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Pending Funeral

P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
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.
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
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
 
P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
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" <newshelper@gmail.com> 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
>
 
P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
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" <pcalcagno@cfl.rr.com> 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" <newshelper@gmail.com> 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
>>
 
D

Daave

Flightless Bird
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

<quote>
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.
</quote>
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
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
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
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
 
P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
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" <newshelper@gmail.com> 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
>
 
P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
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" <newshelper@gmail.com> 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
>
 
P

Paul Calcagno

Flightless Bird
Thanks, Daave.

Paul C

"Daave" <daave@example.com> 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
>
> <quote>
> 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.
> </quote>
>
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
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
 
D

Daave

Flightless Bird
YW.

Paul Calcagno wrote:
> Thanks, Daave.
>
> Paul C
>
> "Daave" <daave@example.com> 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
>>
>> <quote>
>> 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.
>> </quote>
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
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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