How To Transfer Windows Xp To A New Hard Drive

With the Windows end-of-service deadline finally upon us, a lot of holdouts are hurriedly making the upgrade to Windows seven or viii. Moving all your of import files from Windows XP to your new computer may sound like just one more hassle.

Fortunately, information technology doesn't have to be that difficult at all. Here are four simple options for transferring your information from Windows XP to a new PC without breaking a sweat.

Option 1: Flash bulldoze or external difficult drive

The well-nigh straightforward style to transfer your information to a new reckoner is past manually moving it from one PC to the next using removable concrete storage, like a flash drive or external USB hard bulldoze. The upside to this selection is that you don't have to download any software or go through whatever special steps. Just plug your external drive into your old figurer, drag your files over, and and so plug information technology into the new calculator and elevate the files dorsum.

In that location are two caveats, though.

The first is that you'll really need enough physical storage to make the transfer. If the only external storage you have is a 512MB flash drive you got at a Circuit Urban center in 2007, it's not going to be practical for transferring big amounts of information.

Fortunately, external storage has gotten quite cheap. Y'all tin get a reliable, brand name 500GB external difficult drive for $70 on Amazon or Newegg. Not only will it assist with the information transfer, but you'll be able to use it to support your important files in the time to come.

Windows XP's Documents and Settings binder.

The other issue is that you'll accept to manually select the files to transfer. If you've been allowing your software to save files in the default location, then all of your important documents and files should be located in C:/Documents and Settings on your Windows XP computer. Here, y'all'll discover each user's My Documents binder, which is the default location where Microsoft Office and most other software applications store documents. You'll also find the Desktop binder, which contains all the files you've dropped onto your computer's desktop.

Re-create over all the contents of C:/Documents and Settings to your external media. Then, on your new Windows estimator, move the files to the appropriate folders in C:/Users, which contains the My Documents and Desktop folders in Windows Vista, 7 and 8.

If you haven't been saving all your documents to the My Documents folder or one of its subfolders (and this, incidentally, is why you generally should), yous'll just have to search out the files that are of import to you lot using Windows File Explorer.

Option 2: Cloud-based storage

The ability of the cloud can shift your data from a Windows XP PC to a new machine.

If you don't desire to invest in an external hard drive, you can also transfer data with a cloud storage service such as Dropbox. This tin be a convenient manner to transfer documents, but exist enlightened that transferring large files (such as home movies) over a cloud-storage service can accept a long time and eat into your monthly broadband cap, if you lot have one.

Beyond that, free deject services tend to offer small 5GB to 10GB storage limits, which may not exist plenty storage to handle all the information you lot want to transfer. Paying for additional cloud storage tin overcome that hurdle, however. You can fifty-fifty piece together 50GB to 100GB of free cloud storage, if yous don't mind creating accounts with several companies and putting in a lilliputian sweat equity.

A cloud service as well requires that you manually pick the files to move over. If you're not comfy deciding which files to transfer, you might find i of the following two automatic file-transfer applications helpful.

At present onto the more than automated options.

Windows vii and eight come with a born tool for transferring user data from 1 Windows PC to another, called the Windows Like shooting fish in a barrel Transfer tool. This application basically does what nosotros described in the previous department—transferring the contents of the Users folder—for you, and also transfers over your user accounts and settings, unlike the previous options. It'due south included in Windows 8 and 7, but you'll have to download it for the Windows XP computer.

Using Windows Easy Transfer on a Windows XP automobile.

One time you've downloaded the file and installed information technology, just run "Windows Easy Transfer Tool for Windows 7" on your Windows XP computer and walk through the steps. Cull "An external hard bulldoze or USB wink drive" when asked where you lot want to save the data, and so wait while the application scans your system.

Y'all're given the option to password-protect your files, if you similar, then asked where to relieve the file that contains all the information to be transferred. Cull to save information technology to your external difficult drive, or to a cloud storage service.

Using Windows Easy Transfer to transfer XP data to a Windows 8 PC.

On your Windows 7 or 8 figurer, just open the Start Menu or Start Screen (respectively) and type "Windows Piece of cake Transfer," then click on the utility application with that proper name. Click adjacent, and then click on the push button marked "Yes." This will allow you to navigate to the file you saved on your external hard drive or cloud storage binder. The Like shooting fish in a barrel transfer tool volition automatically transfer over documents, bookmarks, and other User data.

Choice 4: Laplink PCMover Limited

Microsoft is currently offer a free version of Laplink PCMover Express for users transferring from Windows XP. PCMover Limited offers basically the same data- and settings-shifting functionality equally the Easy Transfer Tool, but instead of storing the files to exist transferred on a removable drive, information technology sends them directly from i estimator to the other across a local network using Wi-Fi, ethernet, or USB.

Microsoft'south offering Laplink'due south piece of cake-peasy PCMover Express software to Windows XP users.

You simply download the plan and and so install it on both computers. Run it on the XP motorcar, and select Wi-Fi or Wired Network from the options given. Practice the same on the new PC. Every bit long as the two are on the aforementioned network, PCMover Limited will exist able to transfer your documents, user info, and settings  straight from ane to the other.

Don't forget your product keys!

There'due south one last thing to think about before you lot shut downwardly that old PC for proficient: product keys. If you've activated paid software on your onetime computer, you should make sure to recover those software keys before they're gone for good. That style, you lot tin download and reactivate the software on your new PC, even if y'all've lost the original packaging, without having to buy a new copy or contact the manufacturer.

To track down almost all of the CD keys on your new organization, you lot can use a free programme called Belarc Advisor. It will find all the CD keys in utilise on your auto, and relieve them for you in a convenient HTML document.

The software licenses section looks like this, minus all the blurriness. (Click to enlarge.)

Afterward installing the program, information technology runs with almost no input from you lot. After a few seconds it'll spit out a certificate with an incredibly thorough breakup of all the software, drivers and hardware that brand up your computer. Nigh two-thirds of the style down the document you'll see a list of all the software keys Belarc Advisor could find on your organization and their associated programs. Salvage or even print out Belarc Advisor's HTML file so y'all can re-install your software on your new computer.

Most software doesn't require yous to deactive it on your erstwhile estimator before you can activate it on a new computer, but some do. In particular, some professional-form software, like Adobe Photoshop, requires deactivation earlier it can be installed once more.

A host of tools and techniques stand ready to assist y'all drift from your old PC to a new one. We know information technology's difficult to say goodbye, merely take a deep breath, set aside some time, and do it.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/444731/how-to-get-your-data-from-windows-xp-to-a-new-pc.html

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