[ladylake1]

My laptop is rapidly showing signs of aging so I am being proactive and have ordered a new one. How do I transfer application files? I have documents on a flash drive so I can restore them but tons of pictures and music on i-tunes. Is there a reliable source to have this done? I know Best Buy and Staples may do it but need some guidance on recommendations.

[Matt and Gail]

Originally Posted by ladylake1

My laptop is rapidly showing signs of aging so I am being proactive and have ordered a new one. How do I transfer application files? I have documents on a flash drive so I can restore them but tons of pictures and music on i-tunes. Is there a reliable source to have this done? I know Best Buy and Staples may do it but need some guidance on recommendations.

If your computer is running XP or newer software as the operating system, you can run a utility to transfer your important items and settings automatically with "Windows Easy Transfer". It takes a little time but has worked well for me over the years (many times). Note, that programs do NOT transfer, just the data etc. Hope this helps (most can do on there own).


Send a PM if you need more help.


Matt

[memason]

Another option may be to purchase one of the external hard drives. Today, you can pick up a 1TB external drive for as little as $70. You can not only use this drive to move all of your files over, but use it for complete backups after you have the new computer up and running.

Just another option.....

[cybermuda]

Originally Posted by memason

Another option may be to purchase one of the external hard drives. Today, you can pick up a 1TB external drive for as little as $70. You can not only use this drive to move all of your files over, but use it for complete backups after you have the new computer up and running.

If it is just files (music, photos etc.) you want to transfer then copying them to an external drive, then to your new laptop, is the best option. That way you automatically have a back-up copy of them.

If you want to copy your programs across as well, then you can create a "mirror" of your current hard drive on the external drive, and mirror that on to your new laptop.

However, it can be beneficial to re-load programs on to your new laptop from the original disks (assuming you have them) - this also gives you the option not to bother clogging up your new laptop with programs that you never use.

[ladylake1]

Don't know if I am savvy enough to do the mirror thing. Was hoping there was a service provider I could use to do it for me. I do need to transfer programs that I no longer have the original disc for as well. Will consider all options though.

[bcdowney]

You can not transfer your programs unless you clone or mirror your drive. When you clone your drive, you must use the operating system on your old machine too. If you have XP or Vista you would loose the advantage of Windows 7, which is a nice, stable operating system. You may want to check with friends to see if they have installable copies of the software you need. Open office will work as a replacement for Microsoft Office, it is free to download, but not quite as good. If you go to Best Buy or Staples they will want to sell you the programs and that can get expensive. You might check with the lifelong learning collage and see if you can qualify for "student pricing" a full version of MS Office is around $120, instead of over $300. Wish I could be more help, but we are not moving in until Sept 1st, and I will not be down full time until November. Good luck!

[zcaveman]

Call MMD at (352) 750-3707 to see if they can help you. I know that they move data over to a new PC for a price. I also know that programs are a sticky move since they usually affect the registry, file extensions, etc.

But they would know what to tell you.