Hack 80 New Uses for an Old Port 
Select the correct LPT port settings to
optimize the performance of Windows's Direct Cable
Connection and third-party file transfer applications.
Your basic line parallel port is used for more
than just sending text and graphics to your printer. Iomega and
others found the port useful for connecting add-on disk and tape
storage devices; Traveling Software, Symantec, AlohaBob, and others
found the port useful for PC-to-PC file transfers; and Microsoft and
others figured out how to use the port for PC-to-PC networking.
PC-to-PC file transfers and networking require a special cross-over
cable (such as the Belkin F3B207 and F3D508 series) to get the right
signals connected between two PCs, as well as the installation of
appropriate software or the Windows Direct Cable Connection (DCC)
feature. Microsoft provides easy-to-follow directions for setting up
DCC at their web site: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305621.
DCC can be used for Windows XP's Files and Settings
Transfer feature to migrate data from an old PC to a new one,
transfer applications and data with Aloha Bob's PC Relocator [Hack #96], and clone entire drives from
one PC to another using Symantec's GHOST [Hack #95] .
By setting the parallel port to ECP mode in the system BIOS on both
PCs, a DCC connection between two PCs via parallel ports can be up to
three times faster than a 10BaseT (10 megabits per second) Ethernet
connection. Windows will detect mode changes in the parallel port
settings and configure itself for you. Be sure you do not have any
IRQ or DMA conflicts
[Hack #75] or the connection may not work or will perform
poorly.
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