Moving Files and Settings to a New PC
Updated: October 25, 2005
By Ed Bott, Microsoft Press Author and Expert Zone Community Columnist
After you have set up a new PC, you will likely face the hurdle of transferring your e-mail messages, your address book, and all your important files from your old computer to the new one. You’re probably wondering, how do I move everything to my new PC, quickly and reliably?
The challenge is more daunting than it appears. Do you really want to use floppies or even Zip disks to transfer multiple gigabytes of digital music and photographs? Don't assume that you can easily find all of your important files, either. Windows programs often hide important files in "secret" locations. E-mail messages stored in Outlook Express, for instance, are stored in a hidden folder and can't easily be imported to your new computer.
Windows XP offers a powerful tool designed to automate this task for you. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard looks easy enough to use, but its quirks can be frustrating. In this column, I'll show you three ways to work around those idiosyncrasies so that the migration process goes more smoothly.
How the Wizard Works
The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard allows you to move data files and settings between two computers. Before getting started with the wizard, you should be aware of these facts:
| • | The Wizard runs on almost any version of Windows, making it useful even if you're upgrading from a PC running Windows 95 or Windows 98. |
| • | The wizard does not move program files. You'll need to dig up the program CDs or downloaded program files and reinstall each one on the new computer. In most cases, it's easier to install software first, and then run the wizard. |
| • | Although you can save files and settings to a disk, it's usually faster and easier to connect the old and new computers directly, using a network cable. |
| • | By creating a custom list of files and settings, you can exercise pinpoint control over exactly what you want to migrate and what you want to leave behind. In fact, as you'll see shortly, you can even use this feature to create backups of your e-mail messages and the Windows address book. |
You run the wizard on both the old and new computers. It goes through your old system, gathering all the files in your My Documents folder and on your desktop (and in a few other locations). It also searches your entire hard disk for any files that appear to be data files, regardless of where they're stored. Finally, it goes through your customized settings for Windows and other supported programs, including Outlook Express, Adobe Acrobat, and RealPlayer. After the wizard gets all your files and settings together, you're ready to move them to the new computer.
For step-by-step instructions on how to get started with the wizard, see Sharon Crawford's Files and Settings Transfer Wizard column on this site. Barb Bowman also covers setting up a new computer in The Ultimate Warp Speed Upgrade. Or dive into the Microsoft Knowledge Base, where you'll find instructions on using a Wizard disk and running the wizard from the Windows XP CD. For information on migrating files and settings for large numbers of computers at a time, see Charlie Russel's User State Migration Tools.
Network Not Working? Here's the Fix...
If you have lots of data on your old computer, your best bet by far is to use a local area network connection to make the transfer. If both the old and new computers are outfitted with Ethernet adapters, you can plug them into a hub or switch and get right to work. No hub? No problem. Use a crossover cable (available at any well-stocked computer supply store, even Radio Shack) to connect the computers directly.
It all sounds so easy. However, I've watched certified Windows experts flail around for hours trying to get the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to work over a network. The network is set up properly, but the option to use the network is grayed out and unavailable on the Select a transfer method page, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The network option is available only if you start with the new PC.
Where did they go wrong? They neglected the crucial, counterintuitive rule: You must run the wizard on the new PC first. Follow the wizard's instructions, choosing the option to create a new Wizard Disk, use an existing Wizard Disk, or use the wizard from the Windows XP CD. When you click Next, you'll be rewarded with the screen shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: After you see this screen, you can safely run the wizard on your old PC.
You can now go to your old PC and run the wizard. This time, the Home or Small Office Network option should be available. You'll be prompted to enter a random password, after which you can use the speedy network connection.
Clear Out the Clutter First
A few weeks ago, I helped a neighbor migrate files from her three-year old notebook to a shiny new desktop PC. She had a small collection of e-mail messages and a handful of files in the My Documents folder. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard should have made short work of this process, but after chugging away for 20 minutes, it had barely made a dent in the job.
The problem, it turned out, was the enormous collection of software that the manufacturer had originally installed on the computer when it was new. The wizard was dutifully chugging through every folder and subfolder, collecting text files, JPEG and GIF graphics, and sound effects, and preparing to move them to the new computer. If I hadn't stopped the process at that point, the new computer would have inherited a small mountain of useless files. After I made a few small changes, the transfer took less than five minutes. Here's how you can do the same. Note that this option is appropriate only if your files are organized into a small number of folders (My Documents, My Music, Shared Documents, and so on.)
After starting the wizard on the new computer, go to the old computer and follow these steps:
1. | Follow the wizard's prompts until you reach the What do you want to transfer? page, shown in Figure 3.  Figure 3: Select this check box to fine-tune the list of files and settings. |
2. | Click Next to display the Select custom files and settings page, shown in Figure 4.  Figure 4: Customize the list of folders and file types to speed up the transfer. |
3. | The list is divided into three groups. Scroll to the Specific Folders list and make sure all of your data folders are listed. Use the Add Folder and Remove buttons, if necessary, to customize the list for your computer. |
4. | Click to select the first entry under File Types. Press Alt+R and hold down both keys until the File Types list is completely empty. |
You can now click through the rest of the Files and Settings Wizard and complete the transfer. The Wizard copies all files in the folders you specified. Because you've cleared the File Types list, the wizard doesn't search the remainder of your disk for data files.
Move E-mail Only
Although most people think of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard as a tool for moving large numbers of files between computers, the wizard can actually be used for simpler tasks. For instance, you can use the wizard to back up and restore e-mail messages, account settings, and the address book from Outlook Express. This is a particularly nifty trick, because Outlook Express lacks any backup tools of its own. Follow these steps:
1. | Start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, choose the Old computer option, and click Next. |
2. | On the Select a transfer method page, choose Other. Enter the destination where you want to save your backed-up e-mail data. (See Figure 5.) Click Next to continue.  Figure 5: To use the wizard as a backup tool, select a disk-based destination. |
3. | On the What do you want to transfer? page, click Let me select a custom list of files and settings. Click Next to continue. |
4. | Select the first entry under the Settings heading and press Alt+R to remove it. Repeat for all settings except Outlook Express. |
5. | Use the Alt+R shortcut to remove all entries under the Specific folders and File types headings. |
Finish the wizard, and you'll have a neat package containing all your current e-mail messages, addresses, and account settings. Keep a record of your passwords, though, as they're not included in the backup file. To restore the backup, start the wizard again, choose the New computer option, and point the wizard to the files and settings you previously collected from your old computer. You can use this same technique to back up and restore other types of settings and files as well.
Expert Zone columnist Ed Bott is an award-winning computer journalist who's been working with Microsoft Windows for more than 15 years. His latest Microsoft Press books include Faster Smarter Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out (with Carl Siechert and Craig Stinson).
