Obscure Modem to Modem Data Transfer

I have an old Compaq 2256 from 1999 (or 1998?) running Windows 98. I wanted to use it to to program a AVR as described in The Ghetto Programming tutorial. I had trouble with the USB drives so I looked for alternative file transfer methods. Without an NIC card, I couldn't get it online. After much thinking, I wondered if I could transfer data using the modem. I came across an article "Transferring Data between Standard Dial-Up Modems". After setting up Hyperterminal and my modems, I used a telephone cable to connect to my XP loaded computer to the old Compaq. I needed to transfer usb drivers in order to recognize flash drives. As I watched the files transfer very slowly, I was reminded of the old days of dial up internet. The speed was around 4 or 5 kb/s. Sadly, after all that work, turns out that the WinAVR program I wanted won't recognize the parallel port. Looks like I got to install Linux.