It’s time to retire your old PC and enjoy some of the latest and greatest technology out there. There is nothing like setting up your new shiny PC with that great looking LCD and a high speed internet connection ready to go. I’m sure you want nothing more then to stomp on your old computer and run over it a few times. Before you can enjoy your revenge for all the system errors of the past you need to grab all your files first.

When doing a XP to Vista Data transfer of files you have several options. The first thing you need to decide is do you want to transfer over just a few personal files, user accounts, or all of the above with a few of your programs that you lost the disc to. Only once you have decided that can you really choose a method for a computer to how to transfer files that suits you best.

If it’s only a few files you want then your job will be simple. Just burn the files onto a cd or go out and buy one of those cheap USB jump drives for 20 bucks and transfer your files that way. This method is only good for those that do not have a lot of files and more geared if you want a clean break from your old PC.

If you want your user accounts and custom settings along with your files then you have to use software to do this. The good news is Windows has a built in program called the Easy Transfer Wizard that is 100% free. You got to love that. You have several different methods of transferring the data over to the new system. If you have a network setup then that is the easiest way. If not then an External storage device like a USB hard drive or data transfer cable would be the next choice. Then CD’s and DVD’s. The down side is you can not transfer over programs or registry setting with this. For that you need to check out this file transfer software page. This is the only program on the market that will transfer over programs as well as anything else you want.

With the right tools and planning you can get the job done in no time at all. Be sure and run over you computer once for me. It may not of done me any harm but I’ll still enjoy it. Remember to hold onto your old hard drive if possible. It’s not all that hard to remove it from your computer. The reason for this is two fold. One so your data isn’t used by anyone and the other is just in case you forgot a file and need to get it back someday.