Reply to: Windows Network file copy

[ee61re]

Disable AV on both machines, do the copy using a command prompt, not via the GUI.

Connect the PCs using a crossover cable, so you get 1Gbps connection, not just 100Mbps.

[yorkshireman]

Could also be antivirus slowing you down. Might be worth disabling it as a test.

As the poster said above an external USB2 disk should either be fast (or at least prove which machine is running the slowest!)

[NickFitz]

Obligatory xkcd link: Estimation

[ThomasSoerensen]

use fastcopy

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Have you got 'Enable Advanced Performance' selected for the drive? Doesn't Vista disable this by default?

Dunno - thanks I will check it

[Durbs]

Have you got 'Enable Advanced Performance' selected for the drive? Doesn't Vista disable this by default?

[Peoplesoft bloke]

It might just be the transfer tool cocking up the time estimate, especially if the first file to move is a big one.

It might be worth setting it running and giving it an hour to sort itself out. I recently moved 35Gb between a Mac and a Vista box and it took about 2.5 hours on an 100mb network.

Thanks - good call but after 3+ hours it was still doing the second file (which is 3gb)

Edit: whilst I think of it, I also tried using robocopy but it wasn't any faster.

[VectraMan]

Indeed, the file transfer tool is the biggest liar since Jeffery Archer in a libel trial.

Acronis regularly tells me its backup is going to take 49,170 days. Which it doesn't.

[DaveB]

Vista is fully up to date inc SPs so it's not that - I will try the autotuning thing thanks.

I could do the external drive thing but it seems a faff when these mahcines should be talking to each other anyway.

It might just be the transfer tool cocking up the time estimate, especially if the first file to move is a big one.

It might be worth setting it running and giving it an hour to sort itself out. I recently moved 35Gb between a Mac and a Vista box and it took about 2.5 hours on an 100mb network.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Vista is fully up to date inc SPs so it's not that - I will try the autotuning thing thanks.

I could do the external drive thing but it seems a faff when these mahcines should be talking to each other anyway.

[DaveB]

59GB is quite a lot though, and you can never trust those time estimates.

Indeed, the file transfer tool is the biggest liar since Jeffery Archer in a libel trial.

[VectraMan]

Installing SP1 for Vista is also supposed to speed things up.

WHS. They cocked up the networking big time in the first release of Vista, which made file copying very slow. SP1 fixed it, so if you're still using an un-service packed Vista do that.

59GB is quite a lot though, and you can never trust those time estimates.

[DaveB]

Trying to move 59GB of files from win 7 lappy to Vista desktop. Connected via 10/100 router - both PCs have gigbit n/w cards. Windows estimates 3+ days to move the files. I Googled this but there was just a raft of people with same problem :-(

Have you tried turning off Autotuning on the Vista box?

cmd> netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

Use

cmd> netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal

To turn it back on again afterwards.

Installing SP1 for Vista is also supposed to speed things up.

[Sysman]

I got myself one of these (except in a pretty red colour scheme).

500GB and it neatly fits in my jacket pocket. Powered by USB, no external power supply to lug around.

Note that it won't power up on USB 1.1, if you have anything so ancient.

What you could also try is to network your systems directly temporarily, omitting the router to take advantage of the gigabit speeds of your NICs.

[pmeswani]

Trying to move 59GB of files from win 7 lappy to Vista desktop. Connected via 10/100 router - both PCs have gigbit n/w cards. Windows estimates 3+ days to move the files. I Googled this but there was just a raft of people with same problem :-(

Why not copy it to an external drive first?