Connect Windows to Windows and to Android via FTP

Applications I Tried and Used - Conclusions

I had a need to transfer files from one laptop with windows to another, in a safe way.  The first laptop had a bad virus, removed, but I wasn't going to risk it and wanted to copy just data files and be sure that no virus gets transfered.  I chose ftp, as opposed to, for example, a USB drive, that could get infected and then infect the seconds laptop.  With ftp, I just made sure I didn't copy files that could carry a virus.

Android, I used only to diagnose the connection problem. It worked.

Windows

• ftp server: Filezilla Grade: 5 of 5
• firewall, option 1: built-in (Windows 7)
  Result: doesn't allow traffic to ftp server even when added to allow programs. Grade: 1 of 5
• firewall, option 2: Comodo. Grade: 5 of 5

Android

• ftp client: AndFTP. Grade: 5 of 5
• firewall: NoRoot Firewall. 
  Result: Silently ignores connections to local network, but otherwise great. Grade: 4 of 5 
• network monitoring: Network Connections.
  Result: Doesn't show network requests but only established connections (attempt to connect to Windows ftp server which was blocked by Windows firewall wasn't reported). This limits a usefulness. Grade: 4 of 5

Find-like and Grep-like Tools in Windows

Search by File Name

• open CMD.exe
• use command (more info): dir *.class *.java /b/s

Search by File Content

• open CMD.exe
• use command:
  findstr /s /i mock *.java *.groovy
• what it does:
• search not only in the current directory but also in subdirectories (/s)
• searches for the string "mock", ignoring the case (/i)
• in all .java and .groovy files
• to find a string "pink rose", do:
  findstr /s /i /c:"pink rose" *.java *.groovy
  Without the "/c:", you will get all occurances of pink and rose.
• option /r allows to use regular expression, np.:
  findstr /i /r /c:"references .*\.country" *
• more info

(tested in win7)

System Recovery Using Linux

Recently, oe of our laptops failed.  It was slowly getting worse and worse.  We had to recover the files, but the installed windows OS wasn't operational any more.  I have run into a SystemRescueCD. It's an open project, that provides a set of rescue-oriented tools, togather with the basic linux system on a bootable CD or USB.

Here's how I have done the retrieval of the files:

• Mount the windows harddisk:
  mkdir /mnt/sjb/windows
  ntfs-g3 /dev/sda1 /mnt/sjb/windows
  
• Mount the USB to copy the files onto:
  mkdir /mnt/sjb/usb
  mount -t vfat /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sjb/usb (vfat is an extension of fat16)
  

I have also used an external harddisk connected via USB to copy a larger amount of data from the laptop's harddisk.  To find which device name I should point to to mount it (like /dev/sda1), I have used the testdisk utility available on the CD.

Windows Remote Desktop Connection Issues

Clipboard Sharing Not Working
* if the RDPCLIP is not running, start it (Start Menu -> Run -> CMD and type RDPCLIP)
* if it's running, restart it. 
That was tested with WinXP. 

Connect To A Remote Windows Workstation To Provide Support

So, someone from you family, living far away from you, asked you to help him/her with her windows computer and you would like to help, but are not willing to spend $450 for air tickets. Well, sometimes it may be a good idea to spend this money and spend some time with your family. But if there are reasons you can't do it right at this moment, but you would still like to help with the computer problem, what do you do? Especially, if it's your older relative or friend? Not really technical savvy or even scarred of this new and strange technology.

One simple approach I have found (after trying two other approaches with only partial success), is a product called TeamViewer. The personal/non-profit use is free. The thing works like this:

• The person that receives the support, downloads and runs the TeamViewerQS, which generates a random ID and password.
  
• The supporter downloads the TeamViewer and starts it. It asks for a user and password.
  
• The supported needs to obtain these to pieces of information from the other person (phone, email, text message, etc.) and enter.
  
• The rest is simple. Just like the MS Remote Desktop or VNC.

A really cool part of this is, you can actually test the TeamViewer first without getting your relative at all. The company provides a "test" machines you can connect to for testing. Easy, they're probably running just a bunch of windows virtual boxes. But still, it's a good idea.

Enjoy! And do make at another time a trip to visit your family in person. In my case, the relative I needed to help, lives in Poland. I live in Oregon. TeamVeaver was helpful.