Technological progress does not stand still. This is especially true for the development of computer technology, so most of us usually do not upgrade in the form of replacing the motherboard and processor, but prefer to simply buy a new PC or laptop that will be more powerful than the previous configuration (with a similar or updated OS). All this is good. But after all, on the new device, you will have to reinstall all those programs that were on the old PC or copy all user files, as well as configuration files of the operating system and previously installed applications, to its hard drive. It is clear that this can take a lot of time. Wouldn't it be easier to use the Windows 10 Transfer Tool from an earlier system so that everything you need is copied automatically? Of course, manyusers will respond in the affirmative. But very often pitfalls and problems await them, which Microsoft specialists prefer to remain silent about.
Means for transferring data to Windows 10 from other OS: the main problem of the tenth modification
The main problem faced by almost all users trying to transfer important data to other PCs is that in the tenth modification of the applet, which was presented in earlier systems as an independent system application, there is no.
Previously, this tool was called either from the "Control Panel" or from the "Run" console with the migwiz command. On Windows 10, this command does not work because there is no associated program file, and entering it in the console only opens the system folder of the same name.
What can be transferred?
In addition, it is quite obvious that in this situation you will only be able to transfer your user files, some (but not all) installed programs, as well as system settings, network settings, some applications, etc. Naturally, everything system libraries, even those outside the system directories and partitions, will also be copied automatically.
However, if you approach the whole process of transferring data from "top ten" to "top ten" objectively, frankly speaking, it's much easier to create a complete image of the entire hard drive along with the OS installed on it, use only transferring user data to Windows 10 completely inappropriate. But since youchose such a thorny path, let's go through it together to the end.
Note: keep in mind that migrating data from a 64-bit OS to a 32-bit one will be impossible in principle. On the contrary - no problem.
Where is Easy Transfer in Windows 10?
In legacy versions of Windows, the tool itself is called by the method described above. But in the tenth version of the system, you can use the one and only, which is called "File History". You can find it in the backup service section, which is located in the options menu. In order not to search for this tool for a long time, you can immediately use the search bar and enter the name you are looking for. To call it, you just need to right-click on the "Start" button and run the corresponding applet.
Which to use - cable or external drive?
There are several options for you to choose from, among which you can choose the one that suits you best. First, you can attach an external HDD to your old terminal or laptop. Secondly, you can specify copying data to a network resource (hard disk), if any. But do not abuse virtual cloud storages connected as network drives that synchronize their real volume with the computer's system partition.
Third, you can connect two computers directly using a special data cable, which is a cord with two USB plugs that connect to the corresponding ports on both terminals. It seems that the latter option is much more convenient, because if there is no hard drive at hand, the same flash drive will have to have an impressive volume to perform all the operations, and a new hard drive or USB-HDD is quite expensive for many.
Data copy process
Now let's go directly to the transfer. On systems below ten, press the Win button along with the "R" key and enter the above command to call the transfer tool.
In the window that appears, mark the transfer method, and as the source, select the source PC from which you are going to copy the information.
Next, you will be prompted to install the data transfer tool itself (it is not available in Windows 10, so you can install it on the media where the copy will go). If the transfer is carried out to equivalent operating systems (up to the eighth modification inclusive), this step can be skipped. After that, in the next dialog, click "Yes" and select the objects to be copied. If you click "No", the system will prompt you to save the user settings automatically and immediately. If the cable transfer method is selected, wait until the connection is established and then the copy process will start.
Activities on another computer
On the second PC, if the system is the same as the one from which the transfer was made, run the same applet, but select "This is my new computer" in the source selection dialog.
In the case of the "ten", go to the section of the backup service, click on the link to search for other copies (Windows 7), and then click on the link to select another archive from which backups will be restored. Then specify its location on removable media. In the case of a cable or network connection, a special key will be created first, which will need to be inserted into the field provided for it during the transfer process. When the copy is complete, the Compatibility Checker will automatically launch.
Note: sometimes there may be abnormal situations when the transfer of user information may not be completely completed.
In this case, it is highly recommended to copy the entire contents of the hidden AppData directory located in the user directory under Users on the system drive.
Using OneDrive
Windows 10 Easy Transfer is not always necessary. The fact is that in the "top ten" almost all user information is automatically synchronized with the OneDrive cloud service, which is enabled by default.
Only to use it, you need to log in not under local registration, but using a Microsoft account. This technique is useful when working with the eighth and tenth modifications, since earlier operating systems do not support this synchronization method. Alluser settings on the new PC will be restored automatically.
PCmover
If you don't like the native Windows tool, you can make things easier for yourself by using the PCmover app. However, it is paid. It is better to choose the Ultimate modification, which is distributed on Amazon, and a universal cable is also supplied with the optical disc.
WinWin Application
You can just as easily use the WinWin application, which costs almost a widow less than the above package, but works just as well. True, in both cases, you should take into account the fact that both programs are reliably protected from copying, so you must have an uninterrupted Internet connection (for software authentication). But even in this case, none of the known applications guarantees complete copying of data, and the process itself takes much longer than usual.
