When buying a new personal laptop or desktop PC, users ask themselves: âHow to transfer files from computer to computer?â Indeed, on the old âcarâ were your favorite films and music tracks, important documents and photographs, many useful programs and interesting games, and so on and so forth. So, if you have no idea where to start in a similar situation, then this article is just for you. First, you will learn
how to transfer files from computer to computer. In addition, we will tell you how to delete information from hard drives, so that you can get rid of your old PC without fear that someone will be able to find out your passwords, confidential bank account information and other important information. Indeed, you must admit that finding your home video on YouTube would be, at a minimum, unpleasant.
Windows Transfer Tool
To carry out this procedure, it is recommended to use the standard utility program. If your computer is running WindowsVista or Windows 7, then half the battle has already been done, since the mentioned function is included in them. If you have Windows XP installed on your PC, you will need to install the tool âInformation Transferâ, after downloading it from the official Microsoft website. So, the program has been downloaded and installed. We go to the "Start" menu, select the "All Programs" tab, then "Standard and" Utilities ", and then run our utility. The program opens, and on the main page displays information that this functionality can transmit. Next, you need to decide which method you will carry out the transfer. There are many ways to transfer information from one computer to another. Let's consider some of them.
Method one
This method involves connecting two PCs using a network cable, such as a twisted pair cable. Let's look at how to transfer files from computer to computer in this way. First you need to make sure that both PCs have network ports. For all modern computers, this interface is built into the motherboard. The connector itself is located on the rear panel of the system unit. But for older devices, the NIC interface was not included in the basic package, but was implemented as a separate network card, which must be inserted into the motherboard connector. Next, connect the network ports with a cable. The twisted pair pinout must be cross. After that, make sure that the network interfaces on both computers are turned on. To do this, go through the "Start" menu to the "Control Panel". Select âNetwork Connectionsâ and click on the âLocal Area Connectionâ function. Next, you need to assign a static (permanent) IP address.
Step-by-step instructions for setting IP and other network settings
1. Go through the "Start" menu to the "Control Panel".
2. Select the âNetwork Connectionsâ function.
3. Right-click the manipulator on the LAN connection shortcut. A pop-up window will appear on the screen. Select "Properties".
4. In the new window, activate âInternet Protocol (TCP / IP)â and click on âPropertiesâ.
5. Select "Use the following IP address". Next, you need to enter the data listed below, and click "OK."
For the first computer:
- IP address: 192.168.100.1;
- Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0;
- Gateway: this field must be left blank;
- DNS servers: also remains empty.
For the second computer: IP address - 192.168.100.2. The remaining fields are identical to the first "machine".
6. Check the network connection between the two personal computers. To do this, click the "Start" button and select Cmd. Enter ping 192.168.100.2 on the first âmachineâ in the line and check whether the response is received or not ("Reply from 192.168.100.2: number of bytes = 32 time <1 ms TTL =" 64 ").
After the network is configured, you can proceed directly to transfer files to a new "machine". Each user knows how to find files on a computer that need to be transferred. You can use the standard manager for working with folders of the operating system or any other program of this type. After that, select the folders we need, press the right mouse button and select âSharingâ to these files. A hand should appear under the folder, if this happened, then you did everything right. If the files are not copied to the computer, then you should run the âNetwork Setup Wizardâ. To do this, go to the "Start" menu, select "Control Panel" and click on the Network Setup Wizard. Launch the âSharing Wizardâ for folders and files. Next, enable the search for the shared folder on the first computer. Through the Start menu, start âSearchâ, select âComputer on the networkâ and âType 192.168.100.1â in the name of the PC in the search box. Shared folders and files will appear in the right pane. Now you can copy.
The second way to transfer data
This method involves saving the files and folders you need to a USB flash drive, external hard drive, or optical disk. The inconvenience of using disks and flash drives is obvious - this is a small amount of media. As a result, such a transfer will take a long period of time. How to transfer files from a computer to a USB flash drive should be known to any user of a personal computer, so we wonât dwell on this method in detail. Simply copy the necessary data to the media of your choice, and then copy it to a new computer. This method is called manual.
The third way to copy information
It is elementary, but not always feasible. It involves removing the hard drive from the old computer and installing it in a new one, and then copying all the necessary files and folders to the hard drive of the new PC. After that, the old disk is removed and installed on your computer. This method is very simple from a technical point of view. Its advantage is simplicity and cheapness. But there is a drawback: if a new computer is assembled in a store, then it will be sealed. If you break the seal, you will lose warranty service. How to transfer files from a computer in this way will be clear to any user. In fact, this method repeats the previous one. The only difference is that the storage medium is not connected via a USB interface, but directly to the motherboard.
The fourth way to transmit information
Let's look at how to transfer files from computer to computer using the Internet. Using this method, only files can be transferred. If you need to move programs and applications, use another method. So, we select all the files necessary for transferring, move them to one folder. You can specify any name for it. Next, we archive this pack using WinRAR, set a password of 12 characters. The key should not be a word, it is best that it be a random sequence of numbers, letters and symbols. Next, we use file sharing. The Internet offers a huge variety of similar services. We write our archive there, and then upload it to a new computer.
Program transfer
It often happens that in addition to movies, music, photographs and documents, you need to rewrite software or various applications. The complexity of such a transfer is the need to update the software for compatibility with the new personal computer. Therefore, for such copying, it is better to use the standard service of the Windows Easy Transfer operating system. The advantage of this utility is not only in the instant transfer of data, but also in obtaining recommendations on what programs and applications can be installed on your new computer.
Information Security
If important data is stored on your device, then you should not forget about the need to create backups. You can use your personal cloud storage for this. However, it is best to purchase an external hard drive and conduct timely backups. For this procedure, the Windows operating system offers a special service, thanks to which this process will be carried out automatically every night. In order to find it, you should go to the "Start" menu and type "sync center" in the search bar. Further, following the instructions of the âSchedule Setup Wizard for Synchronization Wizardâ, we set the time and frequency of this process.
Cleaning your computer from unnecessary files
A user of a personal computer should be aware that transferring data from an old unit does not mean at all that it has been completely removed from the hard drive. If confidential information was stored on your machine that should not fall into the hands of strangers, then it is better to use special programs. They remove all traces of the presence of your data on the hard drive. It is believed that after such a procedure it is not possible to restore erased information. However, as practice shows, it is possible, everything lies, as they say, in the price of the issue. There is professional software that can recover any data, but its price is tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, government organizations working with classified information get rid of discarded hard drives by physically destroying them. So you decide: if you are a simple layman, you can use file removal programs, and if not, then it is better to use a drill.
How to transfer the page file?
This is a special hidden file that is located on the hard drive. It is used by the operating system to store data that does not fit in the computer's RAM. The RAM and the swap file form one virtual memory. And it is located on the hard drive along with Windows system data. Consider how to transfer the Windows 7 swap file. Go to the virtual memory section and select the hard drive on which this file is installed. For example, drive C. We activate the item âWithout a swap fileâ. Further, the operating system will warn about the impossibility of recording debugging information in its absence. Click the "Yes" button. Now you should specify a new swap file. To do this, select another hard drive, for example, D. Activate it, specify the size (you must specify "Source" and "Maximum"). Click âSetâ, then âOKâ. After that we reboot the computer. That's all, the page file is migrated.