Changing Computers

[ugeesta]

I am changing out my old computer for a new one next week. My old computer OS is XP and the new OS is Vista. How do I transfer the program over to the new computer?

Thanks.

[Craig Maier]

Hi,

It should be straightforward. Just install the software on the new Vista machine. The critical thing will be your user name and serial number. Hopefully you will have your serial number and then you just need to use the exact user name that you used on your old system and it should register online just fine.

Craig

[ugeesta]

ok. I have my registration name, serial number and registration code from the program. Any email information from the initial purchase is lost because my outlook crapped out on me and I didn't print a copy of any correspondence.

Thanks.

[Craig Maier]

Hi -

I do not recall that the system needs any email/correspondence information. So, if I am correct, you should be ok.

Craig

[Brian]

I haven't actually tried it, but Windows makes an "Easy Transfer Companion" which, after Vista is up and running on your new computer, lets you transfer all the old applications automatically from the old computer. You can get it for free from microsoft.com and perform the transfer over either a network connection (with both computers on the same local area network) or using Microsoft's Easy Transfer USB cable (which usually also includes the Easy Transfer software)

Like I said, I haven't tried it but a quick Google should produce some reviews as to how well it works (or maybe Geebster has had some experience). If Mentor is the only program you need to move, I'd just reinstall it - but if you have a bunch of applications to move then it might be worth looking into.
Good luck.
Brian

[ugeesta]

Thanks for the info. I'll let you know how it goes when my new computer shows up.

[Geebster]

I haven't used those software transfer programs since the days when I ran the computer shop (Windows 3.11 era). I never found much value in them personally. I always just re-installed my programs onto the new machine.

I have had to re-install Mentor about 3 times for various hardware upgrades and each instance the installation went without a single problem.

I've always found it a bit less problematic to re-install a program rather than transfer.

If you have any problems once you start the process, let us know.

[sus4chord]

I haven't used Microsoft transfer software in awhile (so it may not apply here), but my experience, in general, was that it was pretty good at transferring "Microsoft" programs; much less success with other vendors applications.

I generally just re-install. I have the install images for all my applications on an external USB hard drive, with all the necessary registration codes as part of the folder name. Took quite awhile to copy everything to the external hard drive, but once it's done, it's done. That way, I never have to worry about swapping CDs and I've always got the most current version available, and entering registration codes is a cut-and-paste operation.