UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Is there an easy way to setup a cross-over cable (USB-USB) between a linux box and a windows PC? My 2 machines are next to each other but I really do not want to keep transfering my files using my USB drive.
Thanks!

Do you have a home network set up? If not, could you run a loopback ethernet cable between your Windows machine and your Linux one? I think that'd be more straightforward than trying to get a USB-USB interface working, particularly since these devices(they contain electronics, not just wires) usually act like network interfaces anyway.

I do not have a network. I like the idea about using an ethernet cable between the 2 machines but my Windows computer is connected to the internet via a LAN cable and I cannot connect my Linux box to internet (even if I want to). So, how can I still use an ethernet cable if one of my computers is already using it to access internet?

A home router will allow you to connect several computers to one internet connection, as well as connecting them to each other.

If you insist you can't share them like this for some reason, you could install another network card in your Windows computer. Then you'd configure the computers onto static IP addresses. How about 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 for the windows machine and 10.0.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 for the linux one(yes, there's no gateway and no DNS).

Then you'd configure the computers so they can access each other's files. If you install Samba on your Linux machine, it can provide a Windows file share for your Windows machine to log into. Linux can also log into Windows file shares, if you configure your Windows computer to allow it.

Sadly there's not one sole solution that'd allow you to initiate file transfers from either end, even if you use a USB-USB cable.

Thank you very much!