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Easiest way to transfer programs and files to new computer?

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Fishrman

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I have pretty much concluded that I should get a new computer rather than get a better Graphics card. I have been putting it off because I hate the thought of trying to set up a new computer. What is the best way to accomplish this? At one time, I was told you can transfer your files but you can't transfer or copy your programs over to another computer. If that is the case, it seems it would be a hassle, especially in todays world that doesn't seem to rely on CD's for the programs. Thanks for any help.
 
Microsoft is recommending PCMover Express from Laplink as a replacement for the migration tool that they used to offer. I recently upgraded to a new computer and tried PCM and it actually worked really well. Most of my program settings came over and that alone saved me quite a bit of time.
 
Lisa Horton said:
Microsoft is recommending PCMover Express from Laplink as a replacement for the migration tool that they used to offer. I recently upgraded to a new computer and tried PCM and it actually worked really well. Most of my program settings came over and that alone saved me quite a bit of time.
Click to expand...
I had to look.

PCMover Express does not copy applications over, just files and settings.

PCMover Professional claims to move apps. Its list price ($60US) is double that of Express ($30). It's $40 at Amazon at the moment (14 August, 2024). Seems to have mixed reviews. I feared that it might not be reliable for moving apps.
 
Lisa Horton said:
Microsoft is recommending PCMover Express from Laplink as a replacement for the migration tool that they used to offer. I recently upgraded to a new computer and tried PCM and it actually worked really well. Most of my program settings came over and that alone saved me quite a bit of time.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip!
 
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
 
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
 
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Your concern is mine as well!
 
Fishrman said:
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Your concern is mine as well!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want to use PCMover to move programs unless both computers were on the same OS version. In my case they weren't, so fresh installs seemed the safest choice.

I can't speak to reliability as I have only used it this once. It did work flawlessly. I don't know how much stock you put in software reviews but the ones I found were all positive.
 
Lisa Horton said:
Fishrman said:
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Your concern is mine as well!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want to use PCMover to move programs unless both computers were on the same OS version. In my case they weren't, so fresh installs seemed the safest choice.

I can't speak to reliability as I have only used it this once. It did work flawlessly. I don't know how much stock you put in software reviews but the ones I found were all positive.
Click to expand...
For me, software to only copy files and settings hasn't been worth $30.

The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.

I choose to use MS Edge as my browser, and its bookmarks can be transferred by copying a single file. (I don't use the import/export function, as an import puts the favorites in a new subdirectory.)
 
Mike B USA said:
Paid software is almost always controlled by a license key. Find all of the license keys necessary for the programs on your list. You don't have a license key for something? Software distributors have a way to verify you've paid for something and recover the license key. (Unless it's a bootlegged/pirated copy... I got nothing for you.)
Click to expand...
What's becoming very annoying is the growing number of "lifetime" licenses that are only lifetime if you never have to reinstall the programs.
 
BobKnDP said:
The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.
Click to expand...
Copying the profile folder doesn't work any more?

Did you find a new method to migrate T-bird?
 
Austinian said:
BobKnDP said:
The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.
Click to expand...
Copying the profile folder doesn't work any more?

Did you find a new method to migrate T-bird?
Click to expand...
In the past, I copied the contents of the profile folder to the profile folder created by the new installation.

I shouldn't have posted anything, as I don't really recall what went down last time.

I may have been silly enough to try a beta release of Thunderbird. That can be installed over the release version, but the release version will not accept the profile from the beta. (I hope that I have that straight.) In other words, you can't go back.
 
BobKnDP said:
Austinian said:
BobKnDP said:
The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.
Click to expand...
Copying the profile folder doesn't work any more?

Did you find a new method to migrate T-bird?
Click to expand...
In the past, I copied the contents of the profile folder to the profile folder created by the new installation.

I shouldn't have posted anything, as I don't really recall what went down last time.

I may have been silly enough to try a beta release of Thunderbird. That can be installed over the release version, but the release version will not accept the profile from the beta. (I hope that I have that straight.) In other words, you can't go back.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the additional info; I've used Thunderbird for so many years now and have so much history in old emails that I'd hate to lose it.
 
RDKirk said:
Mike B USA said:
Paid software is almost always controlled by a license key. Find all of the license keys necessary for the programs on your list. You don't have a license key for something? Software distributors have a way to verify you've paid for something and recover the license key. (Unless it's a bootlegged/pirated copy... I got nothing for you.)
Click to expand...
What's becoming very annoying is the growing number of "lifetime" licenses that are only lifetime if you never have to reinstall the programs.
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound good.
 
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
Fishrman said:
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Your concern is mine as well!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want to use PCMover to move programs unless both computers were on the same OS version. In my case they weren't, so fresh installs seemed the safest choice.

I can't speak to reliability as I have only used it this once. It did work flawlessly. I don't know how much stock you put in software reviews but the ones I found were all positive.
Click to expand...
For me, software to only copy files and settings hasn't been worth $30.

The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.

I choose to use MS Edge as my browser, and its bookmarks can be transferred by copying a single file. (I don't use the import/export function, as an import puts the favorites in a new subdirectory.)
Click to expand...
Now you got me worried. I use Thunderbird. I just exported to thumb drive and thought I would be able to import after downloading Thunderbird to new computer.
 
Austinian said:
BobKnDP said:
Austinian said:
BobKnDP said:
The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.
Click to expand...
Copying the profile folder doesn't work any more?

Did you find a new method to migrate T-bird?
Click to expand...
In the past, I copied the contents of the profile folder to the profile folder created by the new installation.

I shouldn't have posted anything, as I don't really recall what went down last time.

I may have been silly enough to try a beta release of Thunderbird. That can be installed over the release version, but the release version will not accept the profile from the beta. (I hope that I have that straight.) In other words, you can't go back.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the additional info; I've used Thunderbird for so many years now and have so much history in old emails that I'd hate to lose it.
Click to expand...
x2
 
BobKnDP said:
For me, software to only copy files and settings hasn't been worth $30.
Click to expand...
Me neither. I have a LOT of software but only a handful of programs have extensive/complex options that are tedious to set up. I took the time to figure out where those programs stored their settings and save the config file or registry branch as appropriate.
 
BobKnDP said:
I may have been silly enough to try a beta release of Thunderbird. That can be installed over the release version, but the release version will not accept the profile from the beta. (I hope that I have that straight.) In other words, you can't go back.
Click to expand...
Ouch. Thanks for that info. I will avoid any Thunderbird betas since I have mail stored from 1999!
 
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
Fishrman said:
BobKnDP said:
Lisa Horton said:
I got distracted when I spent ten minutes looking for the 50% off offer that apparently ended within the last three weeks.

I forgot to mention, for a program's preferences to be migrated successfully, the program may need to be installed before running PCMover
Click to expand...
I'm not "Fishrman", but I'm pretty confident that he would prefer getting one of the more advanced (and expensive) versions of PC Mover that can transfer programs.

I wish that I believed that such a utility would work reliably. Maybe I'm too pessimistic.
Click to expand...
Your concern is mine as well!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want to use PCMover to move programs unless both computers were on the same OS version. In my case they weren't, so fresh installs seemed the safest choice.

I can't speak to reliability as I have only used it this once. It did work flawlessly. I don't know how much stock you put in software reviews but the ones I found were all positive.
Click to expand...
For me, software to only copy files and settings hasn't been worth $30.

The main difficulty I've had is copying the local files and settings for my email client, Thunderbird. (I prefer not to re-download a few GB of email files on every new PC.) I had a simple means of doing it, but I think our friends at Mozilla may have broken that.

I choose to use MS Edge as my browser, and its bookmarks can be transferred by copying a single file. (I don't use the import/export function, as an import puts the favorites in a new subdirectory.)
Click to expand...
To be honest, I don't think that it would be worth $30 to me either, although it was definitely worth $15. People have different ideas about what things are worth so I never assume that the person I'm responding to will have the same lines and standards as me.

I was able to transfer my 20 years of saved emails in Thunderbird fairly easily. Obviously I don't save all of them, but the oldest saved mails are that old. And I was on the latest production release on both machines.
 
Fishrman said:
RDKirk said:
Mike B USA said:
Paid software is almost always controlled by a license key. Find all of the license keys necessary for the programs on your list. You don't have a license key for something? Software distributors have a way to verify you've paid for something and recover the license key. (Unless it's a bootlegged/pirated copy... I got nothing for you.)
Click to expand...
What's becoming very annoying is the growing number of "lifetime" licenses that are only lifetime if you never have to reinstall the programs.
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound good.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that it isn't overstated.

If software requires online activation, the vendor may not maintain activation servers indefinitely. But you should be able to re-install software, if it's not old.

I'm not sure what the oldest version of (say) Adobe Photoshop is that they'll activate for you. It may be CS5.
 
RDKirk said:
Mike B USA said:
Paid software is almost always controlled by a license key. Find all of the license keys necessary for the programs on your list. You don't have a license key for something? Software distributors have a way to verify you've paid for something and recover the license key. (Unless it's a bootlegged/pirated copy... I got nothing for you.)
Click to expand...
What's becoming very annoying is the growing number of "lifetime" licenses that are only lifetime if you never have to reinstall the programs.
Click to expand...
I've never run into that case and I install lots of software. Can you give some examples?
 
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