Transfer Data from Old System

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Finally got a new PC but have about 80 GB of data on the HD of the old system. Warranty prevents me from simply installing the old HD on the new box. Can’t make the old ME system work on a home network with the new XP system. Bought a USB flash drive but that will take FOREVER. What, if any, other alternatives do I have to get the old data to the new box?

TIA

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What about your backups from the old system, you do have backups?

May be a good time to invest into a external USB drive.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Got back-ups but they’re not on media the new system will read. I know; I know; but the price was RIGHT on the new system and it doesn’t have a ZIP drive. In the VERY old days there was a thing called Laplink that would allow straight copying with a crossover cable. Does anything like that still exist? I hate to buy another drive just to move the data.

Thanks for the response!

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Why not just hang the old drive as a slave in the new machine, transfer the data and then remove the drive. You can use the cable from the CD or DVD if there isn’t an open cable to connect the HD to.

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This is the technique (removing the old hard drive and slaving it temporarily in the new system) that I used when I got a new machine about 6 months age. It worked just fine. The data I selected was transferred to the new hard drive with no difficulty.
Slim

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Free with every XP installation is the File and Settings Transfer Wizard, which requires the crossover cable (null modem) of which you speak, and a staggeringly lengthy time transferring data via serial ports! Google for details, or look at here.

Whatever method you choose, it is going to be S L O W. Best to choose a method you understand*, and don’t rush at it.

John

* from which you may gather that I originally used the F&S TW three or more years ago, and it took about 20 hours, and I didn’t really understand what it had done! And in some cases, why!

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LapLink still exists, just google it. The latest version is 12 (I have 11.5, and I have had it through different versions since Windows 95).

It’s too bad that you weren’t able to network the computers for file transfer. I think you have to stay off the Internet for this, but others may be able to explain what to do if you are connected.

If you decide to try it again start with the XP computer and follow the wizard. The crossover cable, if that’s all you need, should be Ethernet, assuming that you have adapters on both machines, and there’s nothing slow about it. All it will cost you is an inexpensive cable and a bit of homework. If you get it working, run everything from the XP computer.

If you have a router or workgroup switch then you want regular (not crossover) cable, and you will have no difficulty in accessing the Internet from either computer.

You don’t need LapLink to transfer files, but if you have or obtain LapLink, it can be used over a network (depending on version) to synch or transfer files. If you don’t have a network but do have LapLink, much will depend on which of their cables you have or obtain, and whether or not your old computer has USB 2.0. It probably doesn’t, but if it’s a desktop, you can add a card. For it to make a difference with LapLink, you would have to have their USB 2.0 cable, but if you have Ethernet, you don’t need that.

Your new computer will almost certainly have USB 2.0, which allows you to transfer data via USB at up to 480Mbps, or 40 times as fast as you probably can with your old hardware. I suggest that you keep an eye on any hardware, such as flash drives or hubs, that interests you to be sure that you are not buying anything slow that you don’t already have. There are differences in speeds beyond that, but you should be aware of the gigantic difference between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 and start reading labels and specifications, because the hardware looks the same and 2.0 is backward-compatible. In other words, if you mix the two it will work, but only at the slowest speed.

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I’ve got the same question as Doc Watson. It seems strange that you could buy a new computer whose warranty conditions limit your ability to add a second hard drive. You ought to be able to do it and maybe even leave the drive in there for its extra storage.

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I just went through the transfer process, moving about 40GB from a Windows ME PC to a new XP PC. I used PC Relocator Ultra Control from Alohabob. The basic model, listed for $30 US, doesn’t provide the individual control that the “Ultra Control” does, retailing for $70 US. I did some digging, through, a found a copy for $50. The transfer worked well–what didn’t migrate was my address book, which I’m going to check out through the free online tech. support.

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You don’t have to bother with their support.
To copy the WAB from one computer to another:
1. Start Outlook Express on the computer that has the WAB you want to copy, point to Export on the File menu, and then click Address Book.
2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export.
3. Type a descriptive name in the Save Exported File As box, click Browse, click a floppy drive in the Save In box, and then click Save.
4. Click Next, click the appropriate check boxes to select the fields you want to export in the “Select the fields you wish to export” box, and then click Finish.
5. Quit Outlook Express, and then insert the floppy disk in the computer you want to copy the WAB to.
6. Start Outlook Express on the computer you want to copy the WAB to, point to Import on the File menu, and then click Address Book.
NOTE: To import a comma-separated file in Outlook Express 5, point to Import on the File menu, click Other Address Book, click “Text File (Comma Separated Values),” and then click Import. Skip to step 8.
7. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import.
8. Click Browse, click the appropriate floppy drive in the Look In box, click the file name you typed in step 3, click Open, and then Next.
9. Click the appropriate check boxes to select the fields you want to import in the “Map the fields you wish to import” box, and then click Finish.
10. If you receive a message “Would you like to replace the existing entry with the import entry?” click Yes To All to replace all duplicate entries, and then quit Outlook Express.

HTH

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Thanks for the info. I had completely forgotten that transfer process–guess I’m too much in the “automatic” mode.

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That’s still pretty “automatic”. I started out, at first, to tell you how to copy the file manually using Windows Explorer but realized that it was too much trouble !!!

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