Plan ahead when moving data to a new PC
Sunday, December 21, 2008

By the day after Christmas, many of you will be sorry you got a new computer as a holiday gift because you’ll be facing the task of setting up a new computer.

I just went through the process myself. I replaced my wife’s aging PC with a new one and moved her files. I started that job on a Monday. It’s Friday now. I’m mostly done.

If you read about the process online, you’d think an idiot could get it done in an hour or two. Well, I’m still tweaking and discovering programs I forgot to install.

But getting that new PC settled into your home is a big deal. You’ll want to move your e-mail and Web settings to the new machine. And there are photos you’ve taken, music files, Aunt Vera’s recipe for spaghetti sauce, plus all the little tweaks you’ve made to customize the way your computer works.

As usual, you can profit from my mistakes as we take a walk through the process.