Data transfer.

[pitsmoorboy 17]

Hi, Is it possible to transfer data from my old desktop computer running  Windows XP. to my lap top running Windows 10. ?

[Jomie 30]

Several methods:

 

Via external hard drive or flash drive.

Install Dropbox on both computers and put the files in there. They may take a while to synch, depending on how much you have. 

Link the two via home group.

Take the hard drive out of the XP machine, put it in a caddy and connect it via usb to the laptop. It will appear as an ‘F’ drive or similar and then you can drag and drop the files onto the laptop.

 

The latter may be the best option because you will not have to connect the XP computer to the Internet. That is best avoided for security reasons. Caddies are quite cheap and it is a straightforward job. You can then reformat the drive afterwards and use it as backup.

 

Programmes can’t be transferred.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Jomie

[Janus 28]

Am always keen to learn. 

 

Jomie- why is drop box required? When I wanted to make a copy of the files on my xp pc I simply sent the folders from my xp pc to a spare hard dive that was in a caddy.

 

Col, if you want to borrow my caddy for the transfer you are very welcome to do so. I'm assuming it is the size of caddy that fits your HD.

 

Just checked pc shop for compatibility of my caddy and he says it will accommodate the small disc from a laptop. Caddy accepts disc size up to 5.25 inch. SATA  connection.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Janus
Additional info

[Happ 25]

1 hour ago, Jomie said:

 

 

Via external hard drive or flash drive.

 

This is by far the easiest, safest and “cleanest” method. 

[swarfendor437 14]

Might be worth investing in an external drive period so you can maintain backups to your external drive instead of paying M$ for one drive in Windows 10  - when that popped up on my Win  10 preview build I uninstalled one drive.

[Jomie 30]

Janus - Dropbox isn’t required but it is an option, mostly for folk who don’t have a lot of files to transfer. I’ve used it for transferring files to a new computer a few times and it has been quite straightforward. 

 

I use Dropbox all the time and find it handy because I can access the files in the app on my iPad. I wanted a previous version of a document a while ago and found one in Dropbox. If the computer crashes your files are still there in the Cloud. In this case I wouldn’t recommend it as it is best not to access the Internet with XP. 

[Top Cats Hat 10]

If you are using Dropbox make sure your 'old' computer can still run it. 

 

I used Dropbox to transfer stuff from an old G4 Powerbook as and when I needed it, then one day it just stopped working with whichever iOS the Powerbook was running meaning that I had to dig out the hard drive and transfer it to a firewire HDD to transfer to my MacBook Pro.

[pitsmoorboy 17]

7 hours ago, Janus said:

Am always keen to learn. 

 

Jomie- why is drop box required? When I wanted to make a copy of the files on my xp pc I simply sent the folders from my xp pc to a spare hard dive that was in a caddy.

 

Col, if you want to borrow my caddy for the transfer you are very welcome to do so. I'm assuming it is the size of caddy that fits your HD.

 

Just checked pc shop for compatibility of my caddy and he says it will accommodate the small disc from a laptop. Caddy accepts disc size up to 5.25 inch. SATA  connection.

Hi Janus, Caddy seems a good idea, I don't know how it works because I have never heard of it before. Your offer seems well worth a try.  It's an old desktop pc. with windows xp on it, not been used for quite some time, I just want to transfer all the stuff on it to my lap top..

 

[walkertelecoms 16]

Is it just a short term thing, shifting files while you format? USB sticks are cheap, I bought a 16gb one for about a fiver off eBay.

[Cyclone 10]

If you have both PCs simultaneously you could just move files over the network of course, but that will be slower than a USB stick or drive.

[Jomie 30]

Pitsmoorboy - is there any particular reason why you want to transfer the data to your laptop? If you don’t need it on a day to day basis you could just put the old hard drive in a caddy and leave it on there to access as and when. As long as the drive is ok then it will be the safer option, particularly in view of the various security risks that computers are subject to these days.  

 

People often come on here having lost all their data due to malware or hard drive failure and not having backed it up. Personally, I only keep current stuff on the laptop and move as much to two separate external drives and/or the Cloud as I can. Music files can easily be kept on a flash drive for ease of access.

[pitsmoorboy 17]

4 hours ago, Jomie said:

Pitsmoorboy - is there any particular reason why you want to transfer the data to your laptop? If you don’t need it on a day to day basis you could just put the old hard drive in a caddy and leave it on there to access as and when. As long as the drive is ok then it will be the safer option, particularly in view of the various security risks that computers are subject to these days.  

 

People often come on here having lost all their data due to malware or hard drive failure and not having backed it up. Personally, I only keep current stuff on the laptop and move as much to two separate external drives and/or the Cloud as I can. Music files can easily be kept on a flash drive for ease of access.

Hi Jomie,  that  sounds the best plan. where do I get a caddy from and are they all the same ? cheers..