I need to transfer some a large amount of file from my Linux lap-top to my desktop Windows machine. Can I connect the two computers through a simple crossover cable and simply navigate into the Windows machine and move to files manually or if not, what's the best way to do this? I don't want to burn a bunch of disks. Thanks.

you can use a simple crossover cable, but it's normally simpler to assume a simple switched network already exists these days. The simplest way to transfer is probably to simply use winscp on windows and copy the files via ssh from the linux box. It's all there ready and waiting most likely on the linux side, so very simple.

Most newer nics can auto correct for any cable. I doubt you'd need a crossover if only one nic supported this feature. Start with computers off usually corrects for cable.

If you have a modern commonly used distro, I suspect one could go to a xp shared folder and using the xp's user and password access either write or copy files.

I tend to use ftp. Windows has easy ftp servers like filezilla server and some portable usb type of ftp servers. Then ftp the stuff.

Basically you have to have two parts.
One is a way to get two nics to talk. That includes proper ip and subnet and ports open.
Second is a way to talk. Samba/cifs or ftp or nfs or other is a program to move files.