PC Hacks

Hack #96. Move Applications and Settings from One PC to Another

It's not hard to get essential PC "personality" information from your old PC to your new one.

Microsoft anticipated the old-to-new PC transition and has tried to make it easier and desirable to upgrade your PCs by including a tool to copy desktop settings and preferences as well as your datafiles.

Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, shown in Figure 10-3, is about as simple as can be. It sets up the process on the Windows XP system and creates the diskette needed to connect the two PCs together to allow the data transfers to "fly by wire." The connection between both PCs may be over a serial cable (very slow), a Direct Cable Connection between parallel ports, or through files saved from the old PC to disks or a network drive.

Figure 10-3. Windows XP Files and Setting Transfer Wizard

The program will automatically find your Windows settings and default document file locations on the old PC and let you choose which documents and other datafiles you want to transfer to the new PC. To reduce software piracy and avoid potential compatibility problems, this tool does not let you transfer program files to another PC. You will have to reinstall and, where required, reactivate your applications.

Of course, Microsoft included this feature in XP only after other companies had created and marketed products to address the issue ...