MOVING OLD PROGRAMS TO A NEW PC.

 

By J. D. BIERSDORFERDEC. 23, 2015

Q. It has been a while since I bought a new Windows laptop. Is there a way to transfer over programs from my old laptop, or do I have to reinstall from the original discs? What’s the best way to transfer over the files?

A. Older versions of the system include the Windows Easy Transfer software to move files and settings from the old PC to the new one, but that utility is not included in Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft has formed an official partnership with Laplink, the company that makes a line of PCmover programs for migrating data between Windows computers.

As explained on Microsoft’s website, the company’s partnership with Laplink provides free data-transfer software for those moving from Windows XP (or later) to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 machines. The free software, PCmover Express, is available until Aug. 31, 2016. But it moves only files, folders and certain settings — and not installed programs, for instance — to a new Windows computer.

To move the programs installed on the old PC, you would have to upgrade to the PCmover Professional edition, which sells for about $60. The $40 PCmover Home version can also move applications, but it has limitations like moving just the files for one logged-in user and moving only one drive or partition to the new computer. Zinstall WinWin, which sells for about $119, is another data-migration option.

If you still have all the installation discs for the older programs you want to use on your new PC, you could use the free version of PCmover Express to move files and settings to the new laptop, and then manually reinstall the programs you need. Just remember that some outdated programs written for older systems may not work reliably on Windows 10.