Buying new PC - how to transfer data from the old one? Help!

Alan_Cross

Can any kind soul give me a short, idiot's guide to how I can transfer the contents of my documents thingy here on my old PC over to the new one when it arrives?

Please: assume I have zero knowledge of techno-jargon...which is preciously close to being the truth... I don't know a file from a folder... nor do I have any intention of ever knowing...

What is the simplest possible way, please?

GunJack

COPY the contents of your existing Documents folder onto an external hard drive, then PASTE them into the Documents folder on the new one

simplest for what you've asked for....

pappa_golf

ok , 2 choices


1: read and learn
2: go to a PC shop and pay for it to be done


if you intend to learn , then you will have to provide more info , simple things like are they both running windows , or are they "macs" or a mix of each?


if running windows , state the operating system on both of them , and do you have enough monitors/k/boards to run both at once? , do you have access to cd/dvd writing equipment or even own a portable drive or pendrives?

Fightsback

Alan_Cross wrote: »

nor do I have any intention of ever knowing

Therein lies your problem, wilful ignorance is a very expensive and unredeeming quality so why should anyone bother to educate you ?

[Deleted User]

How to do something without the desire to learn how to do it safely and properly? Pay someone

Go to a computer repair shop and ask for a quote.

OR

1. Buy a portable hard disk
2. Copy all your documents onto it
3. Copy them back from the hard disk onto your new PC.

You'll also have backed them up doing this

Oblivion

Another vote for a portable hard drive that will also serve for future backups. I use these Western Digital 'My Passport' drives and have found them very reliable.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Passport-Ultra-Premium-Portable/dp/B00Y0R9DDE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452252443&sr=8-2&keywords=my+passport+ultra+2tb

Sooler

Alan_Cross wrote: »

I don't know a file from a folder... nor do I have any intention of ever knowing...

You're beyond help.

googler

On the basis that you have some kind of router or homehub connecting your current PC to the internet -

Connect your new PC to this router/hub as well as the old one.

For the Operating Systems in use on each, google 'File Sharing (Op Sys Name)' - substitute the name of each Operating System in the search term

Share the folders on the old machine which you want to copy to the new.

On the new machine, look for the Shared folder(s) in Network Places or similar (this will vary according to OpSys, so google may help again), and copy the data from old to new.

Keep the Hard Drive from the old machine as a backup. There's plenty of guides on the internut on how to remove a hard drive.

Sorry, but you WILL have to learn some stuff if you want to do this. If there's anything you don't follow in the above, that you can't find from Google, ask here again.

Alan_Cross

My thanks to those who answered the query rather than make gratuitous comments.

Very useful.

I shall get one of these external drives which have been mentioned.

agrinnall

But if you're not prepared to learn the difference between a file and a folder then I fear you will waste your money buying a hard drive as you won't have a clue what to do with it. If you wilfully refuse to learn then you'd be better putting the money towards paying someone else to do it.

elektra

Alan

You may find these self learning websites useful

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/windowsbasics/3

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/bringing-your-files-with-you

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/techsavvy/backing-up-your-files

There are many more useful topics on that website.