Thinkpads Forum

How to transfer files to a 380ED in 2016, without CD, floppy, LAN, or plugging the HDD to another computer ?

Infrared !





I used my T21, both TP are running Win98, and surprisingly, it was working in 2 clicks and flawlessly !

Effective speed ? Not that much (i'd say 20/30 kbps, far from the theorical rates), but still, that was fun.

Keep this in mind when you play with old hardware

I forgot all about infrared when I wanted to transfer files to my A31 and went through all the hassles of trying everything else. Then I remembered it and now can only wonder. My T42s have tried connecting each other before with IR but I've never tried using it. Nice to see it works!

The typical method of transfer I use to get files to older laptop computers (such as PowerBook 1400cs, ThinkPad 755CX, etc.) is through a CF-to-PCMCIA adapter and a small (<2GB) CF card; in the case of the PC laptops however the PCMCIA drivers need to be installed first

Yes, yes... good old infrared. Goodness though, is it ever slow.

I used to point my T23 (or maybe it was a T21 or a T43?)at my HP Laserjet 5P across the room to print. I still have the 1999 Laserjet 5P which works fine, but no IR laptops to point at it any more.

mpcook wrote:I used to point my T23 (or maybe it was a T21 or a T43?)at my HP Laserjet 5P across the room to print. I still have the 1999 Laserjet 5P which works fine, but no IR laptops to point at it any more.

Infared was that good back in the day?
I was too young to ever use that technology, only a few handheld game machines had something similar to it but was very cumbersome.

I never tried anything "long range" aside from the infrared wireless controller setup for the original NES gaming console, which to my memory worked out to 10, maybe 12 feet or so. So depending on the size of the room, "across the room" to a printer seems feasible, at least in that regard. Any time I've tried transferring data from PC to PC it's been a couple feet.

mpcook wrote:only a few handheld game machines had something similar to it but was very cumbersome.

Game Boy Color! If I remember correctly, there was a way to use the Game Boy as a TV remote.

Never used Infrared to transfer files between computers, I have with cell phones though. Thank god for Bluetooth!

Now I'm curious as to whether Basilisk II or SheepShaver running on a ThinkPad can transfer to an actual Mac using infrared? (or using the infrared port on a ThinkPad to send data to old Pokémon Game Boy Color games too)

I've never been fond of infrared due to its slow speed, but I should try to experiment in it more perhaps

mpcook wrote:I used to point my T23 (or maybe it was a T21 or a T43?)at my HP Laserjet 5P across the room to print. I still have the 1999 Laserjet 5P which works fine, but no IR laptops to point at it any more.

I always did this with my Palm m515 and the school's various LaserJet printers.