Getting a new PC is exciting and a pain. It’s exciting because you get a faster processor, more storage and all the latest stuff even though it’s outdated as soon as it hits your desk. The pain comes with re-installing all of your programs, re-customizing your preferences for programs, applications, and Windows, and transferring data to the new PC.
It can be simplified by using a bootable external drive or something similar and letting it load everything on the new PC. However, if you are like me, you probably had a few problems here and there that couldn’t be found and fixed. So it’s better to start with a clean slate.
I am getting a new PC at the office and my hard drive crashed on my laptop. There’s nothing I can do about the laptop, but I kept it simple since it’s a supporting computer rather than the main PC. I often used a remote application to connect to my desktop from the laptop. Therefore, the laptop had few loaded programs and data. I did try to make a backup of my user profile before the crash, but it was having too many problems and the backup didn’t happen.
As for my work PC, here are the steps I took to prepare for moving to a new computer.
* Ensured all my work was on the network server. I kept backups of important files on the hard drive as a safety measure after my past experience.
* Deleted everything that I put on the hard drive.
* Made backups of data files such as the password manager’s file.
* Took a screen shot of my Windows desktop, so I can rearrange things on the new PC to closely match the way I had things on the old PC.
* Used Belarc Advisor to create a print out of what’s loaded on the machine.
* Changed my password to a temporary one that’s nothing like my original so support could get in when I wasn’t at my desk.
* Copied the properties of specially-made shortcuts like the one I use to lock the computer with one click.
* If you use Outlook, make notes of your preferences and options. Mine didn’t get transferred.
* If you use the Office toolbar (typically on the side or top of the screen), add the programs and folders back in based on the screen shot you took earlier. I could not remember how to change the icons in the toolbar, so here’s how: right-click on the icon you wish to change, select Properties, and Change Icon.
* Print the list of fonts loaded on your computer if you’ve added additional fonts.
I sat on this entry for almost a week to see if I thought of anything else. Add a comment if I missed something.
5 thoughts on “Moving to a New PC”
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Very thorough, but would it not have been easier to dump your partitiions to a CD with Norton’s Ghost, repartition your new HDD as was/ or bigger than the last one, boot from the Ghost floppy and dump everything back from the CD?
OS, software, personal data, all back where they were. All shortcuts, preferences, mailing lists, favorites reconstituted as were.
Dunno _ seems less hassle to me.
cheers & good luck whatever path you tread.
Ahh yes. I remember doing some of the things you described….. and maybe they worked
… but then, yep, you guessed it, just when I was in the middle of something important, an error showed up. A few months ago I researched 3 or 4 s/w transfer programs and decided to try PCRelocate. I have used it 3 times to date and all the transferred programs work well. (it will not transfer all software but informs you regarding which programs it will not transfer. It even lets you know if a program is unsafe to transfer – i.e. corrupted file or potential virus. I usually do not comment on s/w – but this program has saved me many hours of time and is worth passing on.
Rather than a snapshot of your desktop, why not just copy the desktop folder to a cd or floppy. that way you have all of your icons and shortcuts.
Here’s an even easier method that I use. Simply install the HD from your current PC as a slave into the new unit. Everything is there at your fingertips. You can leave the two drives for as long as you want, or eventually suck everything off the old drive and repartition and format it. Or move it somewhere else.
Larry Brunson
I do most of all the things listed above. And more:
I change the location of “My Documents” to a second partition on my HD (Easily done with the MS Powertoy “TweakUI for Windows XP”). I also change the “Favorites” folders to a folder inside the new “My Documents” location. The location of my Outlook Data Files and also the account-folder of my Email program are also changed to a folder inside the “My Documents”. A DVD disk backup of “My Documents” is performed at least weekly. I found out that even in case of HD crashes, most recovery software can get to data on a second partition….