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Computers
& Technology
Computer Tutor: Tips & Tricks
. You've
got your new PC, but
do you really want to start all
over? ...
Migrating to a
New PC If you're one of the lucky ones who
gets a new PC for the holidays, then you probably can't wait to get it up and
running. If so, then let us urge you to check out this month's Tech
Bytes: The 1101 Days of Christmas, before
you dive in head-first. ... Back? Good. Then we'll continue.  If
this is your first PC, which it probably isn't, then this month's Computer Tutor
is not for you. But if you've got an old PC which your new one is about to
replace, then you face the rather daunting task of either starting all over --
tweaking the new settings, re-installing your software, copying all your files,
grabbing all your bookmarks -- or finding what could prove to be an easier
way.
The Caveat ...
Personally,
sometimes we don't even wait for a new PC to arrive before we start over.
If a machine starts to misbehave or simply get too sluggish, and none of the
tricks we've learned over the years seem to help, we'll simply reformat the
drive and start over again, using a backup either for the system, applications,
and data files, or, if the problem seemed system-deep to begin with, then re-installing
the OS and apps, and simply using the back up for the data files only. Of
course, part of our 'data' file backup includes those often-hidden files that
save the settings for all the software tweaks we've done ... the customized
toolbars or templates, the configuration files for batch processes we run on
images or text files ... etc., etc., etc. The gains we get in
performance over what we probably would have ended up with trying to salvage
things any other way are worth it. ... But for those who'd rather
not go through the hassles of such a major undertaking, there are a few tools
out there that can help save you some time and effort. Migration
Software: Getting from there to here ...
Basically,
the tools fall into two groups. First, there's the 'ghost' software, a
utility which will mirror your hard disk and all of its contents. This is
ok if you've simply up-graded to a bigger hard drive, and it may even do if
you'll be running the same operating system on the new machine that was on your
old one. But what if you're migrating to a new operating system?
Then, trust us, you don't want to try to copy programs and settings from your
old PC. You can copy whatever data files you want, of course -- your
Publisher or Word documents, your spreadsheets, your database or images or sound
files. Whatever. But trying to copy your programs and settings just
won't work. If that's the task your faced with,
then what you're looking for is a good migration utility. Once
upon a time, migrating data, much less a PC's 'personality', was something only
the business user did. It was a necessity. And it was often
costly. But, as new operating systems have been released in shorter and
shorter time frames, and as more home users, as well as smaller business users
grew tired of starting over from scratch, the number of migration utilities --
affordable ones, that is -- has increased accordingly. Indeed, the newest
version of Windows -- XP -- comes with a "file and settings transfer"
[FST] tool built in. But it is significantly limited, if for no other
reason than that you can't transfer programs themselves, but only program
settings. The reason for this may be obvious: Microsoft probably
knows that trying to migrate, not only data files and settings, but programs and
your PC's 'personality' {i.e., all your users preferences for all your programs,
your desktop, etc.} can be a hit-and-miss process. But
that is what the newest migration utilities are devoted to. So, odds are,
any of them will do a better job than Microsoft's built-in file and setting
transfer tool. ... The Basics ...
For
one main reason, we're not in a position to go into all of the details about the
migration utility programs out there. We have only limited experience with
a couple of them, including Norton Ghost, Aloha Bob, and a few proprietary
utilities that have come bundled with new hard disks, like Western Digital,
Fujitsu, and others. What we can and will do, however, is provide you with
a few basic guidelines about this type of software, then point you to the best
of what the web has to offer for reviews and info about these utilities in this
month's Links to Computers & Tech: Migration
Software Info & Reviews.
What's Out There: In the
reasonably affordable range, keeping in mind that their features and
functionality vary, there are relatively few names to keep in mind.
We've listed them below with links to the companies' product web pages for
more info. But you should also check out the reviews in this month's Links
to Computers & Tech to save yourself even more time. Also,
we've focused on single PC home users, but some of these products can be
used for small businesses, or even larger ones, while some require multiple
licenses or have related applications for multi-PC migrations.
.
What
is out there? ...
.
Price: Most of the home and
small business user versions of migration software run in the $20-$80 range,
with an average street price of around $50 or so. That's a relatively
small price to pay for the kind of functionality they provide and the hours
they can save you.
.
Most are
straightforward about the price, and fully functional for as many uses as
you need. But watch out for the higher costs associated with some of
these utilities. For example, SmartClone -- a net-based utility --
will only give you a 250meg allowance for $49.95. That's hardly enough
these days to transfer your data files, much less anything else. For 2
gig, they charge $199 ... $100/gig {ouch!}. Not hardly worth
it. Others have built-in restrictions, like one-use downloads, or the
need for multiple licensing for migrating more than one PC.
. Functionality:
As we mentioned earlier, some move only settings and files, while some move
limited numbers of applications, or application settings only. Others
will move entire applications and more. In addition, some use cable
connections {and sometimes only very slow serial connections at that}, while
others use their internet-based software to accomplish the task. That
may be ok if you've got DSL or a cable modem; but it's not something you'd
want to use with a 56k dial-up connection or, heaven forefend, less.
Some are also network-ready, so if you have a home network, you can
definitely save some time there. Some versions are also available for
single-use download, while others come on disk for re-use as often as you
like.
.
Finally, some of these migration
utilities work with all versions of Windows, some only on Windows 9x or Me
systems. And there's at least one -- LapLink's PCsync -- that will
actually let you go backwards from a newer to an older Windows system.
{If you have to ask why anyone would want to do that, you've probably never
run a new version of Windows before the first Service Release up-date was
issued!}
.
If you're set on trying to migrate your old stuff to
your new PC, then, one of these tools will help you get there as painlessly as
possible. Again, our own inclination is to forego the swap and start
anew. After all, it's that time of year. But one way some of these
tools can help -- even if your aim is more limited than a full migration -- is
to have a convenient and user-friendly interface through which to gather and
move whatever you've got a mind to. So
... Good luck with that new PC. And don't forget to check out the
reviews of these tools by following the links we've provided in this month's Links
to Computers & Tech. lmc
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