(SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

GalacticStone · 2025-06-01 12:38:53

Hi Folks,

I need to move a bunch of files from an old laptop to a new one. Usually, I would do this via a USB thumbdrive or a micro-SD memory card. In this case, that won't work because I have too many files for the storage media I have available. I would like to accomplish this via WiFi or Bluetooth. I've never done anything like this before, but after doing some searching on the web, I came up with : Samba, SSH, LANShare, and LocalSend. I'd prefer something with a GUI, but command line is OK also. Which one would you folks recommend?

Bonus dumb question : I have a ton of different USB cables. Could I link the two laptops simply and directly with a USB to USB cable and treat the other laptop as big thumbdrive?

Thanks!

MikeG

Edit : answered my own bonus dumb question with some extra searching. Answer is not really, unless you have a special USB data transfer cable.

Last edited by GalacticStone (2025-06-01 19:58:23)

PackRat · 2025-06-01 13:05:43

What OS are the laptops running?

If they are both Linux, an NFS server is easy to set up, and you can use your file manager of choice to copy the files over.

Bit trickier if one of the laptops is running Windows or a Mac. I use a simple ftp server to move files between my Linux and Windows computers which isn't often. Then you can use something like filezilla.

Another option would be to get a free hosting service like Mega. Upload from one computer, download to the other. Delete the account when you're done.

Pirx · 2025-06-01 13:48:42

You could also use something like https://file.pizza . It's a website, but files are transferred directly between computers, no cloud storage involved. Just add all the files you want you transfer to an archive and send the archive through the website.

Pirx · 2025-06-01 14:08:35

I just found https://localsend.org . That may be the best option for you.

GalacticStone · 2025-06-01 14:30:26

The old laptop is running Ubuntu 20.04 and the newer one is running BL Boron. I have about 50 gigs of small to medium sized files (thousands) and whenever I try using a 128G thumbdrive I have, the operation hangs up and never completes. It's a cheap Temu drive, so..... you get what you pay for I guess. I also have issues with SD cards - I format them, I write to them once, and then they turn into read only and I can't ever write to them again. It's weird and it happens with every memory card I try, regardless of size or vendor. It's not solely an Ubuntu issue because my BL laptop is doing the same thing.

I'm not in a big rush, so I'll get it taken care of this week when I get some downtime.

PackRat · 2025-06-01 14:41:46

I try using a 128G thumbdrive I have, the operation hangs up and never completes.

Is that with a GUI file manager like thunar?

You can try using mc file manager ( https://midnight-commander.org/) or a simple command line tool like rsync (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Rsync); grsync is/was a decent gui for rsync, but I think it's deprecated.

I'm not in a big rush, so I'll get it taken care of this week when I get some downtime.

Another option would be to copy the files over 5-10G at a time. Bit time consuming, but you already have the set up.

unklar · 2025-06-01 14:58:40

Pirx wrote:

I just found https://localsend.org . That may be the best option for you.

You can also use the search function of the forum!
https://forums.bunsenlabs.org/viewtopic … 45#p136545

greenjeans · 2025-06-01 15:22:13

Something wrong with your stick, maybe try a smaller one, I have a dozen or so cheap Emtec 32 gb sticks I use regularly, and when it comes time to do a backup and save files I do it all on a few of those sticks, never any issues. They're like 10 bucks for a 3-pack.

Bonus: Usually one stick is full of nothing but movies, and I can plug that stick into my TV and watch the movies on it.

Double-bonus: One is also usually full of music, and I can plug that in to my garage music or into the head-unit in my truck and listen to it.

GalacticStone · 2025-06-01 19:35:40

I looked at FilePizza and Wormhole. FilePizza appears to be single files at a time. Wormhole kept freezing up on me.

Installing new software on the old laptop is tedious because some of the keys on the keyboard have stopped working and the battery is shot. It also started running very laggy for some unknown reason. So, that ruled out options like LocalSend that required installation.

In the end, I borrowed a 16G thumbdrive from my daughter and moved the files over in chunks. It was a minor PITA, but it's done now.

I'm going to order a new high-capacity thumbdrive from a reputable vendor to back everything up in the future.

Lesson learned : a 128G USB drive for under $5 is a crap shoot, and I crapped out.

GalacticStone · 2025-06-05 14:00:51

Ok, not solved yet.

Turns out, the cheap TEMU thumbdrive I bought is crap. I knew that already.

I borrow a perfectly-good thumbdrive from my daughter and used that to transfer the files. Great.

Wrong.

Little did I know, but many of the files were corrupted during a previous backup using the Temu drive. Apparently, during the transfer process, the files became corrupted and I didn't realize it because I didn't try opening many of them afterwards. They looked fine in the directories, so I left them alone. So, all this time I thought I was being responsible by keeping everything backed up, but my backups were corrupted.

I need to take both of these machines, put them side by side on my desk and try using my daughter's thumbdrive to redo the transfers.

Would using an Ethernet cable be quicker? Is there any specific Linux issue I should know about if I attempt this? I haven't used LAN since the First Age 3000 years ago.

PackRat · 2025-06-05 14:13:29

GalacticStone wrote:

Would using an Ethernet cable be quicker?

Yes, if you have that set up. You would also be transferring files directly and not relying a thumbdrive.

lowrider · 2025-06-05 23:08:30

I noticed both machines are running linux and are on the same network (local)
I suggest using ssh or better using sshfs to transfer files between them. Both machines need to have ssh-server and ssh-client installed which in most cases is standard today (if not sudo apt install ssh), sshfs needs to be installed on its own which is a simple sudo apt install sshfs away.
Syntax to mount or unmount is not that hard (ask here if you need assintance) and you can use your filemanager of choice to copy files from and to.

Last edited by lowrider (2025-06-05 23:15:58)

#1 2025-06-01 12:38:53

(SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#2 2025-06-01 13:05:43

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#3 2025-06-01 13:48:42

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#4 2025-06-01 14:08:35

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#5 2025-06-01 14:30:26

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#6 2025-06-01 14:41:46

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#7 2025-06-01 14:58:40

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#8 2025-06-01 15:22:13

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#9 2025-06-01 19:35:40

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#10 2025-06-05 14:00:51

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#11 2025-06-05 14:13:29

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

#12 2025-06-05 23:08:30

Re: (SOLVED) Moving files from one laptop to another

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