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Migrating to a new Window 7 computer
Planning ahead
You need to move your personal files, the applications you use and, when possible, the settings of the applications. So it's best to prepare the migration when… you arrive on your new computer! You never know when you have to move. Maybe you will have to move earlier than you think just because your computer (or at least the disk) crashes.
Be ready to move your files
You have to know where your files are located! This is common sense and it will also help you make a backup of your files…
You should put as little as possible on the system disk (C:)! If there is a problem (crash, etc…) or the system is updated, there is a good chance that most of the content of C: will be erased.
The computer you get should arrived pre-configured with 1 or 2 extra partitions (besides C:). Put your files on these partitions!
Do not put your files and folders directly on a partition, because it will make them harder to backup.
Always create a main folder where you will put your files. This way, all you have to do is move or make a backup of this folder
It is a good practise to have 2 different folders:
DATA FOLDER: <disk:>\Users\<your_login> folder. Keep all the important things in there, and regularly make a backup of this folder
SCRATCH FOLDER: <disk:>\Scratch\<your_login> folder. This folder is for temporary files (e.g. installation files for the programs, attachments that are not important, data files that are available in other places, …)
Moving the applications
You just need a list of all the applications you use, and make sure there is an up-to-date version installed on the new computer
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You will only need a list of the applications you have installed after you first got your current computer.
If you have some special hardware connected to the computer (scanner, printer, camera, phone, …) that you want to use on the new computer, you will also have to re-install the appropriate drivers
It's not easy to move the settings of the applications, so you you will probably have to reconfigure all the applications on the new computer…

If there is a way to store the settings of an application in a specific folder, make sure that these settings are saved in a subdirectory of the
DATA FOLDER
Moving to the new computer
Prerequisites
An external hard disk with enough space
A new Windows 7 computer, where your account has already been created
Ideally, it's better if you can have both computers switched on, on the same desk…
Prepare the new computer
Disk
Applications