You're ready to transfer vital business information from one computer to another to protect your company during employee transitions. If the new computer is running Microsoft Windows XP, you can streamline this task by using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. The wizard has a handy feature that you can use to specify which files and settings you want to transfer. By using this feature, you can avoid transferring data that is not critical to your business.

 Note   If the old computer is running a version of Windows other than Windows XP, use the Windows XP CD to get the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard started. If the CD isn't available, you can copy the wizard from the new computer to a floppy disk. Follow these steps to copy the wizard:

1. On the new computer, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
2. Right-click Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. Click Send To, and then click 3½ Floppy (A:) to copy the wizard.
3. Insert the floppy disk in the old computer, and start the wizard.

Choosing what to transfer

To pick and choose the types of information that you need to move from a computer, follow these steps:

1. Start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the old computer. Use the floppy disk that you created, or if the computer uses Windows XP, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click System Tools. Finally, click Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
2. Click Next to skip the wizard's opening page. On the Which computer is this? page, click Old computer, and then click Next.
3. On the Select a transfer method page, choose the option that corresponds to the transfer method that you have chosen. These are your options:
• Direct cable   This option refers to a "null modem" cable (sometimes called a "LapLink cable") that connects the serial ports of the two computers.
• Home or small office network   Your office network is your best option for transferring large amounts of data. If you use this option, you must first start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the new computer. Follow the messages until the wizard instructs you to return to the old computer to choose the files and settings that you want to transfer.
• Floppy drive or other removable media   The drop-down list shows all available removable devices that are installed on the computer, including floppy disk drives, high-capacity floppy disk drives, and USB flash memory keydrives. If you choose this option, make sure that the new computer has the same type of drive available.
• Other   Select this option if you want to save the files to a location on the computer or on your network. Click Browse to choose the location where you want to save the files.

  

4. On the What do you want to transfer? page, select the combination of files and settings that you want to transfer. These are your options:
   • Settings only   This option transfers Windows settings such as those for desktop, colors, and fonts, along with settings for various programs. For all transfer methods except a floppy disk drive, this option also includes all e-mail accounts.
   • Files only   This option transfers all of the files in specific folders, including those stored in My Documents and on the desktop. It also searches all of the other folders on the computer for files that have extensions shown in the list on the right side of the What do you want to transfer? page.
   • Both files and settings   This is the default selection.
   • Select custom files and settings   Click the check box to the left of Let me select a custom list of files and settings … to choose among all items that are on the list of available files and settings. Don't be intimidated by the warning that this is for advanced users; anyone can use this option, and it isn't particularly difficult to figure out.

     

5. Click Next to continue. If you clicked the option to customize the list of files and settings, the Select custom files and settings page appears. Follow the instructions if you want to add or remove any items, and then click Next.

   

6. If you chose a removable media device as your transfer method, the wizard calculates how much storage space is required for the options that you selected and displays the results for you. If your removable media has sufficient space, click OK to continue; otherwise, click Cancel and restart the wizard, choosing a different transfer method.
7. If you are using a network to complete the transfer, matching dialog boxes appear on both the new and old computers. The wizard displays a randomly selected password on the new computer. To continue, enter that password in the Password dialog box on the old computer. This security precaution prevents someone from using the wizard to steal files from the old computer.

   

   

After you finish these steps, the wizard collects the files and settings that you chose. On a computer that has a lot of files to transfer, this process can take hours, so be patient. Follow the messages to complete the wizard.

Transferring files and settings

If you chose to transfer files and settings over your network, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard handles everything for you automatically. On both the old computer and the new computer, dialog boxes that track the status of the transfer process appear.

If you saved your files and settings to removable media or to a hard disk, follow these steps:

1. On the new computer, start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (if it's not already running), and follow the messages. Specify that this is the new computer.
2. On the Do you have a Windows XP CD? page, select the check box to the left of I don't need the Wizard Disk. I have already collected my files and settings from my old computer. Click Next.
3. On the Where are the files and settings? page, select the location where your files are stored, and then click Next to continue.

   

The wizard handles the rest of the details automatically. If necessary, the wizard prompts you to supply additional removable media.

After the transfer is completed, click Finish, log off, and then log on again. All the files and settings from the old computer should be ready to work with on the new computer.