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Computeract!ve
- Jonathan Parkyn
Jul 16, 2007
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They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things known to man. Well, whoever they are, they clearly haven't experienced the joy and pain of moving from one version of Windows to another.
Alternatives to Easy Transfer
An alternative to Easy Transfer might be to use Laplink's PC Mover utility. Like Easy Transfer, PC Mover is designed to help you migrate from an old XP machine to a shiny new Vista system. It might be a little more expensive than Microsoft's free option (PC Mover is 33 from www.amazon.co.uk), but it comes with many more features, including a USB transfer cable. Like Easy Transfer, Laplink' utility is wizard-based and allows you to choose your particular transfer method.
It's possible to move data over a network by external disks or DVDs or via the provided USB cable.
It can also be used when upgrading to Vista on your existing computer as well as when moving from an old PC to a new one.
Unlike Easy Transfer, however, PC Mover can also cope with programs, transferring these over to Vista as well as your old files and settings. In addition, Laplink's utility will work with operating systems older than XP going right back to good old Windows 95 - and features a single-button undo should you wish to reverse the process.
PC Mover is easy to use and the ability to move programs will undoubtedly appeal to many, but it's worth remembering that some applications won't survive the transition process.
Security software, in particular, doesn't seem to like being shunted from one PC to another and some programs - particularly older ones - just won't work with Vista.