Loading from one desktop to another

[gelehu]

Hello All,
My wifes desktop is pretty old and slow( me too) and Im thinkig of getting her a new one.I know there are various ways to upload from old to new but whats easiest?Also, the OS is XP and if I go to Windows 7 will that be a problem. Im mostly doing pictures and programs associated with photos.Thanks in advance. Gene

[mockingbird]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

If you go to Windows 7, there is no way to move the install.

If you stay with XP, you can run a repair install on the new computer after ghosting the old drive to the new one (Don't run the repair on the old drive hooked up to the new computer - keep it as a backup. Also, you must select the "image boot" option in Ghost settings. Image Disk will also work and copy extended partitions I believe).

If you want to run the new system in AHCI mode, there is a way to run the repair install from an AHCI-enabled XP Install disc. Let me know and I can hook you up.

I use this method in several situations. Some people can't learn a new OS, some people are nuisance customers who I know will pester me, so I move them to an identical install on a new system so that they can't claim I changed something, and some people have a highly customized install so they need to keep XP.

IF yo just want to move documents and stuff, you can do so selectively, it's quite simple.

[Uranium-235]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

I think you're reading too much into this mockingbird

'getting her a new one' doesn't necessarily mean 'building her a new one'. Is the new pc one purchased with windows 7 already on it? If so, then its just a matter of re-installing programs and transfering her current documents from her old PC. Might require an external hard drive or file/folder sharing

[zukdj]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

Get an external drive and install the old drive in it and copy over what she needs from her profile, this is the easiest way to get her stuff moved quickly. You can also mount the old hard drive in the new machine as a slave, move her stuff to the new profile then format the old drive.

[zukdj]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

It's easy as long as you haven't encrypted the drive, I am in the IT field so fire away your questions.

[mockingbird]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

I think you're reading too much into this mockingbird

'getting her a new one' doesn't necessarily mean 'building her a new one'. Is the new pc one purchased with windows 7 already on it? If so, then its just a matter of re-installing programs and transfering her current documents from her old PC. Might require an external hard drive or file/folder sharing

Wholeheartedly agree...

If it's just a matter of moving stuff over, great... External hard drive? Now you're overthinking this. Plug both computers into a switch and transfer all the data over the lan.

If they have all sorts of legacy programs, not to mention some with their own licenses, then it's a monumental task of finding a version of that program that will work with Windows 7, if the old license will even work with the new version. In this case, I would even move the previous XP install to the new computer...

Someone bought an Acer with Windows 7 x64, and they had a legacy 32-but app that did not work properly with XP... I ended up setting them up an XP Virtualbox and even had to meticulously transfer all the old fonts over...

[ratdude747]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

They also make a USB cable that can be used with a special "wizard" to move stuff under windows... They are often overpriced ($10+) but I saw one at a goodwill locally for $1. If you were more local I'd buy it and sell it to you for the same $1 I paid for it.

[Uranium-235]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

on a 'new' computer, driverhunting on an OEM would be a pain in the ass.

If its a custom build, I'd say yeah go for it, but if its a purchased OEM, it might be a bit more difficult

[mockingbird]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

Not really... They all use pretty much the same kind of components... Sound these days is either Realtek or VIA, LAN is either Broadcom, Atheros, or Realtek... Just look up the VID and PID... The only things that sometimes take a bit more time are ACPI drivers and TPM, on laptops especially.

[Uranium-235]

Re: Loading from one desktop to another

yes that would be no problem for someone like you and me, but i'm basing my opinon on what my assumption of the skills of the original poser, and I think they are a bit lacking for something so advanced