sluggish Win 7 and 10 upgraded to hot Win 10 - transfer automatic or by hand?

[Steven Avery]

My biz partner in Oro Valley is saying goodbye to a couple of older puters, hopefully he can reinstall the OS (good to keep images) but their value is minimal anyway, a few years old, maybe one is 7, one is 10.

Two new HP i5 puters with SSD being installed, one from Craigslist, one from Best Bay (open box, big savings). Total cost $950.

So how does he get the new puters loaded with his biz stuff?

1) some automated way from Windows

2) simply reinstall the programs, and bring over any necessary data by hand (I usually use a USB backup or DriveHQ as the intermediary)

3) some other way.

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He is concerned about the time involved in (2), but that is generally my recommended way.  Then I can reconsider each program, and not bring over junkaroony (programs, registry entries, etc.

Your thoughts?

Steven
Dutchess Valley< NY

[BGM]

I just upgraded myself from win7 to win10.  My profile was 10 years old.  I chose to do a completely fresh install and manually copy over the settings and files that I wanted to keep.

I also installed a new SSD for my new OS, but I left my old HDD with my old win7 on it as an extra internal hard disk - that way I can fetch any files or settings I want whenever I want.  I did do fresh installs of all my programs that I wanted, but most of the settings I copied from the roaming folder of the old computer to the roaming folder of the new profile.

If you are just doing two or three computers, this way isn't too hard and can be done in a day or two in a mostly casual manner.  If you are doing 10 or more, I'd look for an automated way.

I've never really liked automated methods because I am quite particular on the way my computer is configured.

For moving to win10, I recommend O&O Shutup and O&O AppBuster to get rid of the win10 crap you want.  Then get WinAeroTweaker and OpenShell (newer version of Classic Shell) - between these two apps, you can make your win10 feel almost like your win7 and be quite comfortable with it. 

I am quite pleased with my own upgrade and the way things are working out for me.

[rjbull]

I'm doing your (2) method too, because I'm going from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit Windows 10.  But the following claim to transfer software for you:

• Total Uninstall can help transferring or deploying programs
• Paragon Drive Copy Business
• Laplink PC Mover

Sanity check - I haven't tried any of them for this purpose, although I'm using Total Uninstall to monitor certain installations at present.

[BGM]

For uninstallation, I just use Geek.exe - it does not monitor, but scans for leftover registry entries and files.  Works pretty well, is simple and I like it alot.  It has a very quick filter.  It can also remove win 10 apps, not just regular programs.

For one or two computers, it seems like a headache to guess what the automated approach would actually do.  When I do it manually, I know exactly what I'm getting - nothing more and nothing less, and for me, there's no alternative to that.

[4wd]

Mirin Software has a program that can clone supported programs, CloneApp.

https://www.mirinsoft.com/ms-apps

Haven't tried it since I find it easier to just copy out the 'users' folder before a reinstall, then copy back folders for any reinstalled programs.

[Steven Avery]

Thanks!

Here is Microsoft offering some thoughts.

OneDrive makes it easy to transfer your files and photos
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/transfer-your-data

They compare
OneDrive
USB/external drive
PCmover from Laplink

[Shades]

After 7 years a computer has "collected" a lot of cruft. While transfer software might spare you a bit of time to setup your new(ish) computer with your old tools and/or data, the accumulated cruft will hamper the functioning of the new(ish) computer for as long as you are using that system.

So, it is actually better to start from scratch, (re)configure your software and keep what you won't be using archived on the portable hard disk you will end up using for the transfer. A fresh start with 7 years worth of new insight(s) on how you need to use your software/configuration setup in a financially beneficial manner will be much more preferable, even if it does take more time initially to set everything back up on the new(ish) computer. That time investment will pay itself back quickly in time and/or money, because you'll end up with a much snappier system than muddying on with an old crufty setup.

There is even a chance that transferring your old Windows installation onto a different computer isn't even allowed (by the letter of the license agreement) from the old Windows license. OEM systems have a Windows license that is bound to the hardware of the computer they are installed on. This type of license is not transferable. And if the new(ish) computer also has an OEM licensed version of Windows on it, you'll enter some shaky legal grounds.

Now Microsoft won't care too much about this, but if you need to have everything properly licensed for business purposes, ISO certifications etc. it will be less of a legal headache to just start the setup from scratch instead of transferring.

[mouser]

I agree with the Cruft concept.. It's not just accumulated cruft, but accumulated modifications, settings, stuff you don't remember you did, etc.

Because of that, I think when practical, if you have the energy, it's healthy to start from scratch and force yourself to recreate your working environment on a new operating system, and move over your documents, etc.

This is a good opportunity for you to discover where all of your documents are stored, and start over with applications at their default settings, etc.

The one main caveat I will say with this approach is you have to preserve your old hard drive in some form (either leave the old physical hard drive alone and install the os on a new one, or a new computer, or fully image the old hard drive).  That gives you plenty of time (months) to make sure you have moved all your documents over and not forgotten something.

[wraith808]

The one main caveat I will say with this approach is you have to preserve your old hard drive in some form (either leave the old physical hard drive alone and install the os on a new one, or a new computer, or fully image the old hard drive).  That gives you plenty of time (months) to make sure you have moved all your documents over and not forgotten something.

It's for this reason I go with a blue/green approach.  I have two computers- the current, and the last.  When it's time for a new computer, I build in the last one, which will then become my current.  This also helps me if my current computer goes on the fritz.

[mouser]

Yes I think this is absolutely the way to go if you can afford it.  Keep the last computer as a backup and don't repurpose or dispose of it.  It's not just useful as a backup, but as a source of spare parts or parts, etc.