Data Transfer May Get Easier (with PCmover!)

Scripps Howard News Service  - James Derk
Oct 2, 2007
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One of the biggest chores of getting a new computer is moving all of your junk from one to the other. I have resisted many upgrades for that simple reason ... I get everything working just like I want and then I have to start all over.

Windows Vista has a transfer wizard that attempts to bring over some of your settings from one to the other (it helps if you buy a special cable) but even then it does not bring over your actual installed programs.

I have used the Vista wizard on a handful of PCs and none were adequately transferred in my opinion. The data files were moved okay for the most part but the process was cumbersome and crashed often when using the network options. Often there were timeouts and snags.

Laplink has released a new version of its PC Mover program that promises to move your data and programs for about $50. It seems steep to move stuff from one PC to another (and it can be only used once) but it does a good job of getting everything over.

The plus side of this program is the selectivity feature... you can pick which applications, programs, data and settings you wish to move over. PC Mover can migrate your data across the network, Laplink USB cable, Laplink parallel cable, a Windows Easy Transfer Cable, or DVDs. If your computer has multiple users, which is sort of problematic with the Vista transfer from Microsoft, PC Mover gives you the option to migrate some or all of the users with file security and logins intact.

The trick is knowing what to move. If you're moving from XP to Vista, keep in mind that some of your programs may no longer work with the newer operating system. And you have to be careful when you're moving full versions of a program from XP on top of demo versions on your new Vista machine. So spend some time up front doing some housecleaning on both machines before you start the process.

What won't move? Some programs with security features may need to have the user key put back in or the entire program reinstalled. Anti-Virus software won't move successfully because it is so coupled with the operating system. If you move files with Digital Rights Management (usually songs you bought legally) then you will be asked to prove you have the rights. In my case Apple Itunes songs were moved successfully but I had to re-enter the user name and password under which I purchased the music from the Apple store.

My copy of Microsoft Office moved successfully, as did a few other things I wasn't sure about including TurboTax and Quicken.

I was very impressed with the product (I wish it was cheaper or could be reused a few times) but if you have a complicated XP setup and you want to move to Vista, I can think of no better way to get started than PC Mover. You can get the details at www.laplink.com

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James Derk is owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm and tech columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim(at)cyberdads.com