How to Move Everything from an Old PC to a New PC
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- Опубліковано 15 тра 2024
- How to Move Everything from an Old PC to a New PC
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► HELPFUL LINKS
Beginner’s Guide to Building / Setting up a PC (Tutorial Playlist) - • How to Set Up a New PC...
Diana’s New PC (All White Build) - • Building a Meticulous,...
Diana’s Old PC (Hotbox, most recent 2019 version) - • Restoring HOTBOX: 3 Ye...
Diana’s Old PC (Hotbox, original liquid cooled version) - • Mini-ITX Watercooled P...
WinDirStat - windirstat.net/
How to transfer PC Game Files between PCs (PCGamer) - www.pcgamer.com/how-to-transf...
(Includes Steam, GoG Galaxy, uplay, Origin, Battle.net, Bethesda, Epic Launcher)
My SATA to USB 3.1 Adapter (Amazon) - geni.us/GhDM
► TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:37 3 Steps to Move to a New PC (and tools needed)
1:23 Step 1: Back Up Personal Files
8:26 Step 2: Make a List of Programs You Use, Copy Games
11:46 Step 3: Back Up Program Data - Bookmarks, settings files etc.
13:26 Moving the old PC out and the new PC in!
16:50 Final Notes and Outro
Please note that links above may be affiliate links -- clicking them earns me a small commission if you make a purchase and helps support my UA-cam channel. Thank you!
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My Mom got a new computer for her 92nd Birthday last week. She said she used the "onedrive thingy device" to move all of her stuffs. Then on the new computer she is installing the programs when she realizes she needs them. The first thing she get installed was roboform as her memory isn't what it used to be. I was really proud of her.
Holy shit dude, I would be super proud of her!
thats so cool
@@PurpleKnightmare they’re aren’t babies!
@@Johnnyy832 ???
I am a bit younger than your Mom, 65, and just love the fact she is 92 and still keeping up. I have been trying to decide if I even need a new computer and based on your story I have decided I do absolutely. Your Mom sounds like a fun lady I can understand your pride
Fun tip, holding Shift, while dragging to a new drive also switches to Move. When Move is the default, holding CTRL switches to Copy. I transfer files quite regularly and this is faster for me.
Nice tip! Only issue with move / cut is that if the files get corrupt in the migration you have no backup, hence why I always copy and paste.
@@zadekeys2194 that’s a good point
Thanks for that.
if you think that is handy, try Directory Opus. if you move files regularly, you'll love this.
I am a bit paranoid that I will move when I need to copy and vice versa and I never trust what windows/programs is considering default for drag and drop (move copy or make a shortcut) :D I always use right click
Quick note 1) The shortcuts that were leftover after moving the files from the Desktop folder stayed because they were in the 'All Users' folder (a.k.a. C:\Users\Public) Many programs put their shortcut into this folder so they can appear across all user profiles on the PC. Like Paul said, they're usually disposable, but it's worth looking before you delete them.
Paul, I(and many of your subscribers and fans) love your content. Please keep making more! I know the last couple years of the state of the computer component industry have made things more challenging for tech tubers, but we are here to support you through views and merchandise purchases.
May have missed it mentioned but the hidden AppData folder in the User folder can contain important files, for example some games store their saves and/or settings there. Set file explorer to show hidden files to find it or search "%appdata%".
This is true. AppData and "LocalLow"
It still pisses me off that developers haven't settled on one standard for save data location, they go hiding your data in the most obscure directory and wonder why people have problems with their software.
I usually copy the entire user folder...Don't know why you would do it any other way. Unless your drive is failing maybe.
@@okkrom me2
It’s really easy to transfer. Just copy the c:\users\profile you are using and copy that whole folder and paste it to the new pc. Everything from docs to desktop will transfer. It even goes to the original destination. It will copy the local app data and roaming app data.
you're the best paul. i built my first computer a few years back with lots of help from you. keep up the good work.
Genuinely the best tutorial I've watched on UA-cam, thanks Paul!
Honestly that lighting makes the video feel more...cozy and at home
my husband is just about to build my new computer (last part arrived yesterday) so this is very timely, thanks Paul! 👍
Man, I needed this video back in October, but I'm still here to support the channel my guy
Lots of handy little tips here, helpful for a noob or someone who just hasn’t had to do this for a while, thanks for this one!
I am planning to do a refresh (format and clean install) on my pc and the next step is exactly this. It is nice to see your method and what I had forgotten. And on my backup I am using the 3d objects folder for the models that I 3d printed
Thanks for all the videos. Would love to see more on best practices for backup and NAS storage along with some suggestions.
What I loved about your video is, that you asked subscribers to come back and give a thumbs up after they watch the video. Oftentimes, these UA-camrs tell people to hit the thumbs up before they even watch the video. So even though I've only watched a fraction of your video right now, I gave you a thumbs up because I appreciate the fact that you said to watch the video and if we like the video, to come back and give it a thumbs up! Bravo!
This was serendipitous timing! Thanks, Paul!
Thank you so so much for making this video and helping me to NOT go insane! Blessings.
This is great, just ordered a new case, cpu, aio and mb so this should be helpful moving over everything else
The is a very good tutorial and I have recommended it to a friend who lives a couple of hundred miles away, who has bought a windows 10 Laptop. The only issue I have with with this tutorial, is that it is almost impossible to read any of the file or folder names, as you move though explaining the process. Next time you do something similar, I would recommend using the Windows scaling feature to make text and screen objects larger. This will make your tutorials much easier to view and comprehend.
One of, if not, the best tutorial video I have ever seen on UA-cam. Very easy to understand and follow. Earned a sub!
Thank you Paul! This is something that no doubt will be necessary for me when I am finally ready to build my new PC.
Read the comments for additional tips. Lots of good ones.
I liked the content your video taught. You were a bit fast for me, so I appreciated having the transcript. Thank you.
And this is why everyone should always have two drives and/or a NAS; makes it super easy to maintain the files you actually care about so I can just reformat my OS drive whenever I want with minimal down time
This is actually really helpful. I know how to put the hardware together but data file management can be daunting.
What are those "good practices" you mention to get off to a good start and have fewer problems later?
Thanks Paul, I always learn something from your tutorials.
This vid helped a lot, super straight forward, appreciate the help.
Very helpful video! I will save this for whenever I build my new pc
Oh. This was a lot more straightforward than I was expecting the process to be. xD
Hey cool, I didn't even know about the right-click and drag to move the files over to the new location. Even after using Windows for as long as it exists I'm still learning new things to this day.
Love the way you explain everything. Dang good video!
At my work we use Fab's autobackup 6, does all of the backing up in like 3 clicks, restores data in the same way. Super nice!
Man I literally just finished building a new PC for myself today and I've not been looking forward to having to move everything over... excellent timing on this vid sir!
Not for me. I did it Sunday lmao
Just copy data over the network
Why not use the Macrium Reflect software application to clone the contents of the drives in the old computer onto the drives that will be in the new computer? Of course, new software license keys will need to added, especially for Windows and MSFT Office and such, but that too is easy. Cloning drive contents with Macrium Reflect is a much more efficient approach to this task, one I've done many, many times, than copying files by hand.
@@obsey fresh is best, cloning is quick and easy but can cause problems down the track
@@holdenman8850 Are you "serious"? A clone is an "exact" sector clone. Unless a "old" computer is absurdly old, a clone is a far better way to avoid problems than the gazillions of pitfalls in trying to copy individual files and folders by hand, possibly creating disasters like skipping essential files / folders on an historical disc. Even for a system drive, a simple trip to the Device Manager is the way to clean up, verify correctness of, and updated it device software. this is the way to avoid problems, the infinite potential problems than can result from hand copying files / folders, especially by using the File Explorer GUI. The video above, just was not very good advice at all, imo.
I did a data/email audit about once a year for a couple years, it only took 2 passes to cut the bulk of redundant files and folders, organize, and set up a folder structure I am content with. Now I just do a bit of housekeeping every 6 months or so for newly stored data. I have a WD Black 4TBx2 HDD RAID 1 array that is just about maxed with a neatly sorted collection of everything, a Samsung 1TB SSD for larger downloads and game storage overflow, a Samsung 512GB NVME M.2 SSD for the OS and primary games, a 2TB external backup for easy transfers and core keepsake storage, and assorted USB's/SD cards along the same lines for off-site backups. Over 7 years strong on this current configuration, just turning 8TB into the RAID 1 when I made the upgrade from i7-5930K/X99 to 5900X/X570, and I couldn't be happier. I pretty much follow the same protocol as you describe, I love having Firefox sync with a bookmarks folder for every manufacturer driver download page, apps and programs downloads, basically all software and drivers for every single piece of hardware and assorted peripherals. Unfortunately I have a Windows 10 USB from 2016, so updates are a bit of a pain! The real task is optimizing windows, setting overclocks, and downloading/installing games. I have built a pretty sturdy system that is upgraded as needed but generally has been the same format for almost 10 years now. a custom loop with a 5000RPM pump, 200mm glass reservoir running distilled H20, dual 140mmx30 rads in push-pull, 3000RPM Noctua fans that only ever see over 1500RPM when going for overclocking records, 1/2" I.D.-3/4" O.D. tubing, and solid nickel-plated copper waterblocks (Heatkiller/EK). It is absolutely overkill, and I should be ashamed of how much it has cost over the years, but combining my old parts with a new power supply paid for my CPU, and I make money through it's use, a small price to pay for one of the only luxuries I grant myself other than coffee. Having an enjoyable experience is paramount, and should be heavily invested in.
Thank you for this information Paul, vid was super helpful cheers mate.
Were you watching me? These are the exact steps I used in late December. After purchasing all needed components and driving to my sister's, I had her new computer built and Windows installed in a few hours. We then went through the steps you outlined here to get her data from her old PC to the new, using an external drive. Easy, fast and complete. Great minds.....
No, it’s because these are the same steps everyone takes for the last 40 years of computing
this video was SUPER helpful and well broken down - Thank You
May I ask/recommend another >> moving windows from one PC to a newer one - or if for example i'm upgrading parts of my build like moving to an SSD or M.2 drive from mechanical - do i need new windows .... etc
Yo spooky Paul,
I spoke to my brother yesterday about possible upgrades to his system.
Yesterday.
Thanks Dude.
This is very helpful Paul! Thanks sir!
I needed this video! I have a new case and want to upgrade a few things
Great help and details for this rookie! Thanks.
This was explained so well!
PCMover is an amazing utility to transfer from old to new, either via network cable or a mounted disk image. I needed a 64 bit version because of the sheer number of files on my old machine which broke their 32 bit version and their level 3 tech support/developer supplied a then beta and got it working. Highly recommended!
I've been following your tutorials since 2015.
This is great! I love tutorial style content
maybe he'll show us how to get corruption out of capitalism. wrong show?
Thanks for the great, informative and high class content. Always appreciated.
I think using disk imaging software such as Acronis will reduce a lot of the manual legwork that you have to do unless your intention is to do a fresh install and minimize the bloat that gets transferred over to the new PC, but for most people, the process will be much less tedious and time consuming. Also, in terms of game save files, many games support Steam Cloud so it will simply pull the latest version from Valve's servers once you launch the game, which reduces the headache of finding where individual save files are located as they vary per game.
My best advice is to plug all the old PCs drives into the new PC temporarily, then boot off that main drive. You can use a program like Acronis backup or similar that will allow you to copy an entire drive (even a boot drive) in their entirety. Your only snag might be if your board has only 1 m.2 and you’re upgrading, but that’s uncommon. You could always copy old m.2 to sata drive, the. Sata drive to new m.2. Upgrading my PCs m.2 from PCIe 3 to PCIe 4 took me only about 5 mins in setup, and whatever the transfer time was. Take the old drive out, boot off the new, good to go!
yeah or get a $20 m2 PCIe card
Im not to tech savvy, i was going to get another PC without OS/drives etc and just move my old SSD/NVME across...would that work ?
@@catlee8064 Oh that’s the easiest way. This video and my comment only apply if you are changing boot drives.
@@catlee8064 Umm. Not so much. back up everything apart from OS on USB. Easy to get even a 240Gb USB for under $20. Hell I turned one into an ear ring as a fashion statement. But do a clean install and install clean new drivers for MB Video drivers updated everything drivers, basically new driver for every single new piece of hardware in your system. And the software to best interface with that system. Without more info that's your best bet. I mean you haven't even said if going from Intel to AMD. But even Intel to Intel a fresh new install is ALWAYS your best bet.
I kinda did that when I got a new 2tb ssd instead of my old hdd. Only I never got around to actually plugging out the old one, so now I have to figure out how to save all my possibly dublicated data.... Sigh.
I have found the tools, just not the motivation
Hi Paul, keep up the great content!
I'm very happy with my alienware 3821dw monitor....sensible size / resolution compromise (38 inch, 3840x1600) nano ips, 120 hz (or 144 with chroma subsampling) gsync premium, good responsiveness and input lag, nice curve, well put together, overall great picture - just no complaints really other than price so just need to wait for a big dell sale....
Thx for the monitor info, do you happen to know what 42" Dell monitor his wife has?
I have an iiyama 43" I really like, but I like to stay informed on which ones are good 😁
Not going to lie, I really enjoyed the lighting in the beginning when you stated you thought it was poor conditions.
Great video! I have a 10 year old Acer laptop with windows 8 and all my programs in it... the laptop is working great but I needed some features it does not have. I purchased a 5 year old HP laptop with Windows 11 in it. I wonder if I could erase this new hard drive with Windows 11, install windows 8 for which I have an original CD, the same I used for my laptop now and then replace the hard drive with my current hard drive with windows 8 and all programs in it. Would that help the newer computer to "accept" my older hard drive? Thanks!!
One nice thing about having a Microsoft 365 subscription is that all your files are backed up to One Drive. You can log in on the new PC and all your personal files are already there. You can choose to either download them all or just stream them in as needed. I also find it nice because I can be working on some Project on my desktop and pick up right where I left off on my laptop.
We’ve all sinned man. We’ve lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain, and more. We now need to repent and trust that Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. This is very urgent tomorrow isn’t promised. Our works can’t save us but Jesus can!
I'm amazed that your way is pretty much how I do data transfers! And I also have several folders with pieces of older backups, dating from 2006 onwards. :-P
For my SSD, couldn't I just physically remove it and put it into my new computer? Or would it explode?
The Tech videos are great. Thank you
Wow. This video is really helpful. I had my first computer back in 1980. TI/994A. Since then I've had pcs, mac, worked off mainframes. I installed hard drives and software for myself and coworkers. I've gone from a 300 baud modem that took hours to download a file, to lightning speed. My first hard drive was 10Mb. I now have 27 Tbs of storage. I even programmed some in basic. I've gone from the earliest version of Windows and Mac and am now on Windows 10. The reason I am so thankful for your video is that I'm 69 years old now. Things are harder to understand. I was able to use advanced Excel and Databases. A lot of what you have shown I have done many, many times in the past. But for some reason it now seems like a daunting task. I have a brand new computer sitting in my living room. I've had it since May of 2023. I'm going to set that bad boy up!
8:00 you for got to talk about the appdata folder for game saves and other app specific config and preferences files for those who don't use steam's lovely autobackup functionality.
Lovely video.. nicely done! 😊
I am very happy with my Acer Predator CG437K 43" 4K monitor. Offers up to 144 Hz overclock. I run it at 120 Hz and it looks awesome. The only other panel I have been eye-balling is an LG 48" C1 OLED TV. I run my living room gamer on a 65" C1 and it is just stunning. The C2 later this year will offer a 42" version if I am remembering correctly.
This will help a lot thank you
Very helpful! I was fine following your directions on the old pC and got all my files on to a USB. On the new PC, it aleady has folders of the same name: Documents, Downloads, etc. How do I incorporate the old folder into the new ones? Do I replace the folders on the new PC and then copying the same folder name from the USB? Or should I copy individual files from the USB folders to the new folders?
Thanks Paul!
Ninite is a useful utility for downloading a number of programs easily, I think Linus recommended it
When I first built my PC about 4 years ago now, I had only a 128 GB boot SSD and a 1 TB HDD so I mapped my docs, music, videos, and Steam games onto D: instead of C: and it definitely came in handy when I had to RMA my SSD. Then when I had to reformat my boot drive again for whatever reason I had everything backed up already. Steam games especially saved me plenty of time not having to download everything again.
"I'm in our computer room today and the lighting is not that great" says Paul, standing in the most majestically lit room imaginable.
Dimitri approves.
Yes! Thanks Paul!
Thank you for this video,
Needing to transfer all files from one laptop to another PLEASE tell us Seniors what device do we buy what cable is it ? 🙏
I wanted an exact duplicate. I used system prep on the old pc to strip all the drivers. Took out the ssd. Put it into the new pc, added the drivers for the new pc. Activated, job done.
A bit late to the party, but your vid was a huge help for me as I have now gotten rid of my hdd and upgraded to a ryzen 5600x, from my old i5 4690k.
Paul -this was so helpful for me! awesome video!!!! several years ago I installed a program ( Examview, test making software) ( I'm a teacher) on my PC. I recently bought a new Desktop PC and want to transfer the software to the new. I installed the software orginally from a CD-rom. I have since lost the Cd-Rom. Would it still be possible to copy the data to USb or "write" the data to a CD/DVD Rw. Or do I need the orginally CD to "reinstall" the software on the new computer? I compressed the file to a Usb "thumb" drive and when I went to install / unzip the file, the data seems to be there, however, there is no setup/exe or .exe file to install the software. Any Ideas?
Hi Paul, great video. I am able to move my microsoft office professional to a new computer? I had it installed from my previous job. I no longer have any type of authorization code for it.
Great advice! Thanks.
Nice video Paul!
man, dont be childish, the lighting is actually great.
Thanks for mentioning WinDirStat! Do you know any program that can look for duplicate files? I have backups of backups of different ages.
THANKS SO MUCH i just got a new pc and wanted to transfer my files but i would like to know if you can transfer settings???
Is there a more direct method to transfer files? Like just use a USB cable to connect the two computers and copy directly from old to new, rather than copy old computer to external drive and then copy it all again from external drive to new computer? (more time saving process)
Thanks Paul 👍
You forgot about winget! Really fast way to see what you've got installed, and it will even pull what it can from the internet automatically if you import the file on the new machine.
winget export -o export.txt
By default it saves to C:\Users\, but you can change the path.
Hey Paul, you might like filelight for seeing which folders have how much where, etc.
Nice one thanks mate
🙂
most important tip is not your documents folder or the %appdata%, is this:
You will 100% forget something :) Keep your old pc somewhere for at least a couple of weeks before deciding it would be a nice experience to install arch on it - preferably somewhere connected to your network with remote desktop enabled - so that when you need that cv you had created using that old template and you need now you can turn on your old pc and get it :)
thank you for this
What is the new case? Have similar left hand setup.
How did you get th3 USB on the side bottom!
I didnt expect it to be this easy lol
I am btw moving to a new pc soon, would just taking the entire old c drive and plug it in as a secondary drive interfere with the new operating system? Or would it be safe and only draws from the new fresh c drive and require manual moving?
For a new monitor: MAG274QRF-QD from MSI at 1440p 165hz is a really good screen, high colour accuracy and a ~3ms G2G response time with 0 overshoot.
Could you make an updated video on your nas and how you set up things like backups of pictures from your phones.
What NAS are you using? it looks cool. I have a QNAP, but possible to replace with a newer model or even a different brand.
Love your videos Paul. As another alternative, couldn't you just transfer all the file on to a second SSD/M.2 in the current pc and insert that into the new PC?
On my last PC, I just pulled out the M.2 that contained my Windows 11 files and key and just dropped it in the new PC! I think I did a clean install at an early stage, but it worked in any case.
One thing I always have on my list is Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Credential Manager and backup Credentials, this will backup all locally saved credentials for network drives, outlook, and other apps.
You can combine steps 1&2 by getting a copy of cloning software and make a clone of one or both drives to the new drive(s).
I really like your videos. You are an alright dude
For personal data, outlook files etc I have a dedicated downloads drive and just save everything there directly so I don't need to do backups when I format my pc (something I do every 6 months or so) so I find this to be a very useful tip. I also do the same to my family's pc since I'm apparently the pc tech on call in my city :P
Hi just curious...why do you reformat every 6 months?
@@Josiuh I have a boatload of apps I'm running for work. All kinds of graphic and video editing stuff, coding and web design stuff, games etc etc etc, and my PC tends to get slower after some time and a fresh install cures it. Also I refuse to use antivirus or anti spyware stuff so it's for safety too. My system runs around 80TB of space and those apps try to police ALL of it.... All the time and slows it down even further
@@greaper1976 thank you
Hey, I live in Temecula. hahahah sorry I saw that search. Thank you for the video.
Great video, thanks. I use OneDrive, so when I get a new computer I just sign in with my Microsoft account and OneDrive sync data and apps install. I can also reset Windows using the recover option without having to backup any data, it all sync back when I login to Windows. Seamless process. I can also use my PC or laptop or phone and I have my documents available on all these devices, all kept in sync by OneDrive. I keep steam on a second ssd for easy transfer to new PC.
Great video. Thank you.
I have a question I have a older hp all in one desk top and it’s slow could I just purchase a new tower and use in on the older desk top? Thank you for your time. I’m not worried about saving nothing from the old desk top.
I'm kind a fan of just hooking up my old hard drive as a storage drive and moving things over from there... idk how it could be any simpler, plus you get an extra storage drive... or 3.
always better to have too much data than to lose data!
Oh , was never this early before.
caught you off guard there ey?
Instead of a physical media, if you have the cables, can also just plug both into the network and transfer files PC to PC. That's what I did since I lacked anything big enough to move files.
beautiful job on that new computer. Do you feel that a gaming computer would be a good choice as a Trading computer also? Thanks again
The 49" Samsung Odyssey Neo would be epic with that sweet pc build.
Gr8 video Paul!