Less experienced computer users often make one mistake when starting to get acquainted with new equipment. Do not perform backups after installing the system and software, and also periodically in the future during the operation of the computer. It is useful not only in situations where an accident occurs or problems arise with applications.
Recreating a flawlessly working system is very useful in a situation where we want to migrate the system to new computer or new HDD, for example, a just purchased SSD drive.
Benefits of AOMEI Backupper
- Creates backup media that supports Linux or Windows PE environments
- Allows you to select the files that we want to archive or restore from a backup
- Allows you to restore data from a backup copy on a computer of any configuration
- Creates incremental and differential backups
License: freeware
Price: free
Transfer your system using EaseUS Todo Backup Free
Backup files, folders and partitions, including the system one. Has the function of cloning and creating a system recovery disk.
Benefits of EaseUS Todo Backup Free
- Creates backups in the cloud and on any external storage device
- Allows you to save settings individual programs, along with the settings
- Supports drives up to 16 TB
- Makes it easy to move your operating system to an SSD
License: freeware
Price: free
Macrium Reflect Free
Creates and returns a copy of a partition (also system) and disks. Backup can be saved as an image on a local disk, USB device or DVD.
Benefits of Macrium Reflect Free
- Allows you to create differential backups of data on disk
- Clones disks and verifies data integrity after each operation
- Allows you to create bootable media with a Win PE environment
License: freeware
Price: free
Creates and restores images, copies data from disk to disk, clones volumes. In the wizard, you can select the location, compression, and protect the image with a password.
Benefits of Active@ Disk Image
- Convenient wizards
- Powerful image copy viewing features
- Compresses and encrypts backups, allows you to create backup cumulative copies
Flaws
- Free Lite version does not allow creation of bootable and rescue media
License: freeware
Price: free
Transfer to Paragon Backup & Recovery Free
Creates and returns copies of individual partitions and entire disks. Craftsmen make maintenance easy. Backups can be saved on any media.
Benefits of Paragon Backup & Recovery Free
- Allows you to create a copy on the same disk in a protected area, isolated in case of system failure
- Saves copies on any medium, on the Internet, on a flash drive, on hidden section
- Creates disk backups for virtual machines
License: freeware
Price: free
We all know that a newly installed operating system is much faster. old system which has many different applications installed. However, the joy of the speed and stability of the new OS quickly disappears when it turns out that all your favorite games and frequently used programs were removed along with the old OS. Today we will share our knowledge on how to avoid losing programs and games when reinstalling the system and how to correctly transfer programs to another computer.
Modern world And modern technologies made us look at the concept of moving differently. If previously we associated only a change of residence with this concept, now we also associate a change of operating system. In one case or another, a lot of problems are associated with moving (moving things/programs, setting up a new meta/updating, setting up a configuration, installing programs, applications and games).
The most difficult task when migrating to a new OS is to transfer to it the software necessary for operation, all kinds of applications, files with personal data, of course games, multimedia libraries, messages mail client and settings installed programs.
A classic move to a new PC or new OS looks something like this: the user deletes the old operating system, formats hard section disk and installs a new OS into it, let's say Windows 8. After this, the most tedious, long and tedious work begins: installing programs necessary for work (of which there can be a large number), favorite games, transferring personal files to the new OS. Everything would be fine, but this approach takes a lot of time, and most importantly nerves, and no one is immune from losing any files or important correspondence in this routine once and for all... The question arises: how to speed up and simplify process of moving to another computer or new OS? Is it even possible to do this? Nothing is impossible, there is one solution or another for everything.
Today we will tell you about what programs exist for transferring applications and user data to a new OS. In addition, we will analyze the difficult moments when moving, and also decide what data needs to be transferred and what not.
Difficulties when transferring programs to a new OS
The most difficult thing when migrating, no matter to a new OS or to another computer, is transferring programs and their settings. Normally copying a folder with program files installed in it is unlikely to be useful in this situation; it will only work with portable programs. Regular copying will inevitably lead to loss of application functionality for a number of reasons:
- At the time of installation of programs into the system, various program files are written to the entire hard drive, in different folders (Windows, Programs Files, Document and setting, Common Files, etc.). Of course, you can collect all these files manually if you try, but then you will have to put them all in their own folders in the new OS.
- Having transferred the application to another computer in this way, when it starts, it will certainly begin to access Windows registry in search of the keys necessary for operation, which are written in it when installing the program. Of course, when accessing the registry, the program will not be able to find the necessary entries in it, as a result of which it will work with errors, if it can start at all. For this reason, in addition to program files, it is also necessary to transfer records system registry.
- After installing those programs that are “tied” to the hardware, some of their files and registry keys contain information about the current system configuration. By transferring such a program to another computer, the configuration of which is different from the old PC, you can not expect anything from it normal operation, or, for example, activation.
- Archives mail messages.
- “Saves” of games.
What data needs to be transferred to the new OS from the old one?
- First of all, these are, of course, installed programs, such as office packages, programs for editing images and video files, translators, email programs, browsers, archivers, in general, all those that we use every day.
- User files, including working documents, photo and video archives, file archives, music libraries, e-books etc. When transferring of this type data, an ordinary flash drive or USB disk can help. For them, simple and sequential copying (PC-Flash drive-PC) is sufficient. But there is another way, for example, using Windows programs Easy Transformer (we will give it a separate review).
- Archives of mail messages.
- Bookmarks and “Favorites” of browsers.
- “Saves” of games.
What data cannot be transferred?
Unfortunately, not all information can be transferred to another PC, even when using specialized tools. Of course, you can try to be more precise, but the result will not be guaranteed. Most often, some applications fall into the category of such data, for example:
- Device drivers - cannot be transferred to another system. After installing the OS, they will have to be installed again, since the system configuration will be changed. It is customary to prepare drivers in advance, before starting to install a new OS.
- Complex software packages, such as 3ds Max Design. Of course, you can try to transfer this application package, but in most cases the attempts will be unsuccessful. In addition, when transferring such application packages, you may need to re-activate them by entering license key. If a program is tied to a hardware, then it is unlikely to be reactivated on another hardware.
- Antivirus and other software to protect the system from viruses. Popular antiviruses such as Kaspersky Internet Security, Norton Internet Security or Avast Internet Security, when installing, I take into account all the features of the operating system, working at the level of its kernel. For this reason, antiviruses, in principle, cannot be transferred to another system.
- Some data simply may not be compatible with operating system where they are transferred. For example, the commercial program PCmover immediately warns the user about incompatibility with music that is protected by digital rights.
In order not to bore you with reading, we decided not to include reviews of data transfer programs in this article. There are enough programs for this, and for some of them reviews are already being written with examples of how they work. Therefore, soon, we will continue to develop the topic of transferring programs to another computer or operating system.
Hello friends! All topics that relate to personal data, files and settings are always very relevant. Just as relevant are the methods of preserving, transferring and restoring them. Therefore, today I want to write about how to transfer settings, accounts, program settings and files from one computer to another running the Windows operating system, in this article we will look at an example on Windows 7.
To transfer data, we will use standard utility. In operating rooms Windows systems Vista and Windows 7 this utility is already built-in, and for Windows XP it can be downloaded from the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=7349.
How to transfer data to another computer?
Well, let's get started.
We launch the utility, for this we go to “Start”, "All programs", “Standard”, “Service” and launch .
The utility will start and home page You can read what she can endure. To continue, click “Next”.
Now we need to choose how we will transfer and receive data to the new computer. There are three ways:
- Using a data cable. To be honest, I still don’t understand what cable we are talking about. It seems that it’s not about the network, because the next point is data transfer using the network. As far as I know, two computers cannot be connected via USB. Well, okay, let's skip this method and move on.
- Second way. This is data transfer using the network. If you have both computers connected to the network, you can try this method.
- Well, for example, we will use the third method. It seems to me the simplest and accessible to everyone. It consists of saving files and settings in one archive, with the ability to restore data from this archive on a new computer.
Therefore we choose “External drive or USB device flash memory".
Then we need to select on which computer you ran the Data Transfer Wizard. In order to create a file of all settings and files, you need to select "This is my source computer” . We will choose the first option when we restore data on a new computer.
Now you need to wait while the program checks the possibility of transferring.
After verification, we will most likely have the opportunity to transfer general and specific account data. You can cancel some items (by clicking on “Settings”) that you do not want to transfer, such as videos or music, they take up a lot of space. Just uncheck unnecessary items and click “Next”. Make sure that the transfer file is not very large.
If you want to protect the data recovery file, then specify a password, if not, just click “Save”.
Now we just need to specify the location where we will save our file with a copy of the data. If it will be restored on another computer, then save it to a flash drive, or external hard disk. And if you just want to restore it later on the same computer, you can save it to your hard drive.
Just don’t save to the partition where the operating system is installed, most likely it’s local disk C. Because when you reinstall Windows, this partition will be formatted. Save it to local drive D, or E. In any case, this file can then be copied and moved wherever needed.
You need to wait until the file is saved. After saving the file, you can begin restoring data on a new computer. Or after reinstalling the operating system.
Recovering data from a file
After the file has been saved and transferred if necessary, we need to recover the data from it. There is nothing complicated here, let's run it again. Click “Next”.
We choose the third option.
We choose.
Click “Yes”.
Select the file that we saved. Click “Open”.
We can configure the elements to be transferred and click “Transfer”.
That's all, now our files and settings have been transferred to the new computer.
When and where to use data transfer?
Perhaps this should have been written at the beginning of the article. I also wanted to say a few words about when data transfer may come in handy. In the article I wrote that we are transferring data to a new computer. And this is probably the most common option; when buying a new computer, you can transfer all the data in a few clicks, and this is very convenient.
There is often a need transfer either the programs themselves or their settings to the one just installed version Windows. Such a need may arise not only due to the standard “reinstallation of a junk version,” but also during an upgrade. After purchasing new hardware, it is recommended to reinstall Windows from scratch. There is still a chance that the old operating system will work. However, I do not recommend this method, since at the most inopportune moment a conflict may arise with an old driver that was “inherited,” or some application may not want to work on the new hardware.
It is assumed that old computer is in working order and you have access to it, meaning you can boot up and run programs. In such a situation, I propose a simple method for transferring programs:
Step one
Installing a portable program on a new computer. If it is free, just download the latest version of the application. If not, then we are looking for a distribution kit (preferably the same version as the original). It is important that the program is installed in the same location as the original copy. By default, most software is installed in the c:\program files\ folder.
Step two
Copying the files of the portable program from the old one Windows versions . If you don’t know what exactly to copy, I’ll give general recommendations. Programs typically store their files in the following locations:
- c:\program files\- the application files are located here. Look for the folder with the name of the program. It happens that files are stored in a folder with the name of the manufacturer, and the folder with the application is already located in it.
- c:\Documents and Settings\"Your profile name"\Application Data\- program settings and personal user files. We are looking for a folder with the name of the program.
- c:\Documents and Settings\"Your profile name"\Local Settings– settings can also be stored here, but not necessarily. If you don’t find a folder with the name of the program here, it means it stores files only in the previous two.
- Other folders may be present. In order to make sure that there are no other folders with the name of the program somewhere, I recommend using the built-in Windows search. In the search bar, type the name of the program and see where there are other folders with the program.
Afterwards, we copy the found files to a new computer via a flash drive (external hard drive) or via the network to the appropriate folders. Please note that if copying is carried out from Windows XP to Windows 7 64-bit, then the data must be transferred from the program files folder to the Program Files (x86) folder. In other cases, we copy to folders of the same name.
Step three
Transferring settings from the old registry to the new one. The program registry stores settings as well as activation data. On the old computer, launch the registry editor (START – Run – Regedit – OK). You need to copy 2 sections:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software
Sections that store data that needs to be transferred to the new system
The first section stores settings common to all users, the second - only for a specific profile. In each section there is a subsection with the name of the manufacturer software product, and in it the name of the program. Select the name of the program and then select the File – Export menu and specify the file name with the reg extension. Moreover, it is not necessary that the settings should be stored in both sections at once. In this case, we export only one of them. Copy one or two .reg files to the new computer. There we simply launch them - the data will be automatically entered into the registry.
All is ready. The program should start on new car. However, this method does not work 100%. Complex programs like Microsoft Office It will be extremely difficult to transfer. Moreover, some programs are tied to the hardware when activated, so they will not work on a new machine. However, most programs, such as Winrar, The Bat, FileZilla, Google Chrome and much more are transferred without problems.
If some points of the article remain unclear to you, leave comments.
The article describes ways in which you can transfer data from one computer to another with a guarantee of data safety and without much effort. Transferring files, settings and programs to a new computer can be difficult and intimidating for the user, especially if he does not know how to do it correctly and where to start.
Often it all comes down to the user copying the most necessary and important data from the old PC to external media information, followed by copying it to the hard drive of a new computer. This method also exists, but it is associated with the risk of data loss during the process and/or as a result of information transfer. But what about applications and operating system settings?
In fact, there are several ways that will help you transfer data from one computer to another with better quality and with less effort, and, very importantly, with a guarantee of safety.
Content:Data Migration Tools
There are many utilities for transferring data, settings and programs to a new computer. To use them, you just need to install such a program on both computers and use them to transfer your files, applications and settings.
A tool with this functionality is provided free of charge and by Microsoft- This Windows Easy Transfer. And although, starting with Windows 10, it is no longer available as a built-in utility in the operating system, Microsoft offers to use another third party application– PCmover Express.
The principle of operation of the program is as follows: connect an external storage device to your computer and launch the application; transfer your data from your computer to an external drive and then connect it to another PC to which you need to transfer the data; run this application on a new computer and transfer data from external media to this computer.
Backup and restore files
The system's built-in File Backup and Restore tool also allows you to transfer files and system settings to another computer.
Using this tool you can create a system image. This will be a complete image of the operating system, including system files, installed programs and personal files. It is enough to simply deploy the system image that was created from the old computer on a new computer.
Just copy the files
Also, do not forget about the possibility of copying files manually, this way you can transfer personal files from computer to computer. To do this, connect an external storage medium of sufficient capacity to your computer (for example, an external hard drive) and copy all the files that need to be transferred to it. After this, connect this disk to a new computer and transfer the necessary files.
If all your files on your computer are well organized and you know their location on your hard drive, then it will be difficult to implement this method you won't have it.
This way, you will be able to transfer files, but not settings. If you also need to transfer browser bookmarks, you will need to export/import them using the functions of the browser itself. Everyone has modern browsers There are also synchronization functions with which you can import all settings.
Cloud storage
Services cloud storage can store user data, settings and other data, and do a good job of it. To do this, just install the service client on your computer and configure data saving with its help. On another computer, it will be enough to install the same client and log into the account you created earlier, and you will have access to all the data saved in it.
Such services on this moment many, the most popular of which are Dropbox and Google Drive, as well as Microsoft OneDrive integrated into Windows. You can use any one convenient for you.
If your computer crashes
If the transition to a new computer is due to the inoperability of the old one, then the user’s personal data can also be transferred from it.
To do this, connect the hard drive of the old computer to the new one and check how it is detected by the operating system (it all depends on the reasons for the failure of the old PC). If it is recognized by the computer as another hard drive and all files are available for use on it, then it is enough to carry out the actions described in paragraph "Just copy the files". You can only copy them directly to the hard drive of your new computer.
If hard files disks from the old computer are not displayed, you can restore them using a recovery program hard data disk – Hetman Partition Recovery. To do this, launch it and scan your hard drive. Save all files detected by the program to new hard computer disk.
Switching to a new computer should not be difficult for the user. Some tools even provide the ability to transfer installed programs and applications. But the most important factor in data transfer is the user's personal files, which should not be damaged or lost during the process or as a result of the data transfer. The methods described above should help the user avoid such unpleasant consequences.