transfer programs from old computer to new

Question

I just got my new dell P4 Dimension with XP installed. My old computer has Win2K and lots of programs and data. Can I simply do a disk clone of the Win2k Dell and put the disk back in the new Dell with different hardware and let Win2k install all the drivers etc. Then, install XP Pro on the new machine. I don't feel like re-installing all the settings and programs on the new computer. I read lots of post about transfering files etc from old to new but never saw anyone mention cloning the disk then putting it back in the new computer.
Thanks for any help,
Paintchip

Denny Denham · Answer

paintchip,

It won't work. Since your XP reinstallation CD is not an upgrade CD, the only way to install XP on the system with the Windows 2K cloned OS would be a clean install, which will remove all the contents of the hard disk and create a new registry which will not reflect the presence of your applications.

paintchip · Answer

Thanks for the reply. I have XP Pro full installation CD that I used previously to convert Win2k to XP on a Dell machine and it worked fine. I wanted to know if the new computer with different hardware would work with a hard drive from old computer. I assume that Win2K would install all the new devices on the new computer. Maybe I should delete all the devices on the new drive that is from old computer then transfer to new computer and let it re-install all the devices for the new computer. Did anyone ever try this approach?

Thanks,
Paintchip

d4m · Answer

try  'PC Relocator' this program will transfer anything from one machine to the next via cable ( USB  or Parallel ). No problem .

Dietmar · Answer

It may or may not work. The problem is, if it doesn't then you may end up with a hard drive from which neither of your two computers will boot. If you have a way to make a full backup of your hard drive, you may still want to give it a shot, but if you don't then that may be too risky a proposition.

In that case, you could try the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard that comes with XP. You will still have to reinstall all your applications on the new machine, but after that you can restore all of your old settings and data files with it.

preacherswife · Answer

d4m,

Did you by any chance run into problems with your modem not working after using PC Relocator?

I just ran the "Ultra" last night and now my running-well-for-months modem on the new PC cannot be found (error 797). Tried all but BIOS troubleshooting, including reinstall. Only fish item is COM3 in Control Panel modem setting and COM1 in Device Manager.

Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated... if you're still participating (I realize I pulled up an old post).

--P

Windows General

transfer programs from old computer to new

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