How to Transfer Files to a New Computer

Posted on March 18th, 2009 by Paul

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

No Comments (Post Comment)

Republish

Having a new computer is exciting. Its new features and speed are impressive. The only concern is, how do you access the important files stored on your old computer? Programmers and developers have foreseen that problem. They developed gadgets and computer features that make the job quite simple.

Transfer Via USB Flash Drive

Transferring files using a USB flash drive is your most convenient option. By hooking the tiny device to a computer, you can store or transfer files with only a few clicks. Just access the drive’s contents through My Computer and paste them on your computer. The flash drive is cheap and can be found in any computer store.

Procedure:

Open your old computer and then plug the drive into one of the computer’s USB ports.
When you’re at your desktop, go to My Computer and double click the USB drive. Leave the USB window open.
Double-click My Documents on your desktop.
Click each of the files you want to transfer and drag them to the USB window. If you want to transfer programs, go to Program Files.
Drag the folders of the programs you wish to transfer onto the USB window.
When you have secured all the files you need, plug the USB drive into one of the USB ports of your new computer.
Go to My Computer and access the window of your USB drive, which shows all the files to be transferred.
On your keyboard, press CTRL and “A” simultaneously. Notice that all of the files will be highlighted.
Click on your desktop without touching any of the icons.
Press CTRL and “V” simultaneously. Your files will then be transferred to your new computer. Just place them in the right folders after.

If you’re having trouble using the keyboard shortcuts, you can simply drag and drop each of the files from the flash drive onto your new computer.

Transfer Using a Home Network

Having a router not only gives all the computers in your home internet access, but you can also access the files on the other computers through the shared folders. Of course, the transfer of files is easy with this setup.

Procedure:

Hook up your old and new computers to your router.
Go to your old computer and place all the files you wish to transfer in the Shared Folder.
Go to your new computer and open My Documents.
Open the old computer’s shared folder.
On your keyboard, press CTRL and “A” simultaneously.
Click on the desktop and then press CTRL and “V” simultaneously, which transfers the files in an instant.

The home network is your fastest means of transferring files. Be sure to take advantage of it if you have a home office.

Transfer Using a CD or DVD

If you have a stash of blank CDs and DVDs, you can use them for file storage. Place the files onto a blank DVD or CD then run it through your computer’s CD/DVD burner. Insert the disc in your computer’s CD/DVD drive and extract the files. Just refer to the final steps of the two previous examples for the transfer.

Transferring Files is Easy

These options come in handy. Aside from using them to extract stuff from your old computer, you can also use them to transfer files from outside computers, except for the second option. In the event that you still have trouble transferring files, you can just attach them onto an email message addressed to yourself.