if i get a bigger machine how do i get my stuff from the old box over to the new?

i'm wondering about windows and photoshop.
i have registered copies on my old machine and i want them to move over to the new machine.

how is this done?

James,

If you are concerned about this, I highly suggest you take it to a shop and let them do the transfer for you.

It's not hard to do, but if you mess up the cost in lost time and possibly lost work could cost a lot more in damages.

For that reason, I am not going to go into details about how to do it yourself.

kelvin

my old box was built for me by a Chinese guy.
it ran for a few years and then the power supply failed.
that got me thinking about getting a new box.

i took it to him to get a new power supply and asked him about a new machine while i was waiting for it to be installed.
he said he could throw me a new box together by the end of the day but he was not able to explain to my satisfaction how he could move me over to the new system so i just took my old box home.

since then i have been researching how to migrate.
no two people tell me the same thing.

the latest info i have is that i could clone my old drive onto the new one and fire it up, XP and all.
i've got a fortune in software on my drive that i don't want to lose.

i'm chewing on all this and i will not make a move until i feel totally in control of the situation.

i got time.

i would be changing to get a faster CPU, a larger hard drive and newer, faster, connections.
my current machine is four years old and i will not use any of it on the new machine.
i have many applications that i want moved over, not all of them with back up CDs.
i'm looking at migration aids now.
i'm a little surprised that there are not more of them.
some one can make money writing software that will move you from one machine to another with minimum fuss.

xp will do it for u atomatically. Just hooking up a simple cable between the two.

I still stand by taking it to a shop.

To answer the earlier question, why take to a shop, why depend on others. Time is money. Some people have more time than money, others more money than time.

Sometimes it is ok to try it yourself, but if you are not comfortable, leave it to the experts.

BTW, there are at least 3 ways to move the data. So you could easily get 3 different answers that turn out to be absolutely correct.

You can practice later on a machine that will not cost you if you mess up.


Another suggestion. Instead of using CDs to backup. I suggest getting a second harddrive. Same size if possible. Add that to the current PC. Backup all data from main drive to second drive.

If you like, you can then remove the second drive, and have that dropped directly into the new box.

IF you have highspeed access you could also use an online backup service. Just incase the you have a problem with switching PCs.

At the very least, in your new box, you should try to get 2 harddrives, one for data files, one for system files.

Most problems withe harddrive will be with system files, and you just need to reinstall. But having the data on a seperate drive gives a little more le-way when having to reformat the system.

kelvin

To the Brother who asked this question:

Depending upon the manufacturer of your drive, some harddrive companies provide IMAGING software, that will allow you to copy your old drive onto your new drive.

The software is very easy to use and it saves a lot of hassle.

I know Maxtor has this software (MaxBlast) and I believe Quantam and WD may have it also. Maxblast is very easy to use and does not require a CIS degree.

Here is a link to Maxblast:

http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/maxblast3.htm&e=8092

There should also be a brief product description and what not so you can get familiar with this type of software.

Also please be aware that most of these Imaging software programs will only work with at least one brand name in your computer. The MaxBlast program will not upgrade a Segate drive for you and etc. You should try to buy a HD from the same manufacturer if you want an easy upgrade/imaging solution.