My sister and I have tried unsuccesfully to set up our computers to ftp files to each other.  We have both located our IP addresses by running ipconfig/all on our computers.  I have set up a site on my computer with my IP address as well as a site with her IP address.  She has done the same. We have been unsuccessful in logging into each other's computer.

Any suggestions?

Hi Donna,

What you're trying to do is called peer-to-peer (or p2p) file transfer, and is not possible with just two FTP clients. In FTP, a client (WS_FTP Pro) communicates and sends files to/from a server (hence it is called client-server file transfer). In order to use FTP to transfer between two home computers, you must set up an FTP server on one of the computers. This is generally not a trivial task. Nevertheless, if you still want to use this method, you can download a free trial of WS_FTP Server from ipswitch.com.

To do p2p transfers, you have several options. IM and e-mail are two easiest (and crudest) p2p methods, but they tend not to like large file sizes or numbers of files. More conventional p2p programs, such as KaZaa, BearShare, Morpheus, et. al. will let you connect and browse by IP address, but your shared files are open to the world, and you invite spyware and adware onto your computer.

A better solution might be to find a third-party secure FTP server that where you both can connect and upload/download files. This is pretty easy to obtain, and most ISP's will let you do it for pennies to the megabyte.

If, by some chance, you happen to reside on a VPN together (in other words, you're both hooked up to a router together in the same house), you can set up Windows to share folders on the network. This is the best p2p solution for roommates, but is not available to folks living across town from each other.