Transfer my PC - software

[Tartan Giant]

Hi Guys,

Transfer my PC.
Request advice on the usefulness of this piece of sotware please.
It claims to transfer all the data from one PC to the other, e.g. from an old machine onto your spanking brand new super-dooper new bit of kit. The software costs £40.

I'm thinking of getting a bigger, better, flat-screen new PC and one of the "stoppers" is all the p*ssing about getting all my stuff from A to B.

The new machine has XP Home and I have XP Pro......... so the transfer should not be too glitchy? Or am I wrong?

Any thoughts please.

Cheers

TG

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Tartan Giant,

You could use Ghost (http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/) or Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/) to clone your hard drive and place it in your new computer.

The problem will be WinXP. It does not like all the changes in resources. At the very least you will need to do a repair with the WinXP CD and you might end up needing a fresh install on top of itself, using the WinXP CD, in order to get the OS running again.

Personally, if you have WinXP Pro, I would install it on the new computer and just transfer your files over to the new computer. Then install all your old programs and load your data.

Take Care,

Richard

[Tartan Giant]

Hello there Richard,

Many thanks for your rapid and instructive reply.

It makes sense to have both machines 'talk' the same OS and that would be a wise move.

I've tried lots of Norton programmes (not on Win XP Pro) but on every other variety, and I did not get on too well with them - so Acronis looks the winner here.

The other minor 'hold' to the change-over is my present system works fine, is very stable, and perhaps I'm just wanting too much when I don't really require it (I'm not a gamer or run huge memory intensive programmes).

But should I bite the bullet, your help has been invaluable.

Cheers

TG

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Tartan Giant,

WinXP Home and WinXP Pro are the same OS, just that Pro has extra programs built in. If you do not want to do a fresh install, you can just keep WinXP Home that computer and use a network to transfer your data over or you could burn your data to a CD and then load them in to the new computer.

If you clone the drive, you will have both computers with the same name and user information, if you plan on having both on a network, you will have some additional changes needed, since both computers will have the same settings on a network.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. I do prefer Pro to Home, since Pro has more programs, which means you need less third party programs vs Home.

[amanoffewwords]

I've used desktop DNA PRO (http://www.miramar.com/Products/Small_Office/index.html) once or twice between different OSes. It has options to transfer some or all setting such as favourites, email settings, files, programs etc - you can connect the two PCs via a crossover network cable.

It can be slow though, but it is thorough.

You can download a free demo from the site b4 u buy.

amofw

[Tartan Giant]

Thanks Richard for the additional gen.

Thanks also to amanoffewwords ........... whose words are very helpful too.

On the matter of a, "cross over network" cable....... is that the phrase to use in the PC bits & pieces supply shop?

What sort of cable is that please; and is there any special network card I should have for each machine?

Sorry chaps for being a bit thick about this path to better things.

Cheers

TG

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Tartan Giant,

Here is a little article on Networking. It is a how to guide from 1999. It is very good info for getting started:

How To Setup a LAN (http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/network/)

You can use a CAT-5e crossover cable.

If you have Broadband, and then you would want to get a Router and the use regular CAT-5e cables to connect the computers. But more on that if you have Cable/DSL.

Take Care,

Richard