Connecting additionasl tower.

[thingyy]

Hi,is there an easyway to to couple 2 systems towers together.Calling one eg :- H drive.

System 1 = Windows ME
System 2 = Windows XP
Using ! monitor 1 mouse and 1 keyboard.
Thanks for any help.

[levi2]

you can use 2 systems using 1 keyboard mouse and monitor theyre called KVM switches i think but both pc will still work seperate unless u network them but that would be no point if you only got 1 mouse/monitor and keyboard

[thingyy]

Could I put 2 hard drives in 1 tower with the 2 operating systems?

[oldsage]

you can put a caddy system into your computer.this sits in the bays where your dvd player is.use a spare onemconnect up to the connector strip where your hard drive is now.put a hard drive into 2 separate caddies.push into the carrier,and switch on computer.your operaring system on the hard drive will now function as normal.when changing.power down computer and change over caddies,and you have the other system.i must point out however for both to work,they must be installed originally on the same computer.ie: windows installed from scratch.or you might get away with doing a repair mbr on the one that was installed on the other computer.you can put 2 hard drives into a computer,but you will need to make a loader so you can decide which system to use.next option is to get a large hard drive partition in 2 parts and then put your 2 systems onto each part(XP on 1 and ME on 2) this way i think you have to install xp last,as it doesn,t like sharing with other systems. steve

[cptkay0s]

Hi thingyy

is there a reason you want to maintain 2 operating systems? In my experience - ME was never stable and driver support was minimal - you may be better moving to a single OS....

A bit more background as per your requirements may enable me to proffer a suggestion.

Warren

[thingyy]

Warren,
On my ME computer I have Cakewalk 3 and over 70,000 midi and lyric files.
Cakewalk 3 works fine for me and does everything I need.
I was unable to get cakewalk 3 to run under XP.
I was sort of trying to find an easier way rather than hopping between 2 PCs.
Also to ability to grab a file off the net and edit on the 1 PC would be nice.

[gibbo]

Hi Thingyy,
You could always network 'em together but I think it's a lot of messing around for what you want.
I've had CW 3 running on XP with SP2.
(You may already have tried this but it works for me.)
Just set it to run in Win 95 or 98/ME mode
Here's how: Install CW 3 on your XP pc > locate the .exe file on your HDD > right click the .exe icon > select Properties > click the Compatibility tab > check the box to run it in either 95 or 98/ME mode.
Then you just have to copy the 70,000 midi files across to you XP pc.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Dave.

[cptkay0s]

Hi thingyy

I've used a few programs in the past that allow control of multiple systems using 1 keyboard/mouse.

I agree with levi2 - you can't beat a KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) switch (and it would be the simpler option)- I'm presently using 1 on 3 systems - and have a shared directory on an XP system to move files backwards and forwards within my internal network. Much faster & more stable than software options. But, that being said, I still use a program called RealVNC to control my daughter's system when I need to work on it.

From memory - ME requires a keyboard/mouse to be connected 24/7 otherwise it 'times out' and won't accept inputs (suffice to say - ME makes the system poll the attached external hardware - if it doesn't get feedback/return signal, it deactivates/reallocates the port/address/resource). XP is happy to boot without detecting a VDU, but still needs a mouse & keyboard to boot.

If you go the KVM path - not a prob as all equipment is connected at all times - if you go software - you need to have all peripheral devices attached to the ME box.

Just to confuse matters more - it has been suggested by some of my peers that you can successfully install the Windows Remote Desktop Client onto an ME box - but I've yet to see it maintain stability and decent speed. I just tried it here and had no success

If you decide to use REALVNC - you have to make an exception with your firewall software to allow it to access your remote system (the host).

Some VNC alternatives that I've used successfully here at home and at work are:

TightVNC

RealVNC - choose the Free Edition

(I like TIGHTVNC - just didn't have it handy when I needed to get a remote connection in a hurry)

a new one I'm not familiar with is ULTRAVNC
- but apparently it's very good as well..

To sum up - KVM great - not that expensive and stable.
Software - slow, sometimes lag present - but FREE!!! (however - you need a network set up)

PM me if you want some more info (I could always do with a 7 hr drive to the coast

see ya
Warren

[thingyy]

If I can get Cakewalk 3 to run on XP I would be wrapped as I can use a flash drive to get my midis etc over.
I have a version of cakewalk 3 that is a run installation.
I would love to get an exe installed if this makes sense.

[gibbo]

Does that mean you're running it from a disk or something?
It should be pretty much the same routine, maybe just a different icon but if it runs on a pc then you can set the properties in XP as I described above, just make sure you do it on the CW3 icon whatever it is (not a shortcut icon).
Cheers, Dave.

[thingyy]

Gibbo I'll email you.

[thingyy]

Oh I cant email you.
Cakewalk that I have is just a folder called cpw.
Email me if you want as this might become boring for other members.

[oldsage]

there is a much simpler way for you to transfer your midi,s and lyrics.get yourself a 2gb flash stick,or thumb drive or whatever they are called in your country,and transfer them to this first.as they are usb it simple enough to then transfer them over to your new drive.if you can get one of the new high speed spec usb flash sticks,then it will go a lot faster. one little tip though! put your files into smaller folders of about 10mb.the reason is i tried transferring all of mine in one chunk,and half way through it froze!! seems it didn,t like files with too many in bulk.so i put them into folders of about 10mb,and it worked with no problems! just a thought! cheers steve

[gibbo]

That's true, Steve, this thread is really about something else though. Thingyy was trying to come up with a solution to the real problem ie: how to get Cakewalk 3 to work with XP. With that solved (see above) it's no longer a case of hooking the 2 towers together. It's pretty much all worked out but all the extra info is appreciated regardless.
Cheers, Dave.

[thingyy]

Great news I got Cakewalk 6 installed now.Just need to read thru the help menu now lol.

[cptkay0s]

When you figure out CW6 - come and show me how to use it thingyy!!! (lol)

Warren