How a Guardian Angel Watched Over the Wireless Transfer
of Old Software Into My New Computer
Bob Jensen at
Trinity University
You may want to read this if you have programs and apps that you would like to
transfer wirelessly from an old computer into a new computer.
I have external hard drives where I back up files and even back up the back
up files. But I don't back up old programs and apps on those external drives,
because I could never get backed up programs and apps to run on new computers.
Until now I did not know that it was possible to transfer most programs and
apps from an old computer to a new computer. Before now I stored old software
installation disks in their original boxes in my studio so that when I bought a
new computer I would not have to pay for software that I really did not need to
update for latest versions. For example, I have a very old version of Microsoft
Expression that I use all the time and really did not need to buy upgrades over
the years. I also had some old software that cannot be purchased from defunct
vendors, and people willing to sell install disks on Amazon sometimes charge an
arm and a leg for those old virgin install disks. Each year I also bought tax
software (in the old days Turbo Tax and now my preferred H&R Block software)
programs on CD disks such that if I needed to view an older tax return on a new
computer I could always install the tax software disk for the year in question.
What I'm saying is that I have a lot of old programs that I want on my new
computer.
Just on a whim when I ordered a new computer this year I contacted tech
support at my former university (Trinity) and asked if it was possible to
transfer programs from my old computer to my new computer. Tech Support
recommended Laplink's PC mover software. So before my new computer arrived I
purchased the install disk for PC Mover and a transfer cable from Amazon. It
turns out that I wasted my money. Tech Support gave me great advice but failed
to tell me it was probably better to get the PC Mover Download from Dell when I
ordered my new computer.
Because it was cheap I belatedly added PC Mover Download for $29 to my new
Dell computer invoice. After I had my PC running on March 3, 2020 I got a Dell
expert for free on March 4, and expert remotely took over my PC and got
the PC Mover software running for me. All I had to do was click on one button to
start the transfer of almost all the files on my old computer into my new
computer over my wireless. The transfer took over six hours because I had ever
so many files on my Old Reliable Computer. I did not even need a transfer cable
or my purchased installation disk since the PC Mover Download worked over my
wireless system.
By the way if you buy a new Dell computer I recommend that you also pay for
four years of at-home hardware and software tech support. In the past I had
several hardware issues on former laptops, and a Dell expert traveled all the
way from Boston to my mountain home to fix each hardware issue for free.
Whenever I get a virus that's bothering me, a Dell technician (usually from
India) remotely takes over my computer and cleans up the software so the
computer runs like new.
I always buy relatively-high end Dell laptops with maximum available RAM and
hard drive. Until March 3, 2020 my Old Reliable Computer (converted to Windows
10) was a Dell that was so old that I could no longer renew the extended
warranty for the hardware, although I did pay over $200 for extended renewal on
the software warranty. My even older backup computer was so old that it still
had Windows 7. In 2020 Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 so I ordered my
New Laptop in January 2020. It took over five weeks for Dell to ship my New
Computer. By the way the price of laptops went down and the computing power went
up. A laptop that used to cost over $6,000 from Dell now is priced under $2000
when loaded with software (think MS Office and McAfee) and including a four-year
at-home warranty.
The bottom line is that almost all the files on my Old Reliable Computer
transferred to my New Computer. I no longer needed the install disks stored in
my studio. There was one exception that did not transfer at all. My old
FrontPage 2003 program for some reason did not transfer, but since I no longer
use that software I did not have to retrieve my install disk. I now use
Microsoft Expression in place of FrontPage to create documents for my Web server
at Trinity University. The Microsoft Expression program transferred into my New
Computer, but the message I got read that it would not run unless I renewed the
license, a message that I did not get on any other transferred programs that
I've tried out to date.
I do have an old install disk for Microsoft Expression in my studio, but
before wading through the snow to get to my studio I decided to simply pay
Microsoft to download the latest version of Microsoft Expression, the software
I'm using now to write this document. The great news
is that the download is now free from Microsoft for the complete last version of
Microsoft Expression ---
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36179
So you ask why I used the phrase "Guardian Angel" in the title of
this article?
My "Guardian Angel" kept my Old Reliable Computer alive long enough to transfer
six hours worth of files from Old Reliable into my New Computer. The transfer
was completed at 4:30 pm on March 4, 2020. At 9:27 am on March 5 my Old Reliable
Computer died. A remote Dell technician on the phone went through a process with
me and determined that the hard drive stopped working. If that had happened on
March 3, 2020 I would not have all my old files available on my New Computer.
Thank you Guardian Angel!
My older Windows 7 computer still works, but rather than use this as a back
up computer on I ordered another new Dell laptop on March 6 just like the New
Computer that arrived on March 3. In late April I will then have a New Computer
and a New New Computer.
And I will have a Dell Technician for free help me move all the files from my
New Computer into my New New Computer. And I hope my Guardian Angel watches over
me until my New New Computer arrives and the PC Mover transfer is complete for
my New New Computer.
Bob Jensen