Question about PC setup

Thank you.

 

Part of the problem with this thread is that everybody's suggestions make sense, it makes it hard to decide what the best course of action will be but of course sooner or later I will have to choose one or the other. Some are rather complex and sound as if they will take more time to learn to do than simply starting from scratch (Sullys suggestion for example) others make me think the old way of doing things, (new install, load programs and set everything up as if for the first time) is best. It would be nice if there is some middle ground.....

Is it possible to grab the settings etc from the old system and simply copy them over? There must be somewhere that the user defined Windows setting reside so I would think copying this file (or files) over would be possible and that would save having to replicate the wallpaper, screen saver, colour of the windows frames etc, default type, whether you use one mouse click to open apps or 2, etc etc. If this is possible then it saves a lot of the dredge work and that would be something. Also, If I load a program and then go back to the old program files (taken from an image of the old system) copy the entire folder and overwrite the new install of the program, will that save me having to set up my preferred interface etc for each program? For example PhotoShop can be configured in many ways, with many plug-ins, and default settings. I know that in most cases you can find the specific files where this info resides but you first have to know where they are and then you have to do it. Simply copying the entire folder and pasting over the new install would be much easier.

As to updated programs thats certainly true but in my case I am (again for example) using PhotoShop CS3 and have no interest in upgrading to CS4 so it would be easier for me to simply migrate it or paste over a new install with files from the old install. This way I don't have to work to get everything to the way I want it on an individual one by one basis.

Basically I am looking for ways to make things simpler and faster. I know I do not have to do this more than once every few years but I still hate doing it enough that my new PC has been sitting on the floor for over a week now waiting for me to get the energy up to actually get it loaded with my programs and data and get it running.

I know thats just dumb but .......

 

This does appear to be the general conscientious and I will be doing it this way. Thanks for adding your voice to the mix, it does help me determine what I should be doing.

 

Windows XP is dying. Yes, I know it rocks the house over vista, and maybe some over 7, for pure performance and more simplicity. There is no debate over this statement, it is opinion. I believe it will be a short time before most everyone rolls over to 7. Maybe a year, or 2. Stepping up to new hardware will pretty much clinch it. So with that in mind I say focus more on Vista/7 stuff. XP is fine, I use it primarily. But it is different to make unattended cd/dvd for vista/7 against XP. So, if you want to spend the time to learn on XP, it is good. It will help. I just mean don't waste a year fiddling to get it to your dream state, only to discover that new computer must now use 7.

Maybe you need to define your philosophy of how you intend to use your computer and what you expect of it. I expect it to be fast and responsive. I do not expect it to become a vault of data storage that could die and take my data with it. Therefore, I backup to optical anything I really want to keep, or put it on a mirrored raid array. Now my 2 points merge. Since I am free to reformat, this also helps my responsiveness issue. I don't care what anyone, anywhere says, a MS OS is fastest when freshly installed, and over time, depending on the use, it starts to slow. I have built, maintained and installed so many times, over and over again the same feeling. The computers have that brand new snappy feeling again. Therefore, I expect to reinstall. Be it an image or standard installation, I am going to do it multiple times a year. With philosophy being that, it makes more sense for me to put programs on secondary drives. To spend more time creating unattended discs. To create perhaps more complex imaging schemes. But, for me it is worth it. I enjoy a fresh system. I enjoy not spending time over and over doing the same thing.. setting up my OS just the way I like it. I spent the time to learn how to automate that stuff. For me, with as much as I install an OS, or image it, it has paid for itself by many many hours.

Everyone has to make the call how they expect to use thier computer. How they want to invest free time. I urge you to think about how much you like computers. How much you like playing or tweaking, vs. just using it ie. playing games or business or photo/video. Some peeps just want it to work, others want it to work.. thier way. Eh, no wrong or right. Think it through, how you would have it. Then choose a scenario that fits your needs. Not everyone will agree, but so what. I do lots of things that so called 'experts' said should not or could not be done. Why, because they said it could not be done of course. Is it better? Or worse? I dont' care. If it does what I want it to do, then that is all that matters.

Fortunately most every peep here is just geeky enough (or more than enough) to maybe disagree with it from a personal perspective, but also understand there is more than one way to skin a cat. Thats why I love this place, so many points of view that you cannot help but get a better overall picture if you keep your mind open.

Good luck with your decision.

Sul.

 

Good Ways to Pack Up And Move Your Files Into a New Computer
Moving Day for That Vista Machine
Windows Easy Transfer
Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP

 

I do understand what you are saying and have been thinking a lot about whats best for me. I tend to use the same main programs all the time. Lotus 123 (ya, I know, but I have learned it very well and have created all kinds of macros etc for my business use that I am sticking with it), PhotoShop, a few CAD programs, SoundForge, Outlook Express, Trend Micro PC-illian, and Opera. This is the core of my PC use, everything else is transitory. What I plan to do is image the clean install once I have tweaked it, then install the main programs set-up the way I like them, and then image again. This way I can quickly restore to a clean state. All data files will be on the 2nd drive so I can easily restore the OS drive without messing with the data. Of course both drives will be imaged regularly with both on site and off site copies.

I am sticking with XP for now since my main programs work well with it now (and my CAD programs will def not work with 7 -- or at least the publishers have not given the green light) and if need be I will upgrade to 7 in a few years. I cannot afford to mess with 7 at this time, the last thing I need is an OS that has yet to 1: prove itself, 2: needs to go through a number of service packs before the bugs are worked out. When it comes to OSs I am definitely not an early adopter.

This thread has been an excellent learning experience. I have been exposed to ideas and approaches that are new and interesting and there is much for me to chew on and digest from it. I agree with you, Wilders is a great place to hang out and lean and share. I have only been a member for 3 or 4 months and I wish I had found it years ago.

 

Excellent, thanks a million, hopefully the fact that the old PC is toast and I will be working from mounted images does not cause difficulties but at a minimum I will be learning and prepared for the next time. Much appreciated.

EDIT: I guess I will not be able to use these because, as I mentioned, there is no old PC to transfer from,,,,unless I can mount as a virtual PC and then work from that. Also, 3 of the links are for transfers to Vista but I will be sticking with XP for now. If I can mount as a virtual XP PC perhaps the last link will help.

Does anyone know where I can find a list of the locations of the settings files so I can grab them from the images and drop them into the new PC? Or perhaps it will just be easier to simply bite the bullet and just set everything up manually.