how to move data from windows ME to XP

[Donna]

Hi... I was wondering how I can move my word documents, music files, etc
from Windows ME to XP.
I'm thinking of buying a new "tower" with XP installed on it
My system is pretty old now and I want to move it before it dies and I lose
it all.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi... I was wondering how I can move my word documents, music files, etc
from Windows ME to XP.
I'm thinking of buying a new "tower" with XP installed on it
My system is pretty old now and I want to move it before it dies and I lose
it all.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

The File and Settings Tranfer (FAST) Wizard is designed for this
purpose.

HOW TO Use Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293118


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[jmatt]

My system is pretty old now and I want to move it before it dies and I lose
it all.

You can lose everything on a new system just as easy.

Slave the old drive in the new tower, copy & paste what you want out of
the old drive into the new.

When you are 100% sure you have everything on your new drive, format
it.

Now you can use this to backup automatically onto the old drive, by the
minute or hour or day or week.

Karen's Replicator
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi... I was wondering how I can move my word documents, music files,
etc from Windows ME to XP.
I'm thinking of buying a new "tower" with XP installed on it

My system is pretty old now and I want to move it before it dies and
I lose it all.

Several points:

1. Your system dying is not cause for concern. The hard drive dying might
be. If the system dies and the hard drive is still good, everything on it
should still be recoverable.

2. Hard drives can die at any time, regardless of their age. Moreover at any
time you can lose everything on your drive to many other possible dangers:
user error, severe power glitches, nearby lightning strike, virus attack,
even theft of the computer.

3. Your question suggests that you do not have a policy of regularly backing
your up word documents, music files, etc. to external media. Considering
that you are *always* vulnerable to the potential loss of everything to one
of the dangers above, consider yourself lucky if you haven't lost
everything already. As has often been said, it's not a matter of whether you
will have such a problem, but when.

If I were in your shoes, I would consider that instituting an appropriate
backup scheme should be my highest priority--much more important than buying
a new computer or moving to Windows XP.

5. If you do move to a new computer and Windows XP, even with new hardware
all those vulnerabilities remain. Any backup scheme you institute now (and
backup hardware and software that you purchase) should still be usuble under
Windows XP.

6. It is now ten days until the consumer release of the next generation of
Windows--Windows Vista. If you buy a new computer with Windows XP installed
today, in ten days you will be running an older operating system, one on its
way out. To me that makes no sense. If you do buy a new computer, get one
with the latest version of Windows, Windows Vista.

7. Finally, if you do get a new computer, regardless of what operating
system is on it, you have several choices of how to move your data over.
Which is best for you greatly depends on how much data you have to transfer.
Here are some choices:

a. Transfer them on diskettes.

b. Transfer them on CDRs.

c. E-mail them from the old machine and read the E-mail on the new one.

d. Network the two computers, and just copy the files over the network.

e. Temporarily (or even permanently) install the old computer's hard drive
in the new computer and just copy them over.

f. Use a USB thumb drive

g. Back them up to an external hard drive, and restore them from there on
the new computer.

I like choice g the best, since that gets you started on a much-needed
backup scheme.

 

[Donna]

I dont have that available on Windows ME.... looks like it is only available
on XP.

The File and Settings Tranfer (FAST) Wizard is designed for this
purpose.

HOW TO Use Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293118


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand

Russell

 

[Donna]

Thanks for your tips...

To backup to an external hard drive, I'll need to first buy an external hard
drive.... and then how do I the backup to it. Is it a cut/paste type thing?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks for your tips...

You're welcome. Glad to help.

To backup to an external hard drive, I'll need to first buy an
external hard drive.... and then how do I the backup to it. Is it a
cut/paste type thing?

That depends on you and what you want to back up. The simplest method is, as
you suggest, copy and paste, and that may meet your needs. There is lots of
third-party backup software available, and you may want to explore the extra
capability of what that can do for you. But at a a minimum, just copy and
paste can provide you a lot of significant protection.

 

[Ron Martell]

I dont have that available on Windows ME.... looks like it is only available
on XP.

When you get your Windows XP computer you can create a "wizard disk"
on a 3.5 inch diskette (if the new machine has a drive) or on a USB
memory stick. Then you can use that to run the FASTW on the old
computer.

See the article by MVP Gary Woodruff at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."