Pending Funeral

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Paul Calcagno

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My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows Defender,

CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps requiring more and

more hand holding to keep it running ok. The fan is weak and sometimes

doesn't start. A few times the drive shut down due to overheating. Firefox

freezes sometimes as does WLMail and the computer will decided (whilst idle)

to either shut down or do a restart without prompting. I just had to work

on some weak-springed contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work,

but this may not be a permanent fix.



If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her files and

programs from the current one to the new one. In particular she has tons of

purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN) and tons of photos and Office

files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41 Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow

transfer all or most of this to a new laptop, before the current one crashes

for good.



I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver Recovery

DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine other than to put

all or most of our photos on a flash drive and copy them to my Acer Desktop.



I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image of this

drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I know very little

about a product called Acronis but I think that's mostly for recovering an

old machine and not transferring files and programs to a new one. Not sure.



Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying all my

`good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do this. Or should I

just give the new computer (not purchased yet) and the old one to a local

geek who can copy all this stuff for me? Will it matter that the new laptop

might be a different OS?



Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The

> fan is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut

> down due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail

> and the computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or

> do a restart without prompting. I just had to work on some

> weak-springed contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work,

> but this may not be a permanent fix.

> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In

> particular she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN)

> and tons of photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41

> Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow transfer all or most of this to

> a new laptop, before the current one crashes for good.

>

> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and

> copy them to my Acer Desktop.

> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image

> of this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I

> know very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's

> mostly for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and

> programs to a new one. Not sure.

> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying

> all my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do

> this. Or should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet)

> and the old one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me?

> Will it matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>

> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.



An image is a fast/easy way to go. Think of it like making a copy of

everything on the system, a snapshot in time of *everything*. Something

like a Seagate Replica drive could do this for you and allow you to restore

individual files onto the system or rebuild it from scratch. However - you

cannot just take what is on this system and put it on a different system

that will have all different hardware - it does not work that way.



Programs/applications/games and the OS... Hopefully you have

backups/original installation media for everything. The OS CD that came

with it is likely useless to you - it is probably tied to the dying

equipment by the license agreement. The new laptop will come with an OS -

just use that. Use the installation media and product keys/serial numbers

for the various programs you/your wife has purchased over the years to

install the applications/games/etc onto the new laptop.



What you should do is purchase the new laptop, determine what you need off

the old laptop and install the software you need on the new laptop in order

of priority for you/your wife. If you/your wife needs Microsoft Office to

do daily work - use the installation media/product keys to get that

installed on your new laptop first. If there is a particular game that

you/your wife has purchased you play more than others, install that using

the installation media/product keys. After you have determined the programs

you need and have installed most of them - use the Files and Settings

Transfer Wizard (if going from XP to XP) or the Windows Easy Transfer wizard

for newer OSes to transfer your files and settings over to the new computer.



--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
Hi Shenan. Thanks for all the detail.



I think we're going to have a problem with all my wife's purchased games

since she bought them online and, knowing her, if there were any Product

keys I'm sure she didn't record them. I assume you're saying that just

dragging program folders from one drive to the next won't work. Correct? You

said "However - you cannot just take what is on this system and put it on a

different system that will have all different hardware - it does not work

that way".



We do have the product key for Office 2003 so I can reload that. The rest of

the stuff she uses is what would come on most new computers. If I can't

transfer the following I could just download and re-install them (MBAM,

CCleaner, SuperAntiSpyware, CA Security Suite, Google Earth, Firefox, Adobe,

itunes, Quick Time, etc).



I have no idea how to use something like a Seagate Replica drive. Does it

just plug into a USB port and act like a flash drive would. (I realize it

would hold a lot more than a flash drive). And once one managed to take

program/data files off the old computer, how would one put those files on

the new computer. Is it just a matter of copying folders/contents and then

dragging them to the correct place on the new system drive? Or perhaps the

Seagate drive comes with apps that do all that automatically. Not sure.

Any idea what such a Seagate Replica drive would cost?



Paul C



"Shenan Stanley" wrote in message

news:#CgqV$2pKHA.5328@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

>> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

>> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The

>> fan is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut

>> down due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail

>> and the computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or

>> do a restart without prompting. I just had to work on some

>> weak-springed contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work,

>> but this may not be a permanent fix.

>> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

>> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In

>> particular she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN)

>> and tons of photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41

>> Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow transfer all or most of this to

>> a new laptop, before the current one crashes for good.

>>

>> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

>> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

>> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and

>> copy them to my Acer Desktop.

>> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image

>> of this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I

>> know very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's

>> mostly for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and

>> programs to a new one. Not sure.

>> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying

>> all my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do

>> this. Or should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet)

>> and the old one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me?

>> Will it matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>>

>> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.

>

> An image is a fast/easy way to go. Think of it like making a copy of

> everything on the system, a snapshot in time of *everything*. Something

> like a Seagate Replica drive could do this for you and allow you to

> restore individual files onto the system or rebuild it from scratch.

> However - you cannot just take what is on this system and put it on a

> different system that will have all different hardware - it does not work

> that way.

>

> Programs/applications/games and the OS... Hopefully you have

> backups/original installation media for everything. The OS CD that came

> with it is likely useless to you - it is probably tied to the dying

> equipment by the license agreement. The new laptop will come with an OS -

> just use that. Use the installation media and product keys/serial numbers

> for the various programs you/your wife has purchased over the years to

> install the applications/games/etc onto the new laptop.

>

> What you should do is purchase the new laptop, determine what you need off

> the old laptop and install the software you need on the new laptop in

> order of priority for you/your wife. If you/your wife needs Microsoft

> Office to do daily work - use the installation media/product keys to get

> that installed on your new laptop first. If there is a particular game

> that you/your wife has purchased you play more than others, install that

> using the installation media/product keys. After you have determined the

> programs you need and have installed most of them - use the Files and

> Settings Transfer Wizard (if going from XP to XP) or the Windows Easy

> Transfer wizard for newer OSes to transfer your files and settings over to

> the new computer.

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

>
 
According to the Seagate web page for their Replica drive, it's slow and not

compatible with systems using a FAT32 file system. Is that going to be a

problem for me with my 7-8 year old Compaq running WinXP SP3. I have no idea

what file system it uses or how to find that out.

The Acer desktop I'm using to post this shows that (using BelArc Advisor) my

file system (Windows Vista Home Premium) is NTFS, whatever that is!

Paul C.



"Paul Calcagno" wrote in message

news:Oft4MaAqKHA.1556@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Hi Shenan. Thanks for all the detail.

>

> I think we're going to have a problem with all my wife's purchased games

> since she bought them online and, knowing her, if there were any Product

> keys I'm sure she didn't record them. I assume you're saying that just

> dragging program folders from one drive to the next won't work. Correct?

> You said "However - you cannot just take what is on this system and put it

> on a different system that will have all different hardware - it does not

> work that way".

>

> We do have the product key for Office 2003 so I can reload that. The rest

> of the stuff she uses is what would come on most new computers. If I

> can't transfer the following I could just download and re-install them

> (MBAM, CCleaner, SuperAntiSpyware, CA Security Suite, Google Earth,

> Firefox, Adobe, itunes, Quick Time, etc).

>

> I have no idea how to use something like a Seagate Replica drive. Does it

> just plug into a USB port and act like a flash drive would. (I realize it

> would hold a lot more than a flash drive). And once one managed to take

> program/data files off the old computer, how would one put those files on

> the new computer. Is it just a matter of copying folders/contents and then

> dragging them to the correct place on the new system drive? Or perhaps the

> Seagate drive comes with apps that do all that automatically. Not sure.

> Any idea what such a Seagate Replica drive would cost?

>

> Paul C

>

> "Shenan Stanley" wrote in message

> news:#CgqV$2pKHA.5328@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>>> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

>>> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

>>> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The

>>> fan is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut

>>> down due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail

>>> and the computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or

>>> do a restart without prompting. I just had to work on some

>>> weak-springed contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work,

>>> but this may not be a permanent fix.

>>> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

>>> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In

>>> particular she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN)

>>> and tons of photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41

>>> Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow transfer all or most of this to

>>> a new laptop, before the current one crashes for good.

>>>

>>> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

>>> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

>>> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and

>>> copy them to my Acer Desktop.

>>> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image

>>> of this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I

>>> know very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's

>>> mostly for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and

>>> programs to a new one. Not sure.

>>> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying

>>> all my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do

>>> this. Or should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet)

>>> and the old one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me?

>>> Will it matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>>>

>>> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.

>>

>> An image is a fast/easy way to go. Think of it like making a copy of

>> everything on the system, a snapshot in time of *everything*. Something

>> like a Seagate Replica drive could do this for you and allow you to

>> restore individual files onto the system or rebuild it from scratch.

>> However - you cannot just take what is on this system and put it on a

>> different system that will have all different hardware - it does not work

>> that way.

>>

>> Programs/applications/games and the OS... Hopefully you have

>> backups/original installation media for everything. The OS CD that came

>> with it is likely useless to you - it is probably tied to the dying

>> equipment by the license agreement. The new laptop will come with an

>> OS - just use that. Use the installation media and product keys/serial

>> numbers for the various programs you/your wife has purchased over the

>> years to install the applications/games/etc onto the new laptop.

>>

>> What you should do is purchase the new laptop, determine what you need

>> off the old laptop and install the software you need on the new laptop in

>> order of priority for you/your wife. If you/your wife needs Microsoft

>> Office to do daily work - use the installation media/product keys to get

>> that installed on your new laptop first. If there is a particular game

>> that you/your wife has purchased you play more than others, install that

>> using the installation media/product keys. After you have determined the

>> programs you need and have installed most of them - use the Files and

>> Settings Transfer Wizard (if going from XP to XP) or the Windows Easy

>> Transfer wizard for newer OSes to transfer your files and settings over

>> to the new computer.

>>

>> --

>> Shenan Stanley

>> MS-MVP

>> --

>> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

>> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

>>
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The fan

> is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut down

> due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail and the

> computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or do a

> restart without prompting. I just had to work on some weak-springed

> contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work, but this may

> not be a permanent fix.

> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In particular

> she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN) and tons of

> photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41 Gigs used up. I'd

> like to somehow transfer all or most of this to a new laptop,

> before the current one crashes for good.

>

> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and copy

> them to my Acer Desktop.

> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image of

> this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I know

> very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's mostly

> for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and programs

> to a new one. Not sure.

> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying all

> my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do this. Or

> should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet) and the old

> one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me? Will it

> matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>

> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.



There is a very expensive enterprise version of Acronis that allows for

migration to a dissimilar system. The only affordable program I am aware

of that does this is Paragon Backup & Recovery Suite:



http://www.paragon-software.com/home/brs/cat_migration.html





Easy system migration to a different or dissimilar physical or virtual

environment In case of hardware damage, you can continue using your OS

on a different hardware.
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> According to the Seagate web page for their Replica drive, it's

> slow and not compatible with systems using a FAT32 file system. Is

> that going to be a problem for me with my 7-8 year old Compaq

> running WinXP SP3. I have no idea what file system it uses or how

> to find that out. The Acer desktop I'm using to post this shows that

> (using BelArc

> Advisor) my file system (Windows Vista Home Premium) is NTFS,

> whatever that is!



If it came with Windows XP, chances are high on the side of it being

formatted NTFS.



The Replica is good for backups, is not going to move a program or the

entire installation (successfully) to a new computer. It can restore a

computer from scratch if needed, but should be the *same* computer. The

hardware incompatibilities would make things more complicated if trying to

use it to go from one system to another.



--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> Hi Shenan. Thanks for all the detail.

>

> I think we're going to have a problem with all my wife's purchased

> games since she bought them online and, knowing her, if there were

> any Product keys I'm sure she didn't record them. I assume you're

> saying that just dragging program folders from one drive to the

> next won't work. Correct? You said "However - you cannot just take

> what is on this system and put it on a different system that will

> have all different hardware - it does not work that way".

>

> We do have the product key for Office 2003 so I can reload that.

> The rest of the stuff she uses is what would come on most new

> computers. If I can't transfer the following I could just download

> and re-install them (MBAM, CCleaner, SuperAntiSpyware, CA Security

> Suite, Google Earth, Firefox, Adobe, itunes, Quick Time, etc).

>

> I have no idea how to use something like a Seagate Replica drive.

> Does it just plug into a USB port and act like a flash drive would.

> (I realize it would hold a lot more than a flash drive). And once

> one managed to take program/data files off the old computer, how

> would one put those files on the new computer. Is it just a matter

> of copying folders/contents and then dragging them to the correct

> place on the new system drive? Or perhaps the Seagate drive comes

> with apps that do all that automatically. Not sure. Any idea what such a

> Seagate Replica drive would cost?



Replica drive: $109 from Amazon.com right now. $149 from Seagate directly.



You cannot normally copy programs/applications from one computer (windows)

to another. They install registry entries, use shared files that may be

different on your new computer, etc. You should re-install.



Online games - you mentioned 'Real Arcade' - are usually assigned to an

account - not actually installed anyway. In other words - if you use a

different computer now, just logon and utilize the game again.



As for all the extras (MBAM, SAS, etc) you *should* download and install

them clean on the new system. That way you get the latest version installed

correctly on your new system. I would say not to install CCleaner unless

you need it (for now) and I would recommend dropping CA Security Suite for

Avirta AntiVirus and using the built in Windows firewall that will come

enabled on the new machine. If you are using the free scanning/cleanup

versions of MBAM and SAS - I'd wait on those as well - although periodic

scans are a good maintenance task. Is Google Earth really used or is online

Google Maps used more? Don't install a ridiculous number of toolbars for

your browsers either.



--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
Ok, Shenan. Sounds like when I buy that new laptop I should buy something

like the Seagate Replica and back up the new computer. Paul C



"Shenan Stanley" wrote in message

news:ObsheyAqKHA.5760@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>> According to the Seagate web page for their Replica drive, it's

>> slow and not compatible with systems using a FAT32 file system. Is

>> that going to be a problem for me with my 7-8 year old Compaq

>> running WinXP SP3. I have no idea what file system it uses or how

>> to find that out. The Acer desktop I'm using to post this shows that

>> (using BelArc

>> Advisor) my file system (Windows Vista Home Premium) is NTFS,

>> whatever that is!

>

> If it came with Windows XP, chances are high on the side of it being

> formatted NTFS.

>

> The Replica is good for backups, is not going to move a program or the

> entire installation (successfully) to a new computer. It can restore a

> computer from scratch if needed, but should be the *same* computer. The

> hardware incompatibilities would make things more complicated if trying to

> use it to go from one system to another.

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

>
 
Shenan, I haven't heard much about Avirta AV but I'll go read about it. The

reason I like CA Security Suite is that the customer support is excellent

since it's part of my Road Runner internet support which I pay for thru

Brighthouse. I've become used to having that excellent support when

problems arise. Not sure if I could get that kind of support from Avirta

since it's free. I currently run CA with the e-mail scanning turned off per

advice from other MVP's.



I assume your earlier comments about Seagate Replica apply to `imaging

applications' meaning neither can be used to move programs/files from one

computer to another. Correct?



Thanks for all the advice............Paul C.



"Shenan Stanley" wrote in message

news:OqkfT1AqKHA.4836@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>> Hi Shenan. Thanks for all the detail.

>>

>> I think we're going to have a problem with all my wife's purchased

>> games since she bought them online and, knowing her, if there were

>> any Product keys I'm sure she didn't record them. I assume you're

>> saying that just dragging program folders from one drive to the

>> next won't work. Correct? You said "However - you cannot just take

>> what is on this system and put it on a different system that will

>> have all different hardware - it does not work that way".

>>

>> We do have the product key for Office 2003 so I can reload that.

>> The rest of the stuff she uses is what would come on most new

>> computers. If I can't transfer the following I could just download

>> and re-install them (MBAM, CCleaner, SuperAntiSpyware, CA Security

>> Suite, Google Earth, Firefox, Adobe, itunes, Quick Time, etc).

>>

>> I have no idea how to use something like a Seagate Replica drive.

>> Does it just plug into a USB port and act like a flash drive would.

>> (I realize it would hold a lot more than a flash drive). And once

>> one managed to take program/data files off the old computer, how

>> would one put those files on the new computer. Is it just a matter

>> of copying folders/contents and then dragging them to the correct

>> place on the new system drive? Or perhaps the Seagate drive comes

>> with apps that do all that automatically. Not sure. Any idea what such a

>> Seagate Replica drive would cost?

>

> Replica drive: $109 from Amazon.com right now. $149 from Seagate

> directly.

>

> You cannot normally copy programs/applications from one computer (windows)

> to another. They install registry entries, use shared files that may be

> different on your new computer, etc. You should re-install.

>

> Online games - you mentioned 'Real Arcade' - are usually assigned to an

> account - not actually installed anyway. In other words - if you use a

> different computer now, just logon and utilize the game again.

>

> As for all the extras (MBAM, SAS, etc) you *should* download and install

> them clean on the new system. That way you get the latest version

> installed correctly on your new system. I would say not to install

> CCleaner unless you need it (for now) and I would recommend dropping CA

> Security Suite for Avirta AntiVirus and using the built in Windows

> firewall that will come enabled on the new machine. If you are using the

> free scanning/cleanup versions of MBAM and SAS - I'd wait on those as

> well - although periodic scans are a good maintenance task. Is Google

> Earth really used or is online Google Maps used more? Don't install a

> ridiculous number of toolbars for your browsers either.

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

>
 
Thanks, Daave.



Paul C



"Daave" wrote in message

news:udRWXvAqKHA.4648@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

>> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

>> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The fan

>> is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut down

>> due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail and the

>> computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or do a

>> restart without prompting. I just had to work on some weak-springed

>> contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work, but this may

>> not be a permanent fix.

>> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

>> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In particular

>> she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN) and tons of

>> photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41 Gigs used up. I'd

>> like to somehow transfer all or most of this to a new laptop,

>> before the current one crashes for good.

>>

>> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

>> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

>> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and copy

>> them to my Acer Desktop.

>> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image of

>> this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I know

>> very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's mostly

>> for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and programs

>> to a new one. Not sure.

>> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying all

>> my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do this. Or

>> should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet) and the old

>> one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me? Will it

>> matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>>

>> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.

>

> There is a very expensive enterprise version of Acronis that allows for

> migration to a dissimilar system. The only affordable program I am aware

> of that does this is Paragon Backup & Recovery Suite:

>

> http://www.paragon-software.com/home/brs/cat_migration.html

>

>

> Easy system migration to a different or dissimilar physical or virtual

> environment In case of hardware damage, you can continue using your OS on

> a different hardware.

>

>
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> Shenan, I haven't heard much about Avirta AV but I'll go read about

> it. The reason I like CA Security Suite is that the customer

> support is excellent since it's part of my Road Runner internet

> support which I pay for thru Brighthouse. I've become used to

> having that excellent support when problems arise. Not sure if I

> could get that kind of support from Avirta since it's free. I

> currently run CA with the e-mail scanning turned off per advice

> from other MVP's.





Typo Correction for me: Avira AntiVirus...



--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
YW.



Paul Calcagno wrote:

> Thanks, Daave.

>

> Paul C

>

> "Daave" wrote in message

> news:udRWXvAqKHA.4648@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

>> Paul Calcagno wrote:

>>> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

>>> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

>>> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The fan

>>> is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut down

>>> due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail and the

>>> computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or do a

>>> restart without prompting. I just had to work on some weak-springed

>>> contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work, but this may

>>> not be a permanent fix.

>>> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

>>> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In

>>> particular she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN)

>>> and tons of photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41

>>> Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow transfer all or most of this to a

>>> new laptop, before the current one crashes for good.

>>>

>>> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

>>> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

>>> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and

>>> copy them to my Acer Desktop.

>>> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image of

>>> this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I

>>> know very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's

>>> mostly for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and

>>> programs to a new one. Not sure.

>>> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying

>>> all my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do

>>> this. Or should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet)

>>> and the old one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me?

>>> Will it matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>>>

>>> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.

>>

>> There is a very expensive enterprise version of Acronis that allows

>> for migration to a dissimilar system. The only affordable program I

>> am aware of that does this is Paragon Backup & Recovery Suite:

>>

>> http://www.paragon-software.com/home/brs/cat_migration.html

>>

>>

>> Easy system migration to a different or dissimilar physical or

>> virtual environment In case of hardware damage, you can continue

>> using your OS on a different hardware.

>>
 
Paul Calcagno wrote:

> My wife's 6 year old Compaq laptop (WXP, SP3, 1 GB RAM, Windows

> Defender, CCleaner, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware, all WU's current) keeps

> requiring more and more hand holding to keep it running ok. The

> fan is weak and sometimes doesn't start. A few times the drive shut

> down due to overheating. Firefox freezes sometimes as does WLMail

> and the computer will decided (whilst idle) to either shut down or

> do a restart without prompting. I just had to work on some

> weak-springed contacts inside of each USB port to get them to work,

> but this may not be a permanent fix.

> If I purchase another laptop I'd like to be able to transfer her

> files and programs from the current one to the new one. In

> particular she has tons of purchased games (in Real Arcade and MSN)

> and tons of photos and Office files. The 60 GB hard drive has 41

> Gigs used up. I'd like to somehow transfer all or most of this to

> a new laptop, before the current one crashes for good.

>

> I've got the OS CD (WinXP, SP2) and an `Application and Driver

> Recovery DVD'. I've never really backed up anything on this machine

> other than to put all or most of our photos on a flash drive and

> copy them to my Acer Desktop.

> I understand there are utilities out there that can make an image

> of this drive but, frankly, I'm not really sure what that means. I

> know very little about a product called Acronis but I think that's

> mostly for recovering an old machine and not transferring files and

> programs to a new one. Not sure.

> Can someone advise as to where I should start in terms of copying

> all my `good stuff' to a new laptop. I haven't a clue how to do

> this. Or should I just give the new computer (not purchased yet)

> and the old one to a local geek who can copy all this stuff for me?

> Will it matter that the new laptop might be a different OS?

>

> Thanks to all you experts in advance...............Paul C.



You've gotten several answers (including from me) and I want to take this

time to summarize for you...



Although there are applications out there that supposedly can move

applications from one machine to another - results vary from partial failure

to complete failure particularly in cases like yours will likely be (I

assume your new computer will have an OS one or two releases later than your

current machine.)



With that in mind, it brings up the lack of backups you seemingly have of

not only your own files (stuff you created and saved) but of the system in

general. It is one of the basics of computing no matter how you utilize the

technology: backups. If you could backup your life and revert back to that

point in time whenever you wanted, you would do it, right? Your computer

allows this with little to no effort on your part these days - not taking

advantage of that is foolish at best.



So - in your situation - my suggestions are simple.



- Take inventory. Figure out what you have now.



- What software is installed/used?

- Do you have the installation media (downloaded executables, CDs, DVDs,

etc) for the software you need to install on the new system and/or can you

obtain them (such as downloading the latest executable, etc) easily?

- Do you have the product keys/serial numbers you need to

activate/register the software you will be installing?



- What accounts are setup and do you have the information for those

accounts (username/password, web page you go to for access, etc)? Include

your email accounts, your web page accounts, banking, credit cards, gaming

sites, etc.



- Take that list and make an organized pile. This is where your backup

schedule comes into play. You should be backing up at least your stuff on a

periodic/consistent basis already - if not - time to start. You should have

backups of your bookmarks/internet favorites, your documents, your

spreadsheets, your emails, your contacts, your pictures, your music, etc and

so on. Anything you use and would not like to lose. How you do this is up

to you, but you should understand it - know what happens when you backup and

how to get the stuff back. Too many people just start backing up their

stuff without understanding the consequences of it/the how and why of it

all. If you don't know how to get your stuff back easily/quickly - there

was no real point in your doing the backup. If you are comfortable just

getting a USB hard drive and copying the files manually - so be it.



Get the software and product keys and serial numbers and account information

and the likes into one place - OFF the current machine. You want all this

stored in a secondary place, otherwise it is not a backup - it is the

single-point-of-failure waiting to happen.



- With everything in a pile, get the new machine. Install the software you

need, visit the web pages of accounts for things you need to use and test

them out. You still have the old machine - now *is* the time to do all

this. You have a backup plan for now - use it.



Install things *as you need them* - don't just start installing everything

you had on the old system. If you didn't use it on the old machine, why

would you clutter the new machine with it?



Now people have suggested imaging applications and backup devices (like the

seagate replica) for you to use. The imaging products (like acronis) are

decent - but I believe it would give you a worse experience than starting

fresh, not to mention it may fail and I don't think you are ready for that.

The backup devices are to help make your life easier by getting you to start

backing up your data - which is something that seems to be lacking. People

always say, "I don't have anything on there I need" until it stops working

and they lose it all - and suddenly - everyone else is to blame and they had

life-or-death stuff all over that computer.



--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
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