Chapter 20
Moving from an Old PC to a New Windows 10 PC
In This Chapter
Copying your old PC’s files and settings into your new PC
Transferring files and settings with a program or technician
Transferring files and settings yourself with a portable hard drive
When you bring home your exciting new Windows 10 computer, it lacks the most important thing of all: The stuff from your old computer. How do you copy your files from that dusty old PC to that shiny new Windows PC? How do you even find everything you want to move?
Before Windows 10, Microsoft solved the problem by including a virtual moving van called Windows Easy Transfer. The Windows Easy Transfer program grabbed not only your old computer’s files but its settings (your browser’s list of favorite websites, for example).
Unfortunately, Microsoft discontinued Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 10, complicating the process of moving to a new PC. This chapter explains your current options for moving your information from your old PC to your new PC.
Here’s a time-saver: If you’re just upgrading your old Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 PC to Windows 10, you can skip this chapter. Windows 10 leaves all your personal files and programs in place. (Windows 8 owners must first take advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 8.1 before they can upgrade to Windows 10.)
Hiring a Third Party to Make the Move
Microsoft may have walked out on the automated PC file transfer business, but third-party vendors are happy to do the job. In fact, Windows XP and Windows Vista owners have no other choice — Microsoft doesn’t offer any transfer solutions for those older Windows versions.
That leaves you two third-party options: computer upgrade software or taking your PC to a professional.
The following sections cover the pros and cons of each.
Buying Laplink’s PCmover program
The PCmover software suite of programs from Laplink (www.laplink.com) transfers not only your old PC’s files and settings but some of its programs, as well. That’s more work than Microsoft’s old Easy Transfer program ever attempted. The PCmover suite works on every Windows version from Windows XP to Windows 10. (It doesn’t work with Windows RT, released on some inexpensive tablets.)
However, the powerful transfer programs come with a staggering array of potential complications, which isn’t surprising: Moving from one PC to another is fraught with possible mishaps. (On the positive side, Laplink helps you move by offering free, 24-hour tech support in United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.)
Your first job is choosing which PCmover software you need: PCmover Home or PCmover Professional. Both let you transfer information only from one old PC to one new PC. That’s usually not a problem, but keep in mind that you can’t give the program to a friend after you’ve transferred your files.
- PCmover Home: This minimalist package lets you transfer only one user account on an old PC to a new PC. It also requires you to have only one hard drive on your old PC.
- PCmover Professional: The more popular (and more expensive) option, this software simultaneously copies all of the old PC’s user accounts to the new PC. It can even handle PCs with more than one hard drive.
Both programs copy your old PC’s files, settings, and some programs to your new PC, as shown in Figure 20-1. However, neither package guarantees to copy all of your programs. Because of technical reasons, some programs can transfer, but others won’t. (The reasons behind those potential problems come with their own fine-print section too detailed to list here.)
Figure 20-1: PCmover Professional moves most of your PC’s programs and settings to your new PC.
If you plan to transfer your files over a network, you can buy and download your chosen PCmover program from Laplink’s website. Most people, however, find a better deal by buying the PCmover Ultimate boxed program from Amazon (www.amazon.com). That package includes PCmover Professional and a transfer cable, and it costs less than the version on Laplink’s website.
The PCmover programs are copy-protected, so you need a working Internet connection before you can begin using them. Also, depending on the amount of information on your old PC — and the way you connect your computers — the transfer process can take several hours.
In short, the PCmover software works best for somebody who’s not only patient but also experienced enough with computers to know how to talk with tech support people if something goes wrong. (Tech support people usually speak very, well, technically.)
Visiting a repair shop
Almost all local computer repair shops can move your old PC’s information to your new PC. (Call first to see whether they want the PC alone, or the PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.) Repair shops that make house calls are even better because you won’t have to unplug any cables and drop off your PCs at the shop.
Check with your neighbors — they’ve probably already found a favorite local computer shop or technician.
The prices at local computer repair shops vary widely, and they probably charge more than the price of buying file-transfer software. But if something goes wrong, they’re the ones talking to tech support, not you.
A repair shop can probably transfer your files even if your old computer no longer turns on or has trouble running. Chances are good that your old computer’s hard drive still works, and it still has all of your files. Techies at the repair shop can usually transfer your files from your old computer’s hard drive directly to your new PC.
Even if you hate throwing in the towel and calling a professional, remember, you need to transfer your old PC’s information only once. And, if the techie who does the job seems friendly and competent enough, grab a business card. It may come in handy down the road.
Transferring Files Yourself
You can transfer files yourself if you’re moving from a Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 PC. You can do this with a combination of a Microsoft account and the built-in File History backup program in Windows. You tell the program to back up your old PC’s files, and then you tell your new PC’s program to restore the files.
However, you need a portable hard drive for this to work. Portable hard drives are fairly inexpensive, usually costing less than $100. But there’s a bonus: When you’re through transferring the files, the drive works perfectly for backing up your new computer.
To transfer files from an old Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 computer to a new Windows 10 computer, follow these steps:
If you’re running Windows 7 on your old PC, upgrade it to Windows 10.
Windows 7 doesn’t include File History, nor a Microsoft account. But by taking advantage of Microsoft’s time-limited offer of a free upgrade to Windows 10, your old Windows 7 PC will have both.
Upgrading to Windows 10 is the only way to give your Windows 7 PC a Microsoft account and the File History program, which you use later in these steps.
If you’re running Windows 8, 8.1, or 10 on your old PC, move ahead to Step 2.
- If you’ve already been using File History on your old PC, jump to Step 5. Otherwise move to Step 3.
Sign in with your Microsoft account on your old PC.
When you sign in with a Microsoft account, Microsoft remembers many of your settings and services so it can duplicate them on other PCs you sign into them.
Plug the portable hard drive into your old PC and then set up File History to save your files onto the portable hard drive.
File History comes built into Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. I describe how to set it up and turn it on in Chapter 13. It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to back up your files for the first time.
While File History backs up your files, it shows the statement “File History is saving copies of your files for the first time.” (It also lists the word Stop in case you want to stop the backup.)
When File History has finished backing up your files to the portable drive, those words change to say “Files last copied,” followed by the date and time it finished backing up your files, as shown in Figure 20-2. At that point, move to Step 5.
Sign into your new Windows 10 PC with the same Microsoft account you used on your old PC. Then plug the portable hard drive into your new computer.
By signing in with your Microsoft account, your settings automatically transfer to your new PC. (The wallpaper on your new PC quickly changes to match your old PC, letting you know that something is happening.)
Open File History and direct your new Windows 10 PC toward your old File History backup.
On your new Windows 10 PC, click the Start button and type File History into the Search box and press Enter. The Control Panel’s File History window appears, as shown in Figure 20-3.
Click the check box labeled I Want to Use a Previous Backup on this File History Drive. A window drops down, listing the backup you’ve made on your old PC. Click its name, and click the Turn On button.
Your new PC begins backing up its files for the first time, but these incoming files won’t damage your old PC’s backup.
Choose Restore Personal Files from the File History window’s left pane.
You can see those words in Figure 20-3.
Choose the files and folders to restore and then click the green Restore button.
Click the Forward or Back arrows next to the big green button along the window’s bottom until you find the date and time of the files you’d like to restore.
For example, if you used File History on your old PC for the first time in Step 4, click the Back arrow (on the left) until you’re at the Number 1 backup.
If you’ve been using File History on your old PC all along, click the Forward arrow (on the right) to move to your most recent backup.
When you’re viewing the files or folders you want to restore, click the green button found on the window’s bottom edge, shown in Figure 20-4. File History begins copying your old PC’s files and folders onto your new PC.
Figure 20-2: The File History window says “Files last copied,” followed by the backup’s date and time.
Figure 20-3: Choose I Want to Use a Previous Backup on this File History Drive. Then click the Turn On button.
Figure 20-4: Click the green button to restore the currently displayed files and folders.
If there are no complications, your new PC should soon have the files and folders from your old PC.
- If you’d already been using File History on your old PC, all of your old PC’s backups should still be available to you on your new PC.
- Your new PC will continue to back up your new computer’s files to your portable hard drive. Keep the hard drive plugged in permanently. (Or, if you bought a new laptop or tablet, plug it in frequently so your computer can keep your backups current.)
- If you’ve just borrowed a friend’s portable hard drive, you can unplug it at this point and give it back. But you should really have your own portable hard drive so you can begin backing up your new Windows 10 PC.
- Your Microsoft account and File History can transport your settings and files to your new PC. However, you must still install all of your old desktop programs onto your new PC.
- If you’re moving to Windows 10 from a Windows 8 or 8.1 PC, you can find your apps waiting for you in the Windows Store: Click your icon near the Store app’s upper-right corner and choose My Library from the drop-down menu. There you can find and download your old apps to your new PC.