If you bought a new computer with Windows Vista pre-installed, you may want to bring some files from an older computer into the new one. If both computers are on the same network, this is a simple matter of using dragand- drop across folders. But if the two computers are not on the same network, it’s a little trickier. You could copy files from the old computer to a jump drive or other external disk. Then copy files from that drive or disk into corresponding folders on the new computer. But that could take some time, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of files to copy. Windows Easy Transfer provides a better way to get files from an old computer to a new one. You connect the two computers using a special cable. Then you run the program, tell it what you want to copy, and go to lunch. (Or possibly to bed, as it could take several hours.) This article explores all the possibilities. But first, let’s talk about what you can and can’t transfer, so you come into the whole thing with realistic expectations.

What You Can Transfer

You can’t transfer everything from your old computer to the new one. But you can transfer just about everything you created or downloaded yourself. Specifically, you can transfer the following:

- Files and folders: Everything within the My Documents, Shared Documents, and their subfolders to corresponding folders on the new computer.

- Media Files: Music, playlists, album art, pictures, and videos—most of which are likely stored in your My Music, My Pictures, My Videos (or their Shared . . .) folder equivalents.

- E-mail settings and messages: The settings you need to access your e-mail, and all saved e-mail messages.

- Contacts: If you stored names and address in Windows Address Article (WAB) or Microsoft Outlook on your old computer, you can transfer those to the new computer.

- Internet settings and favorites: Settings required for your Internet connection to work as well as Favorites you’ve collected. You can also transfer cookies, which retain information that allows you to gain access to certain Web sites that might otherwise require logging in.

- Personal settings: Windows personalization settings like desktop backgrounds, screen savers, Start menu and taskbar options, fonts, network connections, color schemes, accessibility options, and so forth. However, Vista is a completely different operating system. So don’t expect everything to look and work exactly like it did on your old computer.

- User accounts: If you have multiple user accounts on your old computer, you can transfer those as well. Each user account will retain its documents and settings.

- Program settings: Settings you chose within programs to personalize things can be transferred. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the programs themselves are not transferred.

What you can’t transfer

About the only things you can’t transfer are the old version of Windows and programs on the old computer. That’s because all programs (including Windows) need to be installed on the computer on which they’ll run. Copying an installed program from one computer to another just flat-out won’t work.

Getting programs onto the new computer

Even though you can’t transfer installed programs from one computer to another, you can install those same programs on the new computer. For programs you purchased on CD, just insert the CD into the new computer’s CD drive and install as you normally would. Do not install old utility programs (virus scanners, file managers, firewalls, and such) on your Windows Vista computer. See “What not to install” later in this article for more information. Stick with application programs like word processors, spreadsheets, graphics programs, and such—the types of programs used to create and edit documents. For programs you downloaded, the rules are a little different. If you chose the Save option when downloading and kept that file, you can transfer the saved file to the new computer. Then open that file to start the installation process again. Otherwise, you have to go back to the Web site from which you originally downloaded the program and download again. As far as Windows goes, you first have to understand that a computer can only run one operating system at a time. It makes no sense to try to “transfer” Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98, or any other version of Windows to the new Vista computer.

What not to install

Utility programs are specifically designed for security or to enhance features of the operating system. Each is generally designed to work with a specific operating system or family of operating systems. You should never install a utility program that wasn’t specifically designed for Windows Vista on your Vista computer. If in doubt, you should contact the program manufacturer to find out whether it’s okay.

One Computer, Multiple Operating Systems

You can install and use multiple operating systems on a single PC in a couple of ways. One method, called dual booting, involves installing each operating system on its own hard disk partition. You can use the Disk Management tool described in Article 47, or a third-party program like Partition Magic to create the partitions. But either way, you risk losing everything on your hard disk, so you must make backups first. If you’re not a hard disk or computer expert, you might seriously consider having multiple operating systems installed professionally rather than trying to do it yourself. Virtual machine software provides another approach to using multiple operating systems on a single computer. You can download and use Microsoft Virtual PC for free from www.microsoft.com/ windows/virtualPC. Or browse to search.microsoft.com and search for Vista Virtual PC for more specific information. You can also use a third-party product like VMware described at www. vmware.com/products/.

Also, before you even bother installing such programs, learn what’s available in Vista and how to use it. Chances are you won’t even need those old utility programs. For example, Windows Vista has extensive security built right into the very core of the operating system, plus lots of extras to protect your computer from many kinds of security threats.

Choosing a Transfer Method In Windows Vista

To make transferring files as safe and painless as possible, Windows Vista comes with a program named Windows Easy Transfer. The program takes you step-by-step through the process of getting usable files and settings from your old computer to your new Windows Vista computer. Windows Easy Transfer works only with Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Vista. If the computer from which you’re transferring files is running one of those operating systems, you’ll have to use an alternative method described later in this article. Easy Transfer provides several methods of transferring files. You need to choose a method that both of your computers can support. The sections to follow describe the three methods: Easy Transfer cable, home network, and external disks. If you upgraded your operating system from Windows 2000 or XP, there’s no need to transfer files. Your old files are still on your computer and should be available in Windows Vista automatically.

Using a USB Easy Transfer cable

If at all possible, you should use the USB Easy Transfer cable method to transfer files from your old computer to your new computer. You’ll need a USB Easy Transfer cable. If your new computer came with Windows Vista pre-installed, it might also have come with a USB Easy Transfer cable. Check the documentation that came with your computer if you’re not sure, or contact your computer manufacturer. If you don’t have a USB Easy Transfer cable, you can purchase one online or at any retailer that sells computers or electronics equipment. Online, go to any computer retailer’s site (www.cdw.com, www.newegg.com, www.tigerdirect.com, www.amazon.com) and search specifically for USB Easy Transfer Cable. Or ask for it by name at your local retailer. It should come with a CD that includes the programs you need to make it work. Insert that CD in the old computer’s CD drive and follow the onscreen instructions to install the drives and connect the cable. Don’t use the Easy Transfer CD in your new Windows Vista computer. That computer already has everything you need. If the transfer cable isn’t long enough to connect the two computers, and there’s no way to re-situate one computer, you might consider using a USB extension cable with the Easy Transfer cable. You can find these at many electronics stores. Or search the Web or an online retailer for USB extension cable.

Using a home network

If you already have a home network and your new Windows Vista computer is on that network, you can run Windows Easy Transfer on the new Vista computer without connecting any more cables. However, this only works if the Windows Vista computer is already part of your home network. See Part X for more information on creating and using a home network.

Using external disks

If you have no way to connect the new Vista computer to the old computer, you can use external disks. First you need to choose which type of disk you can use.

Using a jump drive or external hard disk

You can use a jump drive (also called a Flash drive) or an external hard disk that connects via USB. An external hard disk would be the quickest and easiest. If you use a jump drive, you’ll need one with enough storage capacity for the largest file. It doesn’t need capacity for all of the files, because you can make the transfer in several steps. If the jump drive contains backups of many important files, consider moving those to another location temporarily during the transfer. The more room you have on the jump drive the better.

Using CDs or DVDs

You can use CD-RW, DVD-RW, or DVD+RW discs to transfer files. Both computers must have a drive that can read and write to the type of disc you choose. For example, if one computer can read and write CD-RW discs only, then you have to use CD-RW discs.

What About Floppy Disks In Windows Vista?

By the way, you may have noticed I didn’t mention floppy disks. That’s because you can’t use floppies with Windows Easy Transfer. The floppy disk’s extremely small capacity (1.4 MB) makes it an unrealistic medium for this sort of thing. In fact, most people would call it an unrealistic medium for much of anything, which is why many computer manufacturers don’t even bother to put floppy drives in many systems they sell. Floppies are basically in the “obsolete” category of computer media—except for making backups of small files like digital licenses and certificates.

How Long Does It Take?

How long it takes to transfer files from your old computer to the new one depends on how much stuff you’re transferring and the method you use. But it could be several hours. So you should definitely start the process when you can concentrate on it for a while without interruptions. If you have a lot of old junk on your old computer that you’ve been ignoring, a little spring cleaning may be in order. Delete anything you know for sure you will never need again for the rest of your life. No sense transferring trash. If you do, you’ll eventually have to clean it off of both computers!

Make sure that you have at least one empty CD-RW or DVD-RW disc on hand before you begin the transfer. Put it in the appropriate drive on the new Vista computer. If AutoPlay or a program opens after you insert the disc, just close that item by clicking the Close (X) button in its upper-right corner. A DVD holds much more information than a CD. So if you can use DVDs, you’ll use fewer discs. You can use dual-layer (8.5 GB) DVDs only if the DVD drives in both computers support that format. If the old computer is really old (Windows 98 or earlier), none of the preceding options will work for you. See “Transferring without Windows Easy Transfer” near the end of this article for alternatives.

Doing the Transfer In Windows Vista

After you’ve decided on a transfer method, Windows Easy Transfer will take you through the steps required to complete your transfer. To get started, sit at your new Windows Vista PC and use whichever of the following techniques works and is easiest for you:

- Click the Start button and click Windows Easy Transfer.

- Tap the Windows key, type trans, and click Windows Easy Transfer on the Start menu.

- Click the Start button and choose All Programs  ->  Accessories  ->  System Tools  ->  Windows Easy Transfer.

The program will take you step-by-step through the rest of the process. Make sure you read all the text on a page, and accurately answer any questions, before you click Next (or any other button) at the bottom of a page. A couple of things you might notice along the way:

- If you left any other programs open before you started Easy Transfer, you’ll be prompted to close them. Click Close all and, if prompted, save any unsaved work you left behind.

- If asked for permission to work through your firewall, click Yes or OK. Don’t worry, you’re not making your computer vulnerable to hackers or malware. You’re just giving Easy Transfer the right to do what it needs to do, and nothing more.

- If you’ll be using discs to make the transfer, you’ll need to follow instructions to copy Easy Transfer to a disc. Then you’ll need to insert that disc in the other computer, choose the option to run Easy Install on that computer, and continue the transfer from that computer.

- Everything: Copies all files and settings from every user account on the old computer to the new computer. This makes the new computer as much like your old computer as possible.

- Only my user account, files, and settings: Copies all files and settings from your user account on the old computer to the new computer. Other user accounts are ignored. You might want to choose this option if you won’t be sharing the new computer with the other users.

- Custom: This option lets you choose specific settings and files to transfer. Be forewarned—there may be thousands of items to choose from, which is both tedious and confusing. You might be better off using one of the other previously mentioned options and then getting rid of things you don’t want on the new computer after the transfer is done.

After you’ve made your selection, you’re back to just reading and following instructions on the screen. Those instructions will be tailored to the method you’re using and the files you’re transferring.

When the Transfer Is Finished

When Easy Transfer has completed its task, your new computer will contain whatever you opted to transfer. Keep in mind that some folder names are different in Windows Vista. The “My” folders don’t have “My” in their names anymore (My Documents is named Documents in Vista, My Pictures is named Pictures, and so forth). The “Shared” folders are now “Public” folders (Public Documents, Public Pictures, and so forth). The Documents and Settings folder from Windows XP is named Users in Vista. The All Users subfolder is named Public in Vista. Remember, programs from your old computer are never transferred and cannot be transferred. All programs must be installed to the computer on which they’ll run. You need to start that installation from the original program CD or a download.