Windows 8 Bible

Chapter 14

Transferring Files from Another Computer

IN THIS CHAPTER

Knowing what you can and can’t transfer

Knowing which transfer method is best for you

Performing the transfer

Transferring files from older computers

If you bought a new computer with Windows 8 pre-installed, you may want to bring some files from an older computer into the new one. If both computers are on the same network, this is a simple matter of using drag-and-drop across folders. But if the two computers are not on the same network, it’s a little trickier.

You could copy files from the old computer to a jump drive or other external drive. Then copy files from that drive into corresponding folders on the new computer. But that could take some time, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of files to copy.

Windows Easy Transfer provides a better way to get files from an old computer to a new one. You connect the two computers using a special cable. Then you run the program, tell it what you want to copy, and go to lunch. (Or possibly to bed, because the copying could take several hours.) This chapter explores all the possibilities. But first, let’s talk about what you can and can’t transfer so that you come into the whole thing with realistic expectations.