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Computer to Computer file transfer

by Jason Anderson
10 replies
Hi Warriors!

Kind of stumped on this one.

I bought a new machine to replace my old, slow one...

Problem is, I have a bunch of programs installed like Camtasia, for example, and I don't have all my registration keys.

Any suggestions on transfering all my files from one laptop to another? Also, I'm going from XP to Vista. Will that cause problems?

I saw a file transfer program at Office Max which allows you to transfer files from one computer to another but I'm wondering if it will work with installed programs as well.

Anybody have any solid info or experience on this? Am I better to just contact an experienced IT guy?

Thanks for your responses in advance.
#computer #file #transfer
  • Profile picture of the author Asher
    Hi Jason,

    From what I know, for easier transferring from XP to Vista, you need to
    buy a transfer cable from Microsoft. But this info that I have is pretty
    old.

    Reason for that is because there's quite a lot of programming difference
    between XP and Vista.

    I tried various alternatives but in the end, decided to get an external
    hard drive, transfer all my doo-hickeys in there and transfer it into the
    new hardware.

    If you don't want to risk losing any information nor risk any potential
    costly mistakes, it might be better to call in the pros and get them to
    help you do the transferring. Just let them know what you want to
    have done before hand so they won't turn up and say "Oh... you
    didn't specify that in your call so we're going to have to charge you
    extra for that"

    I had that before.

    All the best!

    Asher
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Anderson
    Asher,

    Yeah, I think I do need to talk to a pro. File transfer is one thing. Transferring installed programs are another.
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    Jason Anderson
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    I have not used this, but I have seen many good reviews for it. It's kind of pricey but imo would be well worth it. Read and decide for yourself.

    StorageCraft - Provider of online disk backup software, disaster recovery, data storage, data protection, anti virus, anti spyware and internet privacy solutions

    The MAJOR feature in my eyes is the Hardware Independent Restore, which from my understanding does exactly what your looking for.
    Hope this helps.
    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author write-stuff
    Probably not what you want to hear, but you will probably need to reinstall your apps from scratch. Most software publishers will help you out with the serial numbers/registration codes when you explain about moving to a new machine.

    As far as your data goes, get a flash drive and you can copy entire directories in one swoop.

    Good luck. I know it's a PIA!
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Anderson
      Originally Posted by write-stuff View Post

      Probably not what you want to hear, but you will probably need to reinstall your apps from scratch. Most software publishers will help you out with the serial numbers/registration codes when you explain about moving to a new machine.

      As far as your data goes, get a flash drive and you can copy entire directories in one swoop.

      Good luck. I know it's a PIA!
      Yes. Totally a PIA!!!!

      Lesson learned. I need to store all my registration emails instead of deleting them after software is installed. I think having a separate gmail account specifically for this would be smart. Or, at minimum make a separate folder in my email account just to hold registration emails.

      Anybody reading this should really take note. There will be a day when you need to switch machines and this really sucks. Don't do what I did. Save your registration emails.
      At miminum, create a spreadsheet with all your registration info.

      Then again, saving your registration emails won't save you from having to get a hold of some software providers who don't allow you to install programs on more than one machine.
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  • Profile picture of the author 1medic
    Yeah, this technology seems to have not advanced at all over the years. It keeps me using the same old computer. Each time I check it seems you still have to transfer files manually and reinstall.

    I use a "drive image" for my PC backups. If I ever have a crash I can wipe the hard drive and just dump the image on top of it. But I can't dump that image onto new hardware. You'd think I should be able to. So backing up is more sophisticated than moving to a new PC...

    Enjoy.

    Luke
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    • Profile picture of the author KimW
      Originally Posted by 1medic View Post

      I use a "drive image" for my PC backups. If I ever have a crash I can wipe the hard drive and just dump the image on top of it. But I can't dump that image onto new hardware. You'd think I should be able to. So backing up is more sophisticated than moving to a new PC...
      Luke
      Thats exactly what the above mentioned software supposedly lets you do.
      I will be testing it out one day soon.
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    • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
      I think all your registration info is stored in your registry. I recently downloaded something that found a client's Windows registration info. I would guess you could do the same for other programs. Just googled and found this

      I'm sure there are others.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mike Shain
        I feel your pain...

        I have been the victim of the blue screen of death / slow computer one too many times.

        I got smart and bought a 500GB Maxtor external hard drive. We have 3 computers and all can back up to it over our network.

        I don't even keep ebooks, photos, music etc on my main laptop anymore - I just store everything on the external drive which means I can also access them from my other machines as well.

        Plus you can plug directly into the Maxtor (as opposed to wireless) and really transfer files at break neck mbps speeds.

        For software I have a folder on Maxtor called "software" where I store all the programs I have bought along with a notepad file containing the registration info for each program.

        I also use RoboForm to manage all my various usernames/passwords and back the passcards up to the external drive on a regular basis. Then if I have a reinstall I don't lose any information.

        I might be wrong but I think you have to manually install your software programs. I don't think you can just "transfer" them from an old machine to a new one.

        For what its worth, I have had nothing but trouble with Vista.

        Good luck!
        - Netpiddler
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      • Profile picture of the author KimW
        Originally Posted by rosetrees View Post

        I think all your registration info is stored in your registry. I recently downloaded something that found a client's Windows registration info. I would guess you could do the same for other programs. Just googled and found this

        I'm sure there are others.

        Be very careful with programs such as these. And be aware that your registartion key is not the same as the installation key.
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