file transfer

Laplink PC Mover Moving Kit
$69.95
I decided to use the Laplink PCMover software that advertises to move your config from WinXP to Win7. I got the download from Amazon for about $10. It states that it is not 100%, but will manage most of your files and software to move from the XP drive to the Win7 drive. That's a fair statement.
I read some reviews about it, but there wasn't too many out there. One review stated about the fact of having some promo software in the program, and to be careful not to install other software if you don't want it. That is true. You do have to be rather cautious in using the program, and the company states that you should review the pdf file thoroughly before and during use. I totally agree with that, as I can't imagine some yahoo going full tilt using this thinking everything will come out fine without reading the directions. You need to carefully go thru all programs and files that you want to migrate if you've got over a hundred apps and years of files on it like me. I took me about an hour to build the 'moving van' on the old drive and a couple of hours to migrate it to the new drive.
After booting into Win7, I was pleasantly surprised. It did a pretty good job, considering the years of stuff I've had since Win3.0. Here are some details of things that worked and didn't work:
Microsoft Office 2007 worked after I got an installer update message when first using it. All Outlook settings worked after prompting me for my password. It migrated most all settings for many programs, saving hours of tweaking.
I had downloaded many drivers for Win 7 beforehand, including new printer, scanner, video, motherboard, and sound card. Many items were recognized by Win7 and installed new drivers right away. I have a Delta 1010LT sound card, and it didn't load a driver for it, but the Win7 Upgrade advisor said it wouldn't, so I was prepared for that. I used the new one from their web site.
Most of my software that had serials or other special authorization worked well. I produce music, so my UAD-1 DSP card needed an updated file, but a new one was out anyway for it and then it autorized fine. Sony Acid Pro, Reaper, and Cubase (including the synchro dongle) came thru well. Most VSTs didn't require re-licensing or reinstall. Adobe products came thru well. My scanner needed a custom driver upgrade - Win7 couldn't find it, but now works. Seems most USB drivers for products came thru well. Itunes needed reinstalled. I'm only less than a week from checking everything out, but all in all, this saved me a hundred hours of custom installation and getting everything re-licensed.

Aten Technologies AF142 Bitronics Bi-Direction Reverse 1X2 or 2X1 Auto Switch with File Transfer
$39.61
The AF142 is a reversable Bitronics Auto Switch that will operate in either, one computer to two printers mode, or two computers to one printer mode, called respectively 1 to 2 mode and 2 to 1 mode. These switches operate in 2 to 1 mode without software drivers and deliver print jobs to the printer on a first come, first served basis. This means that if one computer is printing to the printer the other computer must wait for the Auto Switch to finish the current print job. The AF142, when operating in 1 to 2 mode, uses the AS Ware driver to select which printer of the attached to the Auto Switch will print the print job. You can only be printing to one printer at a time unless both printers are identical and you wish to rapidly produce many copies of the same document. The AF142 can go into a unique broadcast mode and both printers will print the exact same document, leaving you with two copies.

Targus ACC96US High-Speed File Transfer Cable (Gray)
$44.99
Works well on XPpro. Very fast. Great for taking work home from domain setup at the office. Could use better documentation.

An aside, Synctoy is great for domain server to notebook (Download from Microsoft.

The Tornado
$59.99
What I was hoping for was an interface cable that would let each PC see the other as a USB flash drive. Plug-and-Play. This isn't it. Dislikes:
1. Unfortunately, an application must be run on each PC to open a split-screen interface. At least the program resides in the cable electronics. It is plug-and-play, but one needs to open the folder on each PC and execute the program.
2. The electronics hub is HUGE and the ribbon cables are stiff and awkward to connect. Targus has a competing device that is about 1/10 the size with flexible round cables.
3. The interface isn't Windows Explorer. Sorting by file date isn't chronological: It's displaying dates in mm/dd/yyyy form, and the month (1st digit) is the first sort key. [The Targus device is similar in this regard.] I want to identify the most-recently modified files and transfer those, and with the Tornado I have to go searching. Overwriting a file doesn't compare the dates and give the user a choice whether to overwrite a newer file with an older one.
---I may use occasionally, but it appears as easy to to continue transfer/synchronizing files by exchanging a flash drive---