FAST

[Grod]

I transferred files and settings using the Files and Settings
Transfer (FAST) Wizard. It seems to have transferred the settings
and the Microsoft Office files and folders but many others
were not transferred including nearly all the files in
a folder that I mostly use to store .zip files, my email was not
transferred (I use Pegasus email, not Outlook), etc.

I eventually networked the computers together and used the
command line xcopy command to copy the entire disk on the old
PC to a subtree on the new PC to ensure that everything is
somewhere on the new PC and over time I will clean it up. This
is not ideal since there is a lot of files now on the new PC
twice, once in the xcopied subtree and once where FAST put them.
Also the OS got transferred when I did the xcopy taking up
space in that subtree.

1. Is there some way to get FAST to transfer everything (other than
the OS)?

2. Is there an alternative to FAST if it can't do it.

3. The new computer has a wireless connection and I found I had to
disable this to get FAST working. Why was this necessary?

Thanks.

 

[Dave]

There are other available transfer utilities but I don't
trust automated utilities to try to figure out what is
and isn't important to me on my old computer. This is
made worse by (usually older) programs that don't cleanly
separate their own files from user data. I figure a move
to a new computer is an opportunity to do housecleaning
and reorganizing. First clue: if it takes me more than a
few minutes to find all my stuff, then some restructuring
is in order.

But if you can find one that gets it right every time,
let me know!

Also if you have your backups separated into user and
system that can be a great way to get your stuff on to
the new machine.

 

[Grod]

There are other available transfer utilities but I don't
trust automated utilities to try to figure out what is
and isn't important to me on my old computer. This is
made worse by (usually older) programs that don't cleanly
separate their own files from user data. I figure a move
to a new computer is an opportunity to do housecleaning
and reorganizing. First clue: if it takes me more than a
few minutes to find all my stuff, then some restructuring
is in order.

But if you can find one that gets it right every time,
let me know!

Also if you have your backups separated into user and
system that can be a great way to get your stuff on to
the new machine.

I agree that good organization makes this easier but now that
I have done it others are asking me to transfer their computers
too and its not up to me what's on their computers or where it
is so I am still wondering what the best approach is.

I did find a number of commercial migration utilities reviewed
on the net:

http://www.pcmag.com/print_article/0,3048,a=41779,00.asp
http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20031231.html

and I did invest in a crossover cable but I was hoping I would
not need these packages.

 

[Alex Nichol]

1. Is there some way to get FAST to transfer everything (other than
the OS)?

2. Is there an alternative to FAST if it can't do it.

3. The new computer has a wireless connection and I found I had to
disable this to get FAST working. Why was this necessary?

I suggest a read of Gary Woodruff's article on Files and settings
Transfer at http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm