Question Fastest way to transfer files from pc to pc

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wooziefub

wooziefub

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Dec 16, 2021
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Hey, i've got a question. I really need to transfer 200GB of data from one pc to another, and was thinking what would be the fastest way to do that. I thought about transfering through an app like teamviewer or just straight up transfer via LAN, but would that be fast? Thank you!
 
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hotaru.hino

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Sep 1, 2020
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The cheapest way (as in zero cost) would be to set up a network share between the two computers, then you can transfer it over LAN.

If you have a secondary drive on one of the computers, you could copy the data on it, then temporarily install the data on the other computer and copy it out.
 
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SamNYC

SamNYC

Jul 14, 2021
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wooziefub said:
Hey, i've got a question. I really need to transfer 200GB of data from one pc to another, and was thinking what would be the fastest way to do that. I thought about transfering through an app like teamviewer or just straight up transfer via LAN, but would that be fast? Thank you!
Click to expand...

The fastest way by far would be to remove the source drive, put it into an external drive enclosure, then plug it into the destination PC using USB 3.x (don't even think about transferring so much data with USB 2.x!). An external 2.5" drive enclosure can cost a little as $4 on eBay. 3.5" enclosures will cost more and need an external power supply. If you're willing to splurge, get a drive dock which can accommodate both sizes.

Actually your can make it even faster if your destination computer has the space to physically install the source drive as an internal drive. But that's probably too much work.

After the drive is attached, use the freeware FastCopy to transfer the data. Several articles have ranked it the fastest file transfer app available for Windows. It's certainly faster than Windows built-in File Explorer and it's free. The only downside is the ugly interface. If I'm not mistaken, it's also pretty fast for LAN transfers although other programs were faster.

If you don't want to remove the drive, then the only fast option I can think of is to buy an external drive. You can get a 4TB external hard drive for about $50. A 240gb SSD costs about the same, but you'll have to get the external enclosure discussed above. Then use FastCopy to copy the data from the source computer onto the external drive. Afterwards, plug the external drive into the destination computer and use FastCopy to transfer the data.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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Instead of faffing about with external drives, or docks...just do it.

Shared folder from my NAS (HDD) to the PC (SSD)
214GB, 611 items.
33 mins
$0.

I7vK8DV.jpg



If you had started when you asked the question, you could have done it 4 times by now.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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SamNYC said:
After the drive is attached, use the freeware FastCopy to transfer the data. Several articles have ranked it the fastest file transfer app available for Windows. It's certainly faster than Windows built-in File Explorer and it's free.
Click to expand...
Percentagewise, how much faster?


EDIT:
Absent a prediction from the FastCopy proponent, I did a test myself.

Same file set, same systems (NAS to PC SSD), same gigabit LAN.

696a6f2.jpg


33 mins with Windows File Explorer
32.5 mins with FastCopy.

meh....
 
Last edited:
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Eximo

Eximo

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Programs like that just do bit-wise copying. Basically grabs the data and sends it with little to no error checking.

Windows will copy each file, verify, and resend any data errors, preserve permissions, and all kinds of things. It is very slow on small files, but quite serviceable for larger files.

robocopy is part of Windows and can get you similar performance to off the shelf tools.
 
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SamNYC

SamNYC

Jul 14, 2021
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USAFRet said:
Percentagewise, how much faster?
Click to expand...

As you know, I usually preface my posts with I'm a newbie. That's certainly the case now. I haven't done the calculations of FastCopy vs File Explorer but on my buggy computer, it's a lot faster and much more stable. I often run 2, 3 or even 4 FastCopy sessions simultaneously (I have 8 drives connected to my PC) and they all run smoothly and quickly. With File Explorer, I'd experience slowdowns, freezes and even crashes. Lots of crashes. The great thing is that FastCopy is completely independent of File Explorer. I've had File Explorer crash on me while FastCopy was running and FastCopy wasn't affected at all. In fact, I've had times where File Explorer never recovered, e.g. the task bar disappeared permanently and I could no longer open folders, yet the FastCopy sessions finished without a hitch.

If your computer is well-behaved and your setup is optimized, you may not see the advantages I do. But for me, it's a godsend and I now only use File Explorer for very small operations, <2gb. And for moving files to/from my phone. For some reason, FastCopy doesn't recognize my phone or its memory card as a drive.

At least one of the comparison articles I read feature a lot of benchmarks. I believe it compared 10 free file management apps on various benchmarks including LAN. If I find the article again, I'll link it here.
 
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SamNYC

SamNYC

Jul 14, 2021
35
3
45
Eximo said:
Programs like that just do bit-wise copying. Basically grabs the data and sends it with little to no error checking.

Windows will copy each file, verify, and resend any data errors, preserve permissions, and all kinds of things. It is very slow on small files, but quite serviceable for larger files.

robocopy is part of Windows and can get you similar performance to off the shelf tools.
Click to expand...

You can turn on FastCopy's error checking/verification and it's still a lot faster on my computer. As I mentioned in my other message, your mileage may vary but unless Windows makes major improvement to File Explorer, I'm not going back. FastCopy has a permanent spot on my taskbar, right next to Start.
 
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Amilia_Maa

Amilia_Maa

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Jun 1, 2021
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If the 2 PCs are in the same , just connect LAN between both and use a free tool like Robocopy , it is reliable and fast . or use an alternative , ex : Gs Richcopy360 or Goodsync
 
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