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Topic: Old Computer to New - Windows XP |
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 13 May 2010 8:31 am |
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Mrs. Lee has a new (refurbished Dell) computer on the way. She wants to move her old stuff onto it. Both systems are Windows XP.
Moving the "My Documents" folder is no problem - I can just copy those files across. Plus she has installation disks for her scanner, printer and keyboard device drivers - no problem there. My main concern is moving her application programs that have registry settings. How can I migrate those?
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Chris Dorch
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 13 May 2010 10:38 am
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Check into the USMT (User State Migration Tool) it comes with Windows XP CD but I believe you can download it as well. I haven't used it in SO long so I cannot remember if it will do exactly what you need.
Good luck... |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 13 May 2010 10:43 am
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| Usually, programs must be "installed" using the installation routine in a program. I don't have any experience with the USMT but on the Dell Community/users forum the stock answer is user data can be copied over but programs must be installed. |
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Chris Dorch
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 13 May 2010 11:27 am
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Hrm... If his post meant "How do I move the installed applications from one machine to another" the USMT will not do that.. It will move over personal registry settings for applications like the default folder to look or what have you.
Applications don't HAVE to be installed, they can be copied. You have to know which registry entries need to exist plus how to register the application assemblies with the GAC (Global Assembly Cache) but that's SO not worth it. Install with the installer... |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 14 May 2010 2:44 am
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| I used that program one time and it was a mess. It moved things I didn't select or want moved over including moving my Recycle bin. I had to fall back and reinstall everything using the Dell PC's Recovery Partition (PC Restore) to get it back to the original factory condition. I then went the "manual" route, moving user data, address book, I.E. favorites and then installing programs. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 14 May 2010 8:47 am
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| Jack Stoner wrote: |
| I used that program one time and it was a mess. It moved things I didn't select or want moved over including moving my Recycle bin. I had to fall back and reinstall everything using the Dell PC's Recovery Partition (PC Restore) to get it back to the original factory condition. I then went the "manual" route, moving user data, address book, I.E. favorites and then installing programs. |
Jack;
The Home version of PCmover moves everything on computer 1 to computer 2. The more expensive professional versions allow you to select the programs and folders to be moved, or to move programs on computers joined to a Domain.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
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Jim Smith
From:
Midlothian, TX, USA
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Posted 14 May 2010 11:20 am
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There's an advanced version of Acronis that I think will do what you want. I think it's called Acronis TrueImage Workstation. I used it when I upgraded my motherboard.
It restored all my programs and settings, but stripped the motherboard specific drivers, so that XP could find and install the ones for the new motherboard. Once that was done, everything worked just as it had on my old computer/motherboard. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 22 May 2010 9:56 am
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Update - this is what I did.
Connected the new computer to the internet, installed Windows updates, ZoneAlarm and Firefox from the net. Installed Word and Excel from an MS Office CD.
Added the new computer to my home network, shared My Documents and copied all of My Documents from the old one (6 hours!). I also copied a few directories from C: that were used for old legacy programs.
Disconnected the old computer from the network and internet. From that point on I used a USB flash drive for xfers.
Connected Outlook Express to her email account. Exported Outlook Express address book to the flash drive. Found the hidden folder where OE keeps messages ...Local Settings/.../Identities/Outlook Express. Copied those things to the new box. Remarkably, it worked!
We couldn't find the installation disk for Paint Shop Pro, so I copied the whole C:/Program Files/Jasc directory and made a shortcut to PSP.exe on the desktop. No problem there it worked!
I couldn't find a way to transfer the Firefox bookmarks, so she is doing this manually from a printed list she made. She doesn't seem to mind, as it gives her a chance to go through them all and throw out the ones she doesn't need.
The legacy programs Family Tree Maker and PAF worked fine on the new computer just by copying their directories across. Her microscope driver and software had to be installed from CD - no problem. The printer drivers, wireless keyboard and mouse all installed automagically when we connected the gadgets - amazing!
Mrs. Lee is busy now installing all her games and such from CDs. She's very happy with this little refurbished Dell. Even though it's old, it's a few years newer and a lot faster than her old computer.
Thanks everyone for your recommendations, even though I didn't take them. I think this "fresh start" approach is probably the best way to guarantee that the new machine will run smoothly. It was labor intensive, but the "customer" is happy and that's what counts the most. 
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 22 May 2010 10:08 am
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| b0b wrote: |
From that point on I used a USB flash drive for xfers.
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Those little flash drives make it easy.
| b0b wrote: |
I couldn't find a way to transfer the Firefox bookmarks, so she is doing this manually from a printed list she made. She doesn't seem to mind, as it gives her a chance to go through them all and throw out the ones she doesn't need.
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Just find the Firefox profile and copy that (folder). Look up (Google) where it lives, as it varies between OSs. But the profiles are the same and can copy from XP to Linux for example. But then again maybe Mrs Lee is right to check them all and throw away the 90% that are useless. |
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Dave Potter
From:
Texas
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Posted 22 May 2010 3:21 pm
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| b0b wrote: |
| Update - this is what I did..... |
I've done so many fresh OS installs in my time, I can't remember them all. You did it pretty much the same way I do it - the old fashioned way. I don't put a lot of faith in the turn-key promises.
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| and copied all of My Documents from the old one (6 hours!) |
IMO, that much stuff HAS to contain a LOT of files that ought to be archived. Just my opinion. But 6 hours, just to copy the files? How many GB of "my docs" files does that represent?
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| Connected Outlook Express to her email account. Exported Outlook Express address book to the flash drive. Found the hidden folder where OE keeps messages ...Local Settings/.../Identities/Outlook Express. Copied those things to the new box. Remarkably, it worked! |
Good enough, B0B, but give some thought to the fact that Outlook Express no longer exists in current iterations of the MS OS. You'll have to seek an alternative email client sooner or later. So those "identities" have a time-limited value.
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| I couldn't find a way to transfer the Firefox bookmarks, so she is doing this manually from a printed list she made. |
It's version-specific, but current Firefox version bookmark file is "places.sqlite". Migrating settings for current Firefox and Thunderbird versions can be somewhat daunting.Copy and paste works for that.
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| Mrs. Lee is busy now installing all her games and such from CDs. |
And that's the way to go about it, IMO. A clean registry is a healthy registry! ®
And I DO also employ a quality registry cleaner (have for years, and no, it's never trashed my registry). JV16, if anyone's interested. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 22 May 2010 6:15 pm
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Hi Dave,
The home network transfer of My Documents was slow because one of the computers (the old, slow one) was on wireless. There was about 15 GB of files.
Also, I might have had virus protection turned on. That tends to slow down file transfers too.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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