transfer your old computer settings to your new computer
Ed Bott a while ago now wrote an article that I am linking up as I think it is worth bookmarking for future use. It is an article of some of things you should consider in setting up a new PC and transfering your files and settings to the new computer.
This article is for a windows XP machine.
“In an earlier column, Set Up a New PC, I described the four-step process I use to get a new computer up and running. If you’ve followed along, you can be confident that your copy of Microsoft Windows is up to date and that your computer is secure from outside attackers. But you still face one last hurdle. Your e-mail messages, your address book, and all your important files are stuck on that old computer. How do you move everything to your new PC, quickly and reliably?
The challenge is more daunting than it appears. Do you really want to use floppies or even Zip disks to transfer multiple gigabytes of digital music and photographs? Don’t assume that you can easily find all of your important files, either. Windows programs often hide important files in “secret” locations. E-mail messages stored in Outlook Express, for instance, are stored in a hidden folder and can’t easily be imported to your new computer.
Windows XP offers a powerful tool designed to automate this task for you. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard looks easy enough to use, but its quirks can be frustrating. In this column, I’ll show you three ways to work around those idiosyncrasies so that the migration process goes more smoothly.”
Read more here