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Migration is simply the transfer of information
from an old computer to a new computer. It can be done "automatically"
with very little user involvement using migration software,
or manually, usually by a computer expert who knows what to
do and has plenty of spare time to do it!
Most people underestimate what can be migrated,
so let's take care of that right now.
Files:
If you have had your computer for a while,
you've probably got hundreds, maybe thousands of files. They
include music, photos, spreadsheets, documents, financial
files, and much, much more. You may have already encountered
the need to move a file from one computer to another and for
a few files at a time it is relatively simple; save the file(s)
to a floppy, CD, Zip disk, etc. and move the file to the other
computer via the media.
The problem is much larger when you consider
moving all the files, or the majority of them, to a new computer.
You need to consider the folder structure and organization
that you have. Plus, if your method of moving files in the
past has been via a floppy disk, expect to need MANY floppy
disks or do a lot of formatting and reformatting.
For example, 1 gigabyte of data would require over 1,000 floppies.
Settings:
These include things like your Internet
dial-up number and username, background pictures, shortcuts,
custom tool bars, and more. Most people have spent considerable
time over the life span of their PC creating settings and
it would be a terrible waste of time to have to create them
on a new computer.
Migrating settings can be very difficult
to do manually, but fortunately, is one thing that migration
software does very well. The reason that settings can be so
difficult is because in most cases the data that maintains
the settings is accessed only by the application and not the
user. It requires in-depth knowledge of the application to
know where those settings and data are stored and how to extract
them. For example, In Microsoft Outlook there are over 400
settings that can be modified by the user from multiple "Contact"
files to "File - Open" locations
The task becomes even more complex when
faced with moving those settings to a different version of
the same application, since sometimes the way that the data
is handled differs from version to version.
Email:
If you use an email product like Microsoft
Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora or Netscape, it can be extremely
tricky moving it to a new computer.
Two major challenges need to be faced with
moving your email to a new system: 1) What type of email you
are using and, 2) What email will you be using on the new
system. The real challenge lies not only in finding the email
data file and moving it over (if you have many messages be
prepared to have a higher capacity media to hold the entire
file), but in placing it in the right location and creating
the right settings in order for the email to work on the new
computer. This can be a nightmare if done manually, but again
quite simple for migration software.
Applications:
Most migration software vendors, including
Detto Technologies, do not move applications for one simple
reason. It's very hard to guarantee that every application
that is moved will run on the new PC with a vastly different
Operating System, i.e., Windows XP. The last thing we want
is for you not to be able to use your new PC.
Detto recommends that you install the applications
on the new PC with the original disks from the manufacturers
or the software you purchased separately. If you choose to
purchase migration software that does move applications, be
aware that your new PC may not work, or that some applications
do not work, and you will have to spend time figuring out
how to repair your new computer.
If
you still need assistance, please contact us via email at
migration@detto.com.
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