Ghost V10: Seeking assistance migrating 5 yr old computer to new one

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For the dedicated use you give, have you thought of keeping the same computer but adding a new hard drive either inside or external and use that to store data, which I imagine would be the reason why you wanted a computer with a larger hard drive. I don't quite see what your external 80GB drive is doing, except act as an emergency backup?

 

And maybe put MS OFFICE on the new PC where the memory, drive size etc would be appreciated? 

 

Just a thought since you asked "How would you proceed if you were me? "

TY...the 5 yr old computer is acting flakey...maybe something to do with recent install of SP3...however I just felt it was time to replace it before something castrophic happened.

 

Space limitations prevent having more than one desktop unit....hence I am planning on trashing the 5 year-old computer when I am done...and continue to Ghost to the external clam shell for emergency backup...

 

 

Understood!

 

I'm not clear about your reference to Ghost and the new computer. Are you trying to take a Ghost image of the drive on the old computer and install it on the new computer in order to have the applications and data transferred, as well as MS OFFICE?

 

If this is the case I doubt it would work because the hardware and the registry for Windows on the new computer would be different (and you would wipe out the new Windows if you transfer an image?)

 

3. Software on old computer is mainly Point-Of-Sale system, with bar code reader, credit card scanner, and three printers for receipts, mailing labels, and standard printing.  Also has MS Office.  Other important software is ICVerify that uses broadband connection to process credit card transactions.

 

Do you have the installation media for your POS applications, ICVerify and for MS OFFICE? If so you can install these on the new PC (subject to any licencing conditions which in the case of MS OFICE may depend on the version you have) and then you can move the data files over to the new computer and point the applications to their locations on the new computer.

 

Could you amplify a little on what puzzles me -- that may just be me! BTW Do both computers have a Network Interface Card in them? If so you could network the two computers together and use that to transfer files across, but you still could not transfer applications that have to be installed (unless they are very old, probably WIN98 versions, that use INI files instead of entries in the registry. I have one like that and it is wonderful since I can even copy it to a thumbdrive and carry it around with me!)

 

 

You hit the nail on the head.  I was hoping to use Ghost Image to transfer everything to the new computer....hmmmm...sounds like I can't do that..don't even try it...

 

I believe I have the CD's for the MS Office, IC Verify, and the POS software (called "Resource").  Just not sure I have the driver files for the receipt and label printers.  I'm guessing that I can load MS Office onto the new one using my existing license...probably should ask Microsoft if and how to do that...

 

So as if I understand you, I should network the two, and simply load the Virgin progams onto the new computer (Including my present Ghost License), and do the updates.  When done, then network the old with the new, and do a simple "copy" of data files (and drivers?) from the old to the new?  Test the new one to make sure everything works.  Then Ghost the new one to my backup drive using full disk backup?  And finally shelve the old computer for a month or two to allow for bugs to surface on the new one, and ideally be repaired....after that, ok to say "sayonara" to the old one?

 

Is that what you said? 


samember wrote:

You hit the nail on the head.  I was hoping to use Ghost Image to transfer everything to the new computer....hmmmm...sounds like I can't do that..don't even try it...

 


I'm not sure that it is not possible but Ghosting an image will destroy the Windows installation on the new machine and may not work. If you have recovery media for the new machine you could try it and see if it will work and if not do the recovery to get back to the new machine.

 

One snag of the ghosting is that if any of your flakiness is in the old system rather than the hardware you will transfer that also.

 


 

I believe I have the CD's for the MS Office, IC Verify, and the POS software (called "Resource").  Just not sure I have the driver files for the receipt and label printers.  I'm guessing that I can load MS Office onto the new one using my existing license...probably should ask Microsoft if and how to do that...

 


 

You don't say what version of Office you have -- the year (like XP or 2002, 2006 and so on) as well as whether it was the normal retail version (which allows for a desktop and a laptop installation ..... think think) or say the Student & Home version which allows 3 installations but not to be used for business or commercial purposes, or whether it came installed on the old machine??????

 


 

So as if I understand you, I should network the two, and simply load the Virgin progams onto the new computer (Including my present Ghost License), and do the updates.  When done, then network the old with the new, and do a simple "copy" of data files (and drivers?) from the old to the new?  Test the new one to make sure everything works. 


In line 1 skip "network the two" since you say the same in line 2. "Do the updates" do you mean to Windows or to the programs? In any case Yes to getting everything fuctioning as it should before moving files.

 

Drivers -- what makes and models are the printers -- have you checked their websites for uptodate drivers for XP. If so download those and put them on a disk (Got a CD burner?) Drivers need to be installed, like programs, but when you connect a printer XP will tell you it has found new hardware and may either have the drivers or say it can't find them (or it gives you the option not to look and have you say where they are in which case you point it at the disk you have made with the downloaded drivers on it).

 


 

 And finally shelve the old computer for a month or two to allow for bugs to surface on the new one, and ideally be repaired....after that, ok to say "sayonara" to the old one?

 


May the force be with you -- don't forget you can put the old computer in a cupboard somewhere and use the network connection!

 

<< Is that what you said?  >>

 

No but it sounds like the right thing to do.

 

However I'd give it a day or two here if you can to see if someone who knows more about what Ghost can do has time to read and think about it and comment.

Point One: On Ghosting old to new - I have the disks that came with the new...plus support...I could call them and ask how they would do it...ie the recovery question.   I'll do that tomorrow.....I suspect the flakiness is mainly the hardware of the old, as it was doing 51% flakeliness prior to SP3....however that leaves 49% which could be software...but that could be SP3, and it's relationship to Pentium 4 Chipset versus the new Core2 chipset...no?

 

Point Two:  Office Student version 2003 bought in late 2006 for XP., Outlook version 2007 for XP bought in January of 2008.  I overrode the old MS office files orginally loaded in 2003.

 

Point Three: I meant do the updates to all programs, assuming that I can do that on the new one while the old one is still active...

 

Point Four: Ref Drivers, no I have not checked for update drivers...I shall.  TY.The new computer has a CD burner. 

 

Point Five:  Sayonara...TY for helping me puzzle this out...let us see if anyone else has better ideas...take care. 

I had this same problem a couple of years ago and dealt with it like this:

 

 

On the New Computer

1) Install Norton Ghost and create full back up of existing system (just in case anything goes wrong!)

 

2) Print out registry

 

On the Old computer

Creat Ghost image and 

Print out registry

 

On New Computer

3) Restore entire Image from old computer EXCLUDING the windows folder in program files

 

This left me with ALL programs and files on new computer but with a windows registry that did not recognise the programs.

then I did this:

 

4) re-Installed on new computer those programs where I had the original disks.

 

There were then some prgrams that I did not have the original disks and could not get copies so for those :-

 

5) Where I could not find the original disks and for those programs ONLY compare the two registries and make entries for those programs using regedit under the HKEY local machine current version programs

 

Took a while and there was one program that I had to copy a specific driver over for that I only found out when I tried to run it but it was still easier than trying to figure out what to copy over or not from my old machine and it did mean I had exactly duplicated what I had on the old machine.

 

Good luck!

Thank you…excellent suggestions…I shall ponder…am midway through loading the programs for which I have the original media…

Why not rebuld the new PC and forget about Ghosting? 

Odds are that in five years of use there is lots of stuff in the old PC that is unnecessary, slows it down, etc.  (I'd be less likely to blame the hardware for any issues than the software).  But you've decided to go with a new PC, so if you've got the installation disks for your applications I'd consider installing them on the new PC and then transferring your data to the new PC if you can do that.

For me, but I wouldn't want to Ghost a new clean PC with five years of "stuff" unless I had to.  Start with a new clean registry without a lot of legacy stuff in it.  In fact I know people who rebuild their PCs every year or two just to avoid the kind of problems you describe. 

 

But with updates etc. you might want to plan a good part of a day to do this so you aren't hassled.  And don"t throw out that old PC too quickly!  But if you do this you'll be off to a clean start.