Garycase,
Thank you so much for your advice and my "Vista-itis." A few comments on your suggestions:
(1) Actually, the "Download of the day" is pretty bad about dates. I recall downloading an application on the day of release, forgetting about it and trying to install it 2 days later. I got a message saying that it won't work now that the date is past. This happened again with a different application too, so they are strict with the dates.
The thought of changing dates on a new PC sends shivers down you-know-what. It's probably a no-brainer for you, but for Nervous-Nelly here, not so much. Is Laplink's PC Mover able to take an application with all its respective registry dll's, etc and move it to a new OS? Would that be better than transferring my data from backup drives?
(2) I don't have any router. I have a high speed internet cable connection and 2 stand alone PCs. Will the wizard work only if the PCs are linked via a router?
(3) If you mean INDIVIDUAL FILES larger than 4 GB, definitely not.
(4) Are there any good imaging programs that are Open Source or free? Would the image be done onto a DVD or a backup drive?
Thanks again; I feel like a kid learning to ride a bike without training wheels.
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by: garycasePosted on 2009-07-03 at 17:40:26ID: 24775085
The best preparation you can do is what you've already done -- think about what you need on the new system; backup all of your data; and be sure you have the installation media for all the programs you want to install. (Be sure you've got all those .ZIP downloads on your external backup drive.)
Beyond that, I'll offer a few comments on each of the questions you listed ...
(1) The downloaded .ZIP archives for these should let you install them with no problem. I'd think this is also true for your "download of the day" utilities ==> it's unlikely they only install on the day of the download ... they were probably just available for downloading on those days. If, in fact, they will only install on the specified day, just disconnect the internet connection; set the date to the appropriate day (check the datestamp on the download); and install the program :-) If that doesn't do the trick (I'd be VERY surprised if you even need that "trick" ... and if so I'd be further surprised if it wouldn't work), then you may need to buy an application like Laplink's PC Mover, which should easily move them to the new system.
(2) These are the easiest things to transfer. Just run Vista's "Widows Easy Transfer" wizard and answer the questions :-) You will, of course, need to connect the two PC's together ... but you can do this by simply connecting them each to your router.
(3) Transferring your data via the external drive is fine. Since you've already got it on the drive, I presume you don't have any files larger than 4GB ... a frequent issue with external drives (which tend to be formatted with FAT32 for PC/Mac interoperability ==> the solution to eliminate the 4GB file size limit is to simply reformat them with NTFS).
(4) If your new system doesn't come with a recovery DVD, then do one or both of these BEFORE you do anything on the system:
(a) See if there's a utility to generate a set of backup DVDs. Many systems allow you to write one set of backup DVDs to protect you against catastrophic failure or corruption of the hard drive. The restore partitions on new systems are certainly convenient -- but hard drives can (and do) fail, so it's a good idea to burn the backup DVDs as soon as you get the system.
(b) Make an Image of the C: drive using any good imaging program. I like Boot-It NG, but it's a bit "geeky". Acronis TrueImage is another excellent choice ... and is perhaps a bit more user friendly. Note that an image is actually better than restore DVDs ... since it will include any programs you've installed; updates you've done; etc. I would definitely make an image of the system AFTER you've got everything transferred; all of your programs loaded; all Windows Updates applied; etc. This image of your "new, clean, fully loaded" system will then give you the ability at any time in the future to restore the system to that state if you should have a hard disk failure or major corruption.
One final comment: Vista x64 is very stable these days .... the two service packs have made it a very nice OS. HOWEVER, there ARE still a few 32-bit applications that don't "play well" with 64-bit OS's. Hopefully none of yours are in this category ... but be prepared for the possibility that they won't work. There ARE workarounds for most problem applications -- either compatibility mode, or running them in virtual PC's. But wait until you get the new system nicely set up before worrying about any of these -- if you encounter problems don't panic ... just post a note here and we'll help you get them running.