Files and Settings Transfer

Okay. You just purchased a new computer. The new system rocks, and you couldn't be more excited about converting that old Pentium 100 machine into a doorstop.

One problem, though: All that stuff on your old computer? All your work's on that old beast, and it sure would be nice to preserve all your settings from applications as well. You'd like to bring over your Quicken banking files, Desktop background and color scheme, Internet Explorer Favorites, and all the emails you had in Outlook. Is there a way to meet all your migration goals?

Of course. You new computer has XP preinstalled, and thus includes the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (FSXW), designed expressly for this purpose.

To get started with the FSXW, start at the new computer:

1.	Open the Start Menu and choose Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, which should appear the first few times you use the newly installed version of XP. To launch it at any time thereafter, choose Files | All Programs |Accessories | System Tools | Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
2.	Click Next to start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
3.	Choose the New Computer option and click Next. You may be asked by the Firewall about whether to block the program. Choose Unblock.
4.	The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard will be run on the old computer as well, and you must specify here where it will be run from. As shown in Figure 2-4, this usually will be the XP Setup CD. You can also create a 31/2-inch Wizard floppy disk to use on the old system. Figure 2-4. Specify the location of the FSXW files.
5.	Now go to your old system and insert the XP CD (or insert the floppy disk if you're using the floppy option).
6.	From the Welcome splash screen, choose the option to "Perform additional tasks" and then choose "Transfer files and settings."
7.	Choose Old Computer if given the option. If your old computer uses a previous version of Windows, the Old Computer option is automatically selected.
8.	Make your choice about how the operation will proceed: A direct connection between old and new computers Saving settings to file

Use the direct connection when possible, preferably over a fast LAN connection. (If you're connecting the Ethernet ports of two computers directlythat is, without a hubmake sure you have a crossover cable.)