Copying Old Hard Drive to New PC
"When I buy a new computer, how do I transfer everything from the hard drive on my old computer? I enjoy the Tourbus and appreciate all the information you provide."
If you bought a new computer, or just a new hard drive for your old computer, you'll need to transfer the files. Here's how...
|
|
|
| The Top Five! |
| Check out this week's most popular articles. |
Do You Really Want To Do That...?
There are several options, but first let's talk about NOT copying everything from the old hard drive to the new one. When you use a computer for a couple of years, it tends to build up what I call Cyber Sludge, and you really don't want that nasty old sludge on your shiny new hard drive.
In most cases, all you really need to copy are the personal files you have created, such as word processor documents, spreadsheets, photos, etc. You can use File/Export to dump your web browser favorites into a plain-text file, and the same applies to your emails and address book.
Various Ways to Transfer Files
To transfer to the new computer, you can burn a CD containing those files, or copy them to one of those nifty USB-connected portable hard drives (also called Flash Drives or Memory Sticks), or attach the files to an email and send them to yourself.
If you have a home network, it's even easier. Just make the hard drive in the old computer a shared drive, and you'll be able to copy the files to the new drive with drag and drop. Without a network, you can install the old hard drive in your new computer, and just access the files on it as your D: drive. If you're timid about popping the hood on your PC, you can take both to a computer repair shop and ask them to install the old drive in the new machine.
Copying the Entire Drive
Since that's what you asked about, yes... there are ways to copy your old hard drive, lock, stock and bearings, to a new hard drive. In the old days, you could use the XCOPY command from a DOS prompt to copy everything in one swell foop, but modern operating systems make this impossible. I recommend you use software specifically written to deal with all the intricacies of dealing with partitions, copying the Windows registry, and handling locked, hidden & system files. Two programs I recommend for this purpose are VCOM Copy Commander and Partition Magic.
|
|
|
Send this article 
Jump to the 
Buy Bob a 
Check out other articles in this category:Posted by Bob Rankin on August 4, 2005 02:30 PM
| Need More Help? Try the AskBobRankin Updates Newsletter. It's Free! |
 |
Prev Article: Google Toolbar is Spyware? |
|
Next Article: Can't Save a File |
 |
|
Link to this article from your site or blog. Just copy and paste from this box: Related Keywords: Hard Drives copy hard drive drive copy transfer files hard drive copy partition magic copy commander |
Most recent comments on "Copying Old Hard Drive to New PC"
(See all 15 comments for this article.)|
Posted by:
|
I think this might be a tricky one. My laptop has a short and cannot be charged. And yes battery is dead. Rather than pay for a new mother board to be installed I opted to buy a new computer. Question; is there anyway for me to retrieve my documents/ pictures from my hard drive without taking it to a professional. Is there a device I can hook my hard drive up to and transfer to my new computer? EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, you can get an external enclosure for the laptop hard drive and turn it into portable storage that can be connected to another computer via USB cable. |
|
Posted by:
|
My computer completely crashed and will not load. It keeps looping around to the start up. My question is I have an extra hard drive that I stored all my graphic files on and I want to transfer these files to my new computer. Can I do this in dos? If so , how. EDITOR'S NOTE: Sure, you'll need to install the drive as a secondary drive in the new computer, then copy them just like any other files. See http://askbobrankin.com/add_a_second_hard_drive.html |
|
Posted by:
|
My old Profile 2 desktop is unable to power on and it's not worth fixing a faulty internal power supply or connector, but I'd like to retrieve personal files from its hard drive and transfer them to my new laptop. I assume I have to remove the old hard drive, but then what? How do I access it? And whats the best way to transfer photos? tx |
|
Posted by:
|
Can I copy the partition from my laptop hard drive and use it and the os and all with the new computer that I am putting a new drive into, Or do i have to reinstall each and every program and re-do all the settings? EDITOR'S NOTE: It's possible. Try a disk imager like Acronis, then restore the image to the new drive. |
|
Posted by:
|
My old PC died recently, it still gets power but gets as far as the windows start up and powers out so I bought a new laptop and was wondering how I would go about transfering files(music, photos etc) from the old desktop to the new laptop. EDITOR'S NOTE: You can buy a kit to convert an internal hard drive to an external hard drive, and plug it into your laptop's USB port. One company that makes these kits is Addonics. |
|
Posted by:
|
my motherboard died can i put the Hard drive from that computer into another computer that i have so i will not lose the files that i have? EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, if the hard drive is not damaged, it should work fine in another computer. |
|
Posted by:
|
My old PC is running Windows XP and my new one will be running Vista. Will Copy Commander take this into account and not move my old OS with everything else? EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm not familiar with Copy Commander, but Vista does have a data migration tool. |
|
Posted by:
|
Hi, I have given my old pc away to my mum to replace her old one. If I clone her xp harddrive using spotmua or hdclone to a new one will it work in the new pc? would I have to install the old drive in the new pc to clone it or vise versa? Will this work or will I need to reinstall xp and all her settings and programs? EDITOR'S NOTE: Why do you want to clone the old drive? Why not just install it in the new PC as a second drive? |
|
Posted by:
|
I saw a ad on TV about Comcast free software, so I download it off the Mcafee website. I installed it, everything seen OK until the spyware took out important programs that make the PC run, and when I turned on the PC it took a long time to start and the task bar would not come on, programs wouldn't start. Now I will have to copy everything to another hard drive and restore my PC. I want to know how I can copy all my data from my old hard drive to my new external hard drive without losing it?
|
|
Posted by:
|
My old PC freezes as soon as the desktop appears. What can I do to repair or recover my documents from the computer... Will reinstalling windows help... windows 95 to XP.. EDITOR'S NOTE: It might help. But going into Safe Mode during startup may also get you in to recover your documents. You can also consider removing the drive and putting it in an external enclosure. See http://askbobrankin.com/convert_internal_hard_drive_to_external.html |
There's more reader feedback... See all 15 comments for this article.
Post your Comments, Questions or Suggestions
|
Ask Bob Rankin Home Page
Subscribe to AskBobRankin Updates: Free Newsletter |
|
|
Advertise on This Site!
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved |
||