QI have a computer, and recently received my mother's old one. I take a ton of pictures. Also, I'm a woodworker, so I collect patterns, tips and helpful hints. I desperately need memory space. I would like to connect my computer with my mother's old one. My husband tells me that can't be done. Why can't he connect the two with a cord?

AWhen you refer to "memory space," I assume you mean hard drive storage space. Memory is different. It refers to RAM. This is where the computer stores data that it anticipates using. RAM is volatile; it is emptied when the computer is turned off.

Now, you have several options. If you just need more storage, you can accomplish that easily. You wouldn't even need to connect the two computers.

You could add another hard drive to your current computer. I have a tip that includes detailed instructions on installing a hard drive. Just last week, I saw an ad for a terabyte hard drive. It was about $200. A terabyte is approximately 1.1 trillion bytes. That will hold a lot of pictures and patterns!

Installing a hard drive isn't too difficult. But maybe you don't feel like opening up your machine. In that case, you could buy an external hard drive. Or, you could build an external housing for an internal drive. Sound too difficult? My tip will make it easy!

How old is your mom's old computer? If it came with Windows XP, it might be worth keeping. Anything older probably isn't worthwhile. Maintaining an old machine

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can nickel and dime you to death. I would recycle an old computer.

If her old machine isn't too old, they can be connected. There are several ways to do that. For example, you could use a USB bridge cable. These are sometimes called USB link or network cables. They have a node at the midpoint of the cable. It contains extra circuitry for a safe connection. I've seen them online for less than $10.

If both computers have Ethernet jacks, you can use them to connect the computers. You could use a hub, or a crossover Ethernet cable. Ad-hoc connections can be difficult to set up, though.

Ad-hoc connections also leave little room for expanding your network in the future. Besides, your broadband modem probably connects to your Ethernet jack. You don't want to rearrange cables when you access the second computer.

Of course, the computers may not have Ethernet jacks. Or maybe you just don't want a bunch of cables running through your house. In that case, you could use Wi-Fi.

Again, you can create wireless ad-hoc connections. But I would buy a wireless router and one wireless card. That way, you can set up a full-blown network. Expect to pay about $100 on networking gear. Not sure what to buy? My buying guide will help you decide.

The wireless router would connect to your broadband Internet. Then, you would connect one computer to the router with an Ethernet cable. You'd put the wireless card in the second computer. I have more on connecting two computers on my site.

You also need to set up your network in Windows. That's easy. I have a tip that will walk you through it. You'll also want to set up file and printer sharing. My tip has you covered there, too.

Once your computers are connected, you can share the Internet connection. You can also transfer data over your network.

If you take the wireless route, make sure your network is locked down. Otherwise, intruders could use your network. I have a tip that will help you keep your network safe.

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WestStar TalkRadio Network.
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