Changing Computers (Part 1)
By Mr. JM
Recently we had a clean out of stock at work. As an exclusively IBM (now Lenovo) company, we regularly replace the older computers and so have a range of machines which, while by no means useless, are not wanted by the company. We cycle laptops every three years and desktops every five years.
However, one of the sites recently replaced a machine that wasn’t IBM/Lenovo with one that was. Before throwing out (or cleaning up and passing to staff for a home computer) the box, I took a look at what was in it.
Turns out it is a better machine than the desktop I have on my desk at home, so I snaffled it.
But that raises a problem – on my home PC there is the accumulation, across two large hard disks, of software, installations, documents, movies and music. I don’t want to run two PC’s so one has to somehow move across to the other.
I thought it might be useful to go through the process I follow in converting one system into my new home system while cleaning the other to act as a network ‘server’ which will run the network, printers and scanner for myself and JM.
It is a complex process to follow if one wants to keep the environment from the original PC. The easiest way is to simply place the new PC in place with the raw bones of your system (Windows, Office, Windows Media Player and other software you use) and let the accumulation process start again.
But that involves also finding all those downloads, reconnecting to sites, rebuilding favourites and contacts for email. It could be months before things get back to ‘normal’ doing it that way.
But how do you find all the stuff on your old PC to move it over? Where do you get a list of what is installed so you can install it over on the new PC? If the PC is second hand, how do you set it up to be ‘as new’ for your own use?
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