Member Avatar for luckydude

hi there, I just bought a new Toshiba p35-S6292 and it's awesome. I have an old Dell Inspiron 5000 and I have a lot of useful software on that computer. I would like to transfer those software to my new computer since I lost the original CD's of some.

So my question is, is there anyway I can transfer software from one computer to another? Please help me. Thanks a million in advance.


Luckydude

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Short answer: you generally cannot move an installed Windows program by copying its folder. Installers record files, DLLs, device drivers, services and registry settings (and many programs use activation servers), so a plain copy will usually break the app. (learn.microsoft.com)

Practical choices that work in real life: reinstall from the original media or the vendor web site and sign in or re-activate where required; before you wipe the old PC make an inventory of installed programs and collect product keys (there are small license‑inventory utilities that read what is currently installed). For licensed suites like Microsoft Office follow the vendor deactivation / transfer steps so you do not lose an activation. (answers.microsoft.com)

If reinstalling is impossible or you want an exact copy of the old system (OS + apps + settings), image or clone the old drive and restore it on the new machine. That preserves installed programs but can bring driver and activation headaches when hardware changes; test the image on the new hardware before retiring the old machine. As an alternate, convert the old physical disk to a virtual disk and run it as a VM on the new computer (this keeps everything working inside the VM). Both imaging/cloning and P2V are common migration paths. (pureinfotech.com)

For IT or bulk moves: the Microsoft User State Migration Tool moves user profiles and app settings (not the installed applications themselves) and is intended for scripted, large‑scale migrations. Whatever route you pick, follow a simple checklist: full backup, inventory + save keys, choose reinstall vs image vs VM, test restore, verify activations and drivers, then retire the old machine only after confirming the new one. Many earlier replies in this thread were right to warn that a naive file copy will fail; the tradeoffs are speed vs reliability and licensing/legal limits. (learn.microsoft.com)

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All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for Catweazle

No, there's not.

Sorry to have to say so, but that's the strightforward situation.

Member Avatar for roystonlodge

I've never used this software, but PCMover by Laplink claims to be able to do the job.

I found a review on-line (sorry, I can't remember the link. You can Google it though.) that said it worked, even transferring Office over.

But, the program costs $50. Is all the software on your old computer worth paying $50 to move to the new computer?

If you try it, let us know how it works. I also have an old laptop with software on it I no longer have the CDs for...

Here's the company link: http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/

Member Avatar for tenis

Hi,
a few months ago I faced a situation where I needed to transfer files from one computer to another (I had just bought my laptop), and I googled out . So I used the direct connection, because my two computers were connected to the same high-speed local network. I am not sure if this program can transfer software.

Member Avatar for DaveB

Look in "C:\WINDOWS\Installer" and have some fun :s

Member Avatar for DaveB

eek sorry, didn't realise what an old thread this was, resurecting the dead :(

Member Avatar for smith_

Catweazle is absolutely right there is no option to transfer any installed software to another computer or an external drive...you

Member Avatar for logandean

I just got a new computer and I want to transfer pics, old email and address book and my favorite places, etc. Is there simple way to do this without boggling my mind? I do not have a cd burner on my old computer.

Member Avatar for ultra1bob

These people say they can do it: http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/. They aren't cheap. It's $69.95 for one transfer. But have any of you used them?

I may have an old Norton Utilities disk around where- only once- they included a utility for moving programs. It seemed to work the one time I used it. They mave have discontinued it since it didn't work well, but it was probably dropped in fears of piracy.

Ah for the DOS days when you just copied the directory.

Comments?

Member Avatar for tweeker81

I used the new SoftRescue Pro from Anovasoft: http://www.softrescue.com
Half the price of PCmover and even less if you buy two licenses together with your neighbor like I did.

Worked very well for both of us and the license is for two moves between computers and no-limit if you reinstall Windows.

Member Avatar for Leanna1107

I have experienced the same problem, I used a free backup software named easeus todo backup to clone the entire disk to a new disk, and boot from the new disk sucessful, it is easy to use and there is data transfer guide:

Member Avatar for surindersharma

no its not possible, you can only transfer your files and data from one computer to other computer, not software

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