Welcome. I'm not a CNC user, but XP is now ancient history, and many programs won't run in it. To get a new startup disk, I'd contact the company that wrote the software. If a dongle is required to log onto your program, then the original manufacturer is a likely a must. If you use an unauthorized copy, you are possibly out of luck.
What format is the startup disk? Is it possible that you might be able to recover the startup data? There are services that do this, and if you do get it back, and it works, it's a good idea to make several clones of that disk. The old copy protection schemes often required that certain code by located in a specific sector on the disk. Good luck with this, and I hope the company is still in business.
I would also suggest posting on EBay as well.
What kind of connection is there between the two computers? That might just be the problem, a bad connector, a wire connection that's broken, corrosion, poor solder joint.. I'd definitely try a new cable, which you can do quickly, especially if it's an RS 232 connection.
What format is the startup disk? Is it possible that you might be able to recover the startup data? There are services that do this, and if you do get it back, and it works, it's a good idea to make several clones of that disk. The old copy protection schemes often required that certain code by located in a specific sector on the disk. Good luck with this, and I hope the company is still in business.
I would also suggest posting on EBay as well.
What kind of connection is there between the two computers? That might just be the problem, a bad connector, a wire connection that's broken, corrosion, poor solder joint.. I'd definitely try a new cable, which you can do quickly, especially if it's an RS 232 connection.
