alright, i'm wondering if it would be possible to move files from my dad's computer to this computer via a network.

my computer is connected to a cat 5 cable which connects to the wall which connects to a router which connects to another cat 5 cable which connects to my dad's computer.

so:
this computer>broadband cable>outlet in wall>router>outlet in wall #2>broadband cable #2>dad's computer

i remember from my high school days that our networking teacher said that all you need to transfer files from one computer to another is a cat 5 cable connected to both comps (which i tried once and failed).

Yes, of course you can transfer files over a network. Are you on the same network though?

thanks for the reply...after dicking around a little bit i figured it out.

in case anyone is wondering, i just had both comps connected to the network...ran the setup a home or small office config wizard (making sure i said that i wanted to share files on my dad's computer), restarted...and that was pretty much it.