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[Lance]

I finally got myself a new computer....not a flashy one just a HP w/ VISTA...I was wondering what would be the easiest way to transfer the files and programs to my new computer ? Just to warn you I am not a computer wiz.....

thanks

[mr_mojo_halen]

Lance wrote: I finally got myself a new computer....not a flashy one just a HP w/ VISTA...I was wondering what would be the easiest way to transfer the files and programs to my new computer ? Just to warn you I am not a computer wiz.....

thanks

Check under Program Files/Accessories/System Tools/ File and Settings Transfer Wizard

[Lance]

It says to use a null cable...are those expensive ?

[mr_mojo_halen]

I googled 'Null Cable' & it appears they are pretty cheap. :cool:

[steecoe]

take the hard drive out of the old computer & install it as a secondary drive on the new one, then just copy the files to the new harddrive.

[guitard]

steecoe wrote: take the hard drive out of the old computer & install it as a secondary drive on the new one, then just copy the files to the new harddrive.
Great idea.

And even for non-computer wizards - this is not hard to do. It's basically just four screws and connecting the power and date cable. The only tricky part (and this is not that tricky) is that you will probably have to change the jumper settings (the jumper is a tiny piece of plastic that gets inserted on pins of the back of the harddrive) on the harddrive that you're taking out of the old computer. Look on the outside of the old harddrive and it should show you the jumper settings for the various modes - you'll want to change it to "slave."

There are shitloads of websites with pictures that show all of this stuff to you. That's how I learned how to do it. Just google for "installing second harddrive."

You don't even need to fully physically install the second harddrive to test it out. Before screwing it in, just leave it dangling outside of the CPU after you've connected the power and date cables and adjusted the jumper settings. Restart your computer and see if it shows a second harddrive. If the computer doesn't boot up properly, it's probably the jumper settings. Once it boots up and shows the second harddrive, screw it in, and put the cover back on and you're done. If the drive has been partitioned (might have been since it was the system drive on your old comp) it might show up as two harddrives on the new computer. Don't worry about that though.

Make sure you completely unplug the computer before doing any of this. Actually unplug the power cable from the back of the computer, and once you've got the second drive connected, then plug it back in. Once you've got the second drive working and it's tiime to screw it in, do the same thing. Power down the computer, unplug the power cable, and then do the physical work.