Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

File and Settings Transfer Wizard — \windows\system32\usmt\migwiz.exe

Synopsis

Helps you transfer files and settings from one computer to another.

To Open

Start → Programs → Accessories → System Tools → File and Settings Transfer Wizard

Command Prompt → \windows\system32\usmt\migwiz

Description

The File and Settings Transfer Wizard is a step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of transferring your personal documents, contents of your Favorites folder, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express settings, Desktop and display preferences, dial-up connections, and other settings from one computer to another (see Figure 4-32). The wizard is intended to assist the migration of these files and settings from an “old” computer to a “new” computer, but could be used to duplicate a configuration across several computers just as easily, or even to assist you in upgrading your hard disk.

Figure 4-32. The File and Settings Transfer Wizard helps you migrate your personal documents and preferences to a new computer

The first question the wizard asks is whether the computer being used is the “new computer” (the machine to receive the files and settings) or the “old computer” (the machine on which the files and settings are currently stored). Although you can begin the process from either computer, it makes more sense to start off from the old computer (unless the old computer is not running ...