File Transfer

[Bobtheduck]

Is there a simple way to transfer files from one computer to another? If I get a new Comp, can I just transfer everything over... I'm guessing the answer is no... Still, what will it take for me to transfer not only files but licenses?

[Kaligraphic]

Licenses vary by type - for Photoshop, you have to uninstall (and "transfer" the license - basically, deactivate it with Adobe), while with many other programs you can do the install on one machine and the uninstall on the other in either order.

If the machines are on a network together, you can do a lot using the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard".

[Puritan]

Another easy way to move files (not programs, mind, they generally require reinstalling) is to get a USB memory stick. I use one all the time at school for moving research files between school and home, and they are really easy to use. They are a bit pricy (~$50) but a good one will last a long while and be really useful. You could also use a network if you like, but I find speeds are generally a lot faster using USB devices.

[Slater]

hmm... I'd be wary about transfering programs from one computer to another. I hear that method is a way to bog your system down with pretty nasty things.

[Kaligraphic]

hmm... I'd be wary about transfering programs from one computer to another. I hear that method is a way to bog your system down with pretty nasty things.

?

I don't understand... are you talking about transferring programs in general(?) or was there a post deleted somewhere?

[Sync]

hmm... I'd be wary about transfering programs from one computer to another. I hear that method is a way to bog your system down with pretty nasty things.

if you mean viruses it's a simple matter of scanning before and after the transfer.

[Kaligraphic]

A lot of programs are best transferred with the old uninstall/reinstall, simply because they create "important" registry entries.

[^Kaji]

You can allways put the old hard drive in the new machine (don't boot from it, hook it up as a secondary) and transfer anything you want to the new drives. The programs you'll have to install on the new machine, though you can pull your old settings and such off the old drive if you poke around a bit. Don't worry about uninstalling them off the old machine, we're not quite in 1984 yet and there isn't an all knowing AI watching your every move You'll need the installation disks/cds for the programs though, there really isn't a way to yank a prog off one machine and dump it on another unless it's a stand alone. Those generally don't require installation at all, they just run from wherever they happen to be at. Most newer stuff doesn't work that way. Good luck with it, it's not really as daunting a task as it seems at first.