3. Online services like AOL and MSN that use a web-based or proprietary interface may keep your mail and addresses on their servers. You need not move them. After you get online with the new PC, be sure you have everything you want. If not, move it over at that time.
4. Decide where you want to copy the backup files.
a. If your old PC has a CD burner, use it.
b. If not, but the old PC is networked to another PC with enough space on a shared hard drive to hold the backup files, that's the next best choice.
c. If neither of those apply, you may need to use diskettes. If you have a lot of files, or many large ones, such as music files or downloaded programs, estimate whether they will need more than one CD, or how many diskettes you will need. To do this, select a group of files or one or more folders, and check Size on disk in its property sheet (right-click and select Properties). A CD will hold about 600 MB, a diskette about 1.4 MB.
Be sure to copy, not move the files, so your originals remain intact. You should be able to drag-and-drop files and folders to the backup drive.
D. Transferring to the new PC. Next, decide on how automated you want the process of setting up the new PC to be.
1. The first alternative--easiest if only a few removable disks' worth of your old files are needed--is to manually copy your documents and personal files to the corresponding locations on the new PC, creating folders for them if needed. If you've configured the desktop settings to your liking on the old PC, redo those settings. That may not matter if you're also stepping up to a newer version of Windows or Mac OS that doesn't resemble the old one.
2. Next, in order of complexity, use the Windows XP Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. That can step you through the process of copying personal files, Windows profile and desktop settings, e-mail and contacts from Microsoft Outlook Express, Favorites, and program settings for many common programs. This wizard creates a diskette you run on the old PC that sets it up to automatically copy all these items to the new PC. You can also set up the Transfer Wizard on the old PC directly from a Windows XP installation CD.
The transfer can be over a network, a serial cable, or to a set of transfer diskettes. It can't transfer via a CD burner directly, unless the CD-R drive in the old PC has direct-writing software, which uses specially formatted CD-R disks that allow the drive to be treated as a large diskette drive. (Some names for this kind of software are DirectCD, InCD, and DLA.)
One quirk of the Transfer Wizard is that it assumes you will re-install all your applications on the new PC, so it transfers the program-launch items on your Start, Programs menu plus shortcuts from the Windows desktop. If you choose not to re-install some applications, manually delete their launch icons from the new PC.
If your new PC has any of the same applications pre-installed, their transferred launch icons or shortcuts may not work and may have to be deleted, but the pre-installed ones should work. There have been reports of the Transfer Wizard missing some files during a transfer; check each application after you've re-installed. Make sure it can find all documents or files you expected to transfer. Non-Microsoft applications may require custom settings, such as the default document location, to be corrected after re-installation.
E. Moving programs. Moving application programs to a new computer is more complex than re-installing them. Parts of a Windows application reside in folders other than the program's own folder; configuration data is deeply embedded in a large database called the Registry, that Windows uses to manage the whole PC.
One commercial application, described below, attempts a "one-step," files, settings, and programs transfer. It is reported to work in most cases, but be aware that the underlying technology is so complex and prone to unanticipated problems that the process will probably not go perfectly.
Alohabob PC Relocator (
http://www.alohabob.com/ProductsHome.asp; $30 standard, $70 Ultra Control) can transfer recent versions of popular application software over a USB cable (included with the Ultra version), a parallel cable (included with the standard version), a network connection (Ulta version only), or via removable disks. The standard version can't use the network method and doesn't let you select which applications you want to transfer. Alohabob provides extensive technical support. The fee-based premium support is reasonably priced.
AFTER THE MOVE
There are several tasks remaining after you've moved everything to the new PC.
A. Get everything working again.
1. Try out all your programs, both pre-installed and re-installed. Make they operate as expected.
2. Be sure the programs with which you have created documents or media files can locate and open those you moved.
3. Check your e-mail and PIM (Personal Information Manager) programs to be sure you can see your existing personal information.
4. Be sure you can connect to and browse the Internet and send and receive e-mail (you may have to re-enter your account and login information). Make sure your browser shortcuts are available.
B. Protect yourself.
1. Be sure your anti-virus program is functioning, and that the automatic update feature is enabled.
2. Update your virus definitions and perform a full system scan.
3. Especially if you have a broadband connection, check that an Internet firewall program is functioning, or at least enable the Windows firewall.
a. Click Start, Control Panel, Network Connections.
b. Open your Internet connection's Properties sheet.
c. Click the Advanced tab.
d. Enable the Internet Connection Firewall.
C. Update. On a new PC, Windows will prompt you to enable automatic Critical Updates, which we recommend.
1. Perform a Windows Update (Click Start, All Programs, Windows Update), or a Mac OS update (Click Apple Menu, System Preferences, Software Update) as soon as possible, to get the latest security and driver updates.
2. Examine the optional updates to see which ones appear to apply to the activities you anticipate.
3. Some of your applications may also have updates available. Look for a "Check for Updates" choice, often on the program's Help menu. Or check the software manufacturer's Web site to see if there's a downloadable update that pertains to you. Some PC manufacturers have their own connection software to update drivers or system utilities they've provided.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR OLD COMPUTER
Once you've made absolutely sure that nothing has been missed in the move, consider what to do with the old system, keeping in mind that the old drive has personal files and information on it. Here are a few possibilities:
A. Use the old system yourself. If a trusted family member can use the old PC, you needn't worry about personal files. Uninstall applications you don't need in the new location or whose Software End-User License Agreement (EULA) permits you to use only a single copy.
B. Keep the old drive for backup. If the old system isn't useful, but its hard drive has significant capacity (say, 4 GB or more), and your new PC has an empty bay inside for a second hard drive, move the old hard drive over to act as a backup device. Follow the instructions given previously for adding a second hard drive.
C. Clean up the drive. If you won't be keeping the old PC, we strongly recommend that you rid it of all traces of personally identifiable information that could be used for identity theft. Windows and Mac OS don't completely remove files you delete. Recovering erased files deleted by the operating system is a simple operation.
1. Third-party software can securely expunge files from a hard drive. One good, free one is Eraser (
http://www.heidi.ie/eraser). Drag the files you want to wipe into its window, hit the "X," and they're gone for good. There's a similar capability built into the popular Norton SystemWorks. However, you may not know about every file containing personal data. Windows also keeps lists of recently used filenames and other program data--potentially personal--in a large file called the Registry, which can't be deleted if you want keep using Windows. Searching for and removing every piece of potentially revealing information from a drive is a daunting task.
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