x86/DOS system backup via rs232?

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2015-11-13 12:36, william degnan wrote:
> I used to use a program called Laplink, which came with special serial and
> parallel option cables to transfer files from one dos  machine to another.
> It was useful to "image" DOS computers with it.

Ah, thank you. I have been trying to remember that name since this 
thread started. I've used extremely little DOS, but I remember seeing 
LapLink in there. I think it could even bootstrap itself across a serial 
port to a different machine, as long as DOS was installed. And then it 
could copy pretty much everything else over.

> I don't think these were straight through cables and you needed the laplink
> software to be running on both sides.  I see the cables on ebay, I picked
> up a set a few years ago to move contents of similar MS DOS system. Serial
> is much slower than parallel obviously.

Actually, the cables were straight through. The nice thing was that the 
serial cable had both the DE9 and DB25 on both sides. And it was 
combined with a parallel cable as well. So you had two cables and three 
connectors on each side.

(Well, by straight through I mean that they were null-model cables.)

	Johnny