if the win98 computer is the only thing connected, why does it need an IP address? i would think winXP would be intelligent enough to know that if there is only one of something then that must be the something that i want. and, further, if the win98 computer is the only piece on the network, then why wouldn't win XP be able to assign it an address?
no, i've never tried it.
hardware swapping is the lowest cost involved, so that will most likely not work.
computers usually sense when you are trying to get over on the retail stores. seriously, i would give that a try. just unplug your secondary drive from the winXP computer and substitute one of the three drives from the win98 computer. turn it back on and transfer to your heart's content.