Transferring software to a new computer can be very hard. If you are moving from XP to Windows 7 and want to migrate programs over to the new computer you will find that there is only one software program out there that can help you do this. That program is PCMover. PCMover can transfer software from your old PC to a New PC as well as all your user settings, personal documents and other related files. It will even transfer over your e-mail and bookmarks.
Manual Method of Transferring Over Files
PCMover is not your only option for transferring over software. In some cases you can manually copy the programs files to a CD/DVD or thumb drive and then just copy those files to your new computer. What makes this hard is not all programs can be copied manually. There is no set website where you can go to tell you if you can copy a program manually or not. If the program is a simple program, than most likely it can be copied over. If it’s a complicated program like Word for instance that uses custom registry entries or Anti-virus software then you will NOT be able to copy the program over. Confused? You should be because it’s complicated stuff.
BEST PRACTICES
It’s always best to install software fresh on the new computer. This helps to eliminate any errors. Programs that are free like Firefox or Open Office are easily down loadable online. If however, you no longer have a manufacturers CD for software installed on your computer you can migrate it over using PCMover Here.
Many programs like Quickbooks, Outlook, Internet Explorer and the like have import export options. If you have the manufacturers disc you should install your software on the new computer and then on the old computer just export the data and import it over to the new PC.
Programs like Printer Software should always be installed fresh. This will save you headaches down the road. The manufacturer’s website should have all the drivers you need to make the hardware function correctly.
If you’re considering using PCmover you should check out the below links for helpful advice. I have used the program many times and even have a video walk through