USB Transfer Cables

[Reeves]

As you may have read in my first post, I'm looking for a new computer. I've heard of USB cables that let you transfer everything on your hard drive to another one.

How do these work and where would I find one?

Thanks

[Dr Lobster*]

you get them from most computer type places... pc world might even have one.

if not: http://uk.insight.com/apps/productprese ... 28%26CM%3D

if both pcs have network cards, you can achieve the same thing with a rj45 cross over cable -you can get these for just a few quid from cpc.

[Sput]

I've found the usb ones quite slow (especially for the likely presence of only USB1 ports on an older computer) and their software clunky, so as the man says, if you can do network cable then go for it.

[Neil Jones]

As you may have read in my first post, I'm looking for a new computer. I've heard of USB cables that let you transfer everything on your hard drive to another one.

How do these work and where would I find one?

Thanks

There's a few ways to do this:

1) Hang both hard drives in your (new) computer and use a program like Norton Ghost or whatever to do an exact clone of the old drive onto the new drive. This will of course take your Windows with it as well, and if its Windows XP it will probably complain bitterly when you load it up again on the new computer.

2) External Hard Drive caddy - put the old HDD in there and use a standard USB connection on the new computer to get what you want.

3) Alternatively, if both computers have a network port, just use that and the built-in networking features of Windows to get what you want off of it.

[Reeves]

Thanks for your help, guys. I'll see what I can do.

[Reeves]

Forgot to ask something...

If I decide to transfer EVERYTHING from an old computer to the new one, will I need Windows installed on the new one before I transfer? It's just that I am hoping to transfer every single piece of data from this computer onto a new one.

Thanks

[Dr Lobster*]

Forgot to ask something...

If I decide to transfer EVERYTHING from an old computer to the new one, will I need Windows installed on the new one before I transfer? It's just that I am hoping to transfer every single piece of data from this computer onto a new one.

Thanks

you'll need to have a fresh install of windows on your new pc, and you'll need to reinstall your programs again.

although it is possible to create an image of your old computer's hard drive and copy it into your new one, this probably won't work very well or at all.

windows doesn't lilke you doing this, and where we've tried it at work (we have quite a few different laptops from the same manufacurer where the model only varies slightly) this doesn't work properly. sometimes it works, other times windows won't even start.

when it comes to moving all your old applications and files from your old to a new pc, there is no easy way to do it i'm afraid.

user data can be copied, but applications, including windows will have to be installed again, and whilst the user/settings transfer wizard in windows xp will transfer some things, you'll still need to do the bulk of the stuff yourself, and i'd make sure you do it properly otherwise you'll end up with your new pc being less stable than your old one.

[Sput]

Plus you'll want to make sure, if you do choose the files and settings transfer wizard, that you have the latest version on your old computer.

I got stung very badly by when the message popped up on the new one saying I'd used an out-of-date version to collect the files and settings and that I needed to do it again with the newer one. Of course by then the old computer was in pieces.

Tsk.