Double-click the My Computer
icon on your Desktop, double-click the hard drive icon, and poke around a bit. You need to determine what you're really planning on transferring to the new system and what you can leave behind. Basically, you'll want to separate out what we'll call program files from personal files.
Program files are all the little files that collectively make up software, such as a word processor, antivirus program, or an operating system. Program files make up the lion's share of most hard drive contents. You'll see many of them in the Program Files folder on your hard drive, in the Windows folder, and in other folders usually named after the programs they contain. Moving all these files to a new computer would be difficult, and because of hardware differences, they may not even work properly on the new machine.
Fortunately, you should have all of these programs stored on the diskettes, CD-ROMs, or network locations where you loaded them from originally. Get together all the installation disks of the programs you still use so you can set them up on the new machine. If the program disks are missing, transporting your software to another computer could be impossible.
Personal files are those documents you've created yourself, such as word processing or desktop publishing projects. E-mail, Internet downloads, spreadsheets, and so on fall into this category, too. It is essential that you locate all the files you want to keep because these are the files you will need to somehow transfer. You can find most personal files in the My Documents folder or its subfolders; additionally, some programs may create its own folders in which to store documents. If you can't find a file but know its name, use the Find command in Windows' Start menu.
Be sure to track down where your e-mail is stored because it may be in a completely different spot than your other documents. This also holds true for data created by programs such as electronic checkbooks and many types of specialized and professional programs. If you can't find the file for a program you use, open the program and see if it has an export or backup command to create an identical file in a place you determine. Also, don't forget your Web browser bookmarks or special fonts in the Fonts folder.
When you have an idea of how many files you're transferring and where they are, it's time to decide how you're going to do the actual transfer. Take a look below at the methods we discuss and keep in mind the practicality of how each applies to your circumstances. Some key issues to keep in mind are how many files you are going to move, whether or not you plan on moving the files again anytime soon, and if adding new hardware is an option for you.
The Old Standby.
The most obvious way to move a file from one machine to another is with a diskette. They're not quite extinct yet; almost every computer has a diskette drive, and diskettes are cheap and easy to use.
On the other hand, they're also small; diskettes can hold only 1.44 megabytes (MB) of data. If you choose to transfer files using diskettes, be prepared for a tedious chore. The simplest way to go about it is to just copy files to diskette, either alone or in groups, and then recopy them from the diskette to the new machine.
You can speed up the process a bit by using a simple backup program, such as Windows' own Microsoft Backup. Using the Backup interface, you can copy individual files or entire folders to a diskette. Once you begin the process, Backup automatically prompts you to insert new diskettes as the old ones fill up. When finished, use Backup on the new machine to restore the files.
Beefed-Up Diskettes.
Many newer machines include something better than a standard diskette drive, such as an Iomega Zip drive or an Imation SuperDisk drive. If you have one of these drives on each machine or an external drive, you can move between machines. You can transfer files of 100MB, 120MB, or even 250MB at a time, depending upon the type of drive.
Except for the additional space and speed, these drives work much like a diskette. Simply select all the files you want to transfer, copy them to the disk, and then move them off the disk on to the new computer. You could also use a backup program to move everything at once as we described above. Because you're only transferring personal files, just a few Zip disks, or maybe even just one, will probably take care of the entire move.
Recordable CD-ROM.
Users with the latest and greatest technology, recordable and rewriteable CD-ROM drives (CD-R and CD-RW, respectively), have another method for file transfer. Recordable drives can record data on to special CD-Rs, but you can use each CD-R only once. Rewriteable drives operate essentially the same way, but you can reuse a CD-RW over and over again. CDs hold 650MB of data, which makes them ideal for file transfer. Recording a lot of data on to a CD can take some time, depending upon the speed of your drive.
The only hitch is that the recordable CD-ROM drive must be connected to the old computer. Any optical drive will suffice on the new machine, so standard CD-ROM drives and even digital versatile disc (DVD) drives will read data recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW. If you plan to move the recordable drive to the new machine, make sure you use it to save your old files first.
Moving files to a recordable CD may be a little trickier than with a diskette or Zip drive. Most recordable drives come with their own software for manipulating data on the CDs, so follow the instructions provided either with the drive or in the software's Help files.
Direct Cable Connection is a cheap way to move many files from one computer to another.
Direct Cable Connection.
Direct Cable Connection (DCC) is a small utility included with Windows 95 and Windows 98 that lets you connect two computers with a serial or parallel cable and share files. If you don't have a cable that will fit between your machines, you can find one for about $10 at most computer and office stores.
However, getting the DCC to work isn't always easy. Click the Start button and then select Programs, Accessories, and then Communications. If you don't see DCC in this folder, you need to install the component using Add/Remove Programs. Click the Start button, choose Settings, click Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, and then double-click Communications in the Components field. Opening DCC starts a wizard that provides simple instructions for creating the direct connection. You must run the software on both machines, setting the old computer as the "host" and the new computer as the "guest." Before you are able to start transferring files, you also must open My Computer on the old machine, right-click the hard drive, choose Sharing, and then pick Shared As.
Once the connection is up and running, moving files is a simple matter of dragging and dropping. If something doesn't click, try Windows Help for troubleshooting tips.
Network.
Like DCC, a network lets you move files quickly from one computer to another without any disks. However, if you don't already have a network and have no other need for one besides moving your files and programs, getting everything connected can be a little expensive and time-consuming.
The first step when transferring files is to open My Computer and explore your hard drive to find all your program files.
Unlike DCC, networks require network interface cards (NICs) in each computer or special adapters and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. The Internet hosts a lot of troubleshooting information for setting up small networks, but it can still be a frustrating experience. If you happen to have a network or manage to create one, transferring files is as simple as moving them from one folder to another on your screen via the Network Neighborhood icon.
Infrared.
Some newer machines, particularly laptops, come with infrared ports that are able to send and receive computer files on beams of light. This may be a viable option if you're moving from one portable PC to another, but infrared transfers can be slow. The advantage of infrared transfer is that you don't have to worry about swapping disks or setting up extra hardware or cables. If you have infrared set up on both machines, just select the files you want to copy, right-click, and choose Send To Infrared Recipient.
Internet.
Unless you're only transferring a few files, it doesn't make much sense to save files over the Internet and then download them to the new computer. Even users with Internet connections fast enough to make this an option will find it difficult to locate adequate storage space online at a price comparable to a method such as DCC.
Whichever method works for you, make sure your files were not corrupted during the move. After all, you can take them with you, but it doesn't do you much good if you can't use them.