Transferring Data Using Recordable DVDs

• 1). Purchase a few recordable DVDs and consult your laptop's documentation to be sure that your laptop's CD/DVD-ROM drive can burn disks. Most recordable DVDs can only hold 4.7 gigabytes (GB) of data, so this method is best used if you only need to transfer a limited amount of data to your desktop. This will also be the slowest method.
  
  
• 2). Place a blank DVD in your CD/DVD-ROM drive and wait for the computer to read it.
  
  
• 3). Open the DVD maker program installed on your computer. The specific program you have will depend on the brand of your computer and when you bought it. A good way to find the program is to click on the "Start" button in the lower-left corner of your desktop, then look through "All Programs" or "Programs" to find any with "DVD" in the title.
  
  
• 4). The DVD-maker program will most likely ask you if you want to created a video, audio or data DVD. Choose "Data."
  
  
• 5). You will be presented with a window in which to put the data you wish to burn onto a disk. Locate 4.7 GB of the data you wish to transfer and simply drag and drop the files into the DVD-maker window.
  
  
• 6). Look for a button on your program that says "Burn" or "Record" and click it. The program may ask you if you are sure; click "Yes." The DVD will now burn and the computer will let you know when it is finished.
  
  
• 7). Remove the burned DVD from your laptop and place it into your desktop's CD/DVD-ROM drive. If no autorun options come up, open the disk by left-clicking on it in the "My Computer" or "Computer" window located on your desktop.
  
  
• 8). Drag the data files from the DVD window to the folder where you want them stored on your desktop.
  
  
• 9). Repeat this process as necessary if you have more data to move.
  
  

Using a Thumb Drive or External Hard Drive

• 1). Purchase the thumb drive or external hard drive you would like to use to perform the transfer. You will get much more data storage capacity per dollar if you buy an external hard drive, so base your purchase decision on how much data you need to move.
  
  
• 2). Plug the thumb drive or external hard drive into a universal serial bus 2.0 (USB) port on your laptop computer. A window that represents the new drive should come up on your screen. Look toward the bottom of that window to see how much free space the drive has.
  
  
• 3). Find the data you wish to transfer and drag it to the window representing the thumb or external hard drive. Drop the files into the window, and the data will begin to copy. Copying the data will only take a matter of minutes; the time will be longer the more data you have to copy.
  
  
• 4). Unplug the thumb or external hard drive from your laptop computer and plug it into a USB port on your desktop computer. A window representing the drive should come up on your screen. In this window you should see the data you copied from your laptop.
  
  
• 5). Drag and drop the files from the thumb or hard drive window into the folder where you wish to store the data on your desktop. Allow time for the data transfer to occur.