, and as such I put it on a shelf above the TV as this Dell case is designed to lay flat rather than being upright. Yes, I considered putting it under the TV, no that won't work because the case top isn't sturdy enough.

(as a side note, the case lid pops open easily by pulling a lever on the back. My Gateway W7 and my old Compaq were both nightmares to open, they need excessive force to push the side panel off... oh man, that Compaq was terrible since the entire outer sleeve had to come off)

So to hook up the keyboard and mouse I think I need a USB hub with maybe a 3' cord. Will I need a powered hub, or should a standard hub be fine? At most it'd be a plain Dell branded keyboard and mouse, a gamepad(a PS1 controller with USB adapter) and room to stick in flash drives without getting up to the case.

I will also need to transfer files between them. Are there any issues networking a 7 PC to an XP PC, either through a router/switch or direct with a crossover cable? Likewise, any issues with using a flash drive to transfer files between OSes, or any possible issues with DVDs burned on the 7 PC not reading in the XP machine? I don't need to transfer many files(it has an 80 GB HDD so I'm not doing anything major with this second PC) but emulators, some PC games, image files, etc will need to be put on.

TVeblen · 06 Jun 2013

You can run 16 feet of USB cable without problems. So you can add a 3 or 6 foot extension USB cord to the standard 6 foot cord on the keyboard and mouse, or you can use an un-powered hub if that will make things cleaner, or if you need to go more that 16 feet.

It is easiest to transfer files through a router. And a wired connection requires little to no setup. But wireless will do too. Windows 7 machines work within a Homegroup and XP machines work through a Workgroup. As long as you set up both machines with the same Workgroup they will find each other on the network. You also need to turn off some network security settings on the W7 machine.
File Sharing - Between XP and W7 (and vice versa)

There are no differences in Windows files being written or read in either operating system on either storage medium.