text: how do i connect my laptop to my desktop with a usb cable for file sharing?   you need to use a special usb cable, basically a crossover cable.. here's a link to one at officemax     http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodblock.jsp?prodblockoid=537418521&campaign=363bt4hc2v2&cm_cat=tech&cm_pla=networking&cm_ite=networking&cm_ven=affiliate&bv_usebvcookie=no&affcode=prf&siteid=k40132&mid=  buslink usb 2.0 to usb 2.0 file transfer cable