Transferring Information to Another Computer 27
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Transferring Information to Another Computer
You can use your operating system wizards to help you transfer files and other data from one computer to
another. For instructions, see the following section that corresponds to the operating system that your
computer is running.
NOTE: "Old computer" or "source computer" refers to the original computer from which the information is
transferred; "new computer" or "destination computer" refers to the computer to which you transfer the information.

Microsoft® Windows® XP

The Microsoft Windows XP operating system provides the Files and Settings Transfer wizard to move
data from a source computer to a new—destination—computer. You can transfer data such as:
• E-mail messages
• Toolbar settings
•Window sizes
• Internet bookmarks
You can transfer the data to the destination computer over a network, serial connection, or on removable
media such as a writable CD.
NOTE: You can transfer information from the source computer to the destination computer by directly connecting
a serial cable to the input/output (I/O) ports of the two computers. To transfer data over a serial connection, you
must access the Network Connections utility from the Control Panel and perform additional configuration steps,
such as setting up an advanced connection and designating the host computer and the guest computer.
For instructions on setting up a direct cable connection between two computers, see Microsoft Knowledge Base
87uArticle #305621, titled How to Set Up a Direct Cable Connection Between Two Computers in Windows XP. This
information may not be available in some countries.
For transferring information to a new computer, you must run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
You can use the optional Operating System media for this process or you can create a wizard disk with the
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Running the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard With the Operating System Media

NOTE: This procedure requires the Operating System media. This media is optional and may not be included with
all computers.
To prepare the new computer for the file transfer: