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Time to replace the PC, need help with cloning


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Don't know about a cloning program (don't like software), but I've had good success with merely adding the original drive to the new machine as drive D (or whatever) and simply copying the files from one drive to the other. 'Course if your hard drive 'dies' this won't work - but then your way beyond the cloning stage anyway. May void your warranty.

If it's a laptop your 'cloning' I just use backup (does anybody make them) copies that I've created throughout the year.

Software -

Free 15 day full-functional trial

http://www.drive-image.com/?GGLAW901

If you can't do it in 15 days . . .

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Don't forget your 3d inspection. It may need an upgrade for a different operating system.

Marc

Yep, that is one reason I'm switching over to HIP. 3D has pretty much priced themselves out of the market as far as I'm concerned. Their customer service is lacking big time and if you do not subscribe to their yearly service you get no help. I running 9.0.2 version and from what I have been told it will not work on Windows 7 very well if at all. But for almost $1000 I can get the new upgrade that works!

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OK, the time has come to buy a new PC for the office. The old stone tablet is just wearing out!

What I'm looking for is a good and easy to use cloning software so I can move programs from my old computer to the new system.

Any suggestions on a cloning program?

It's not going to work. The programs just aren't going to like moving from an old operating system to a new one. It'll be like me trying to transplant okra from Georgia to Oregon.

Make a list of your programs and do fresh reinstalls in the new system.

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I wouldnt want to bog down a new system with a total clone. I would copy the most important things to an external usb disc so accessing them with the new machine would be easier.

He's wanting to copy his program files. It won't be much use having them on an external disc.

Well that was what I wanting to do, but that is looking more and more like a pipe dream!

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Scott, 99% of programs on Windows write to the system registry (ironically HIP is one of the few exceptions) so you need to reinstall them to work. The main thing is moving your data and getting the USB cable to connect your old laptop drive is one way or just do it via flash drive or over the network. If you get stuck with something just let me know.

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Scott,

First install all your programs on the new machine. Then move all your data and settings using Windows Easy Transfer via your home network (the easiest and fastest way) or a USB drive, external drive, etc. Easy Transfer is built into Windows 7 and Vista, and you can download it for XP. There is a wizard that guides you through the process and you select what gets transferred.

Here's one trick: when it asks you to start the transfer, click OK on both machines almost simultaneously, otherwise you may get an error message and have to start all over.

The great thing about it is your desktop settings, file structure, etc. will be exactly the same as on your old machine. It takes a long time, though, hours and hours depending on how much you are moving.

I just used this procedure to move all my stuff to a new machine, there were just a few things that didn't get moved like email contacts, mailboxes, etc., maybe I didn't select those during the setup.

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I just went through a scrub of my notebook's hard drive and loaded W-7 Ultimate along with Office Pro Plus 2010.

I keep all my 'data' files on an external HDD to begin with so it was just a matter of reinstalling the programs on the notebook once I got the new OS leveled out.

Dom's right ... copying/pasting/cloning just doesn't work. The registry would not be at all happy with things.

I have some legacy combination printers and some older applications that balked at first with 'old drivers', but Windows was able to find all but about two and I downloaded them from the vendor's site and updated them.

Be sure you make appropriate backups of your e-mail contacts and items such as that (depends upon your e-mail client of course). I thought I had done that correctly, but did not and was fearing I had lost them. Turns out I had a backup on my HDD of the inner backup of some nature for my e-mail client and was able to extract them and reload into the new client. Whew!

All in all ... W-7 is pretty nice with my change from XP-Pro. My backup machine and my wife's are still on XP-Pro.

I've considered Apple, but that is a bigger move with more $$ than I can take on currently.

Scott - best of luck in the change.

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