Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM on your old PCWhen you insert the Windows XP CD-ROM, or double-click its icon in My Computer, you will see the Welcome window shown here. This is typically how you will launch XP Setup interactively, but it can also be used to perform other tasks, so click Perform Additional Tasks.

2. Choose Transfer files and settingsIn the next step, choose Transfer files and settings. This will launch the FST Wizard.

3. Select a transfer methodAfter churning and bubbling for a while, the wizard presents you with a list of ways in which you can transfer your saved files and settings to the new install. The method you choose, of course, will be based on what you have available:Direct cable. You don't see much of these any more, but in the early days of Windows 95, there were a number of serial cable-based pseudo-networks floating around. These days, it's more likely that people will use a single Ethernet crossover cable to connect two PCs through their network ports, however.Home or small office network. If you're already part of a home network, this will probably be the best method, especially if you're going to be transferring massive amounts of data. However, most people aren't in this position yet, though hopefully they will be after installing XPFloppy drive or other removable media. Floppy isn't really a viable choice for most people, but if you've got high-capacity ZIP disks or similar, this might just work.Other. This nebulous choice is probably the one that will be used by most people, and it's the one we'll focus on here. This option lets you save your backup data somewhere on the hard drive. If you choose this option, however, you must manually figure out a way to get it to the new PC, especially if you'll be wiping the existing system out to perform a clean install. We'll look at this in the next section.

4. Choose a folder or drive in which to store your backupOnce you've selected Other, you need to choose a location in which to store your backup. Click the Browse button and find a home for your files and settings backup.

5. What do you want to transfer?This is the meat of the wizard and the place you must pay the most attention. In this step, you tell the FST Wizard which files and/or settings you want to backup. You can choose files only, settings only, both files and settings, or, somewhat impressively, you can select a custom list of files and settings. This opens up a massive list of options, which we'll examine briefly in the next step. But I assume that most people will simply let the wizard do it's thing and choose "both files and settings," which is the default. If this is the case, skip down to step 6.

5b. Select custom files and settings (optional)If you're the obsession type of just curious, you might want to manually select the files and settings that get saved by this wizard. In this dialog, you can review the settings, specific folders, and file types that are backed up by the wizard automatically, but you can also add your own custom settings, folders, files, and file types to the list, and choose to remove specific settings, folders, and file types. It's pretty powerful, but then you really have to know the ins and outs of your system intimately for this to be of any use. If you've got a custom way of storing data, where you ignore the My Documents directory or whatever, you might want to look into this.

6. Install programs on your new computerIn the next step, the wizard presents a list of applications with which it is familiar. If you see any applications in this list, it means that the wizard can save your personalized settings for these applications, but you will have to manually reinstall them on the XP installation before running the wizard to restore the settings. In this example, Real Audio Player and Adobe Acrobat Reader were found.

7. CollectionNow the wizard searches the drives on your PC and collects your files and user settings. This could take some time, depending on the size of your hard drive. The wizard does compress everything to make it the smallest possible size, but there isn't much it can do if you've got gigabytes of data. And again, this could pose a problem later when it comes time to get that backup to your new system.

1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM on your new XP installWhen you insert the XP CD-ROM in XP, you get the same front-end application. As before, choose Perform Additional Tasks and then Transfer files and settings. This will launch the FST Wizard.

2. Choose New ComputerWhen you are asked which computer you're using, choose New computer.

3. Do you have a Windows XP CD?This step is designed to ensure that you run the wizard on the old PC first, which we've covered previously. Just select I will use this wizard from the Windows XP CD and click Next.

4. Now go to your old computerWe've already done this, of course, but if you hadn't, you could now complete the wizard on your old PC first.

5. Where are the files and settings?The location of your files and settings backup will depend on the method used previously to store them. In this example, the old OS is installed in a dual boot with the new OS, so all I had to do was navigate to the correct directory. But as mentioned previously, you might be using a network or direct cable connection.

6. Files and settings transferAfter the wizard has been pointed at the files and settings backup files, it will begin applying these to your new system. This process could take several minutes or longer depending on the size of the files.