If you remember the last time you got a new computer you may recall the bittersweet experience of migrating to it.  Sure it's shiny and fast, but you have your old machine set up the way you like it; with all of your apps, settings, bookmarks, etc.  Moving to the new machine can be a painful experience.

PC Mover is a tempting solution -- it promises to migrate your files and settings from the old machine to the new. BUT [Important Lesson Alert!] don't undertake this casually.  Look at the machine you're migrating from and the machine you're migrating to. 

This week a client used PC Mover (which we have used successfully ourselves on occasion) to migrate from an HP 64-bit laptop (one of the Lance Armstrong/LiveStrong series) to a new HP desktop machine.  Problem #1: The laptop was running Windows XP Pro (64-bit) and the desktop is running Windows XP Media Center Edition.  Problem #2: The laptop has an AMD 64-bit processor and the desktop has a 32-bit Intel chip.

When all was said and done the files moved over fine, her profile was created and looked good, but most of her apps (Quickbooks and Kodak EasyShare notably) needed reinstallation and there were scattered drivers and apps from the laptop that didn't work on the desktop (AMD 64-bit driver anybody?) and wouldn't uninstall.  After battling pesky issues for half a day, I finally gave up on it and did a system restore to back before PC Mover had its way with the desktop. 

PC Mover is a good solution if you're upgrading from a cottage to a lovely 3-bedroom home on the west side.  But if you're going from a Penthouse to a quirky loft in the artsy section of town you might want to stick with professional movers.

-B-