Microsoft Provides Free Data Transfer Tool to XP Users

Microsoft announced today that it is providing a free version of a third party data transfer tool to help individuals still on the decade-old Windows XP make the transition. To be clear, this tool is for consumers, not businesses.

"As the end of support for Windows XP on April 8th nears we're continuing to focus on ensuring customers are aware of the deadline and helping them to migrate to a modern operating system such as Windows 8.1," a Microsoft blog post announcing the tool availability notes.

You can learn more about the pending Windows XP support expiration in Microsoft: We Had "a Great Run" with Windows XP.

According to Microsoft, it has partnered with Laplink to provide a free version of PCmover Express for Windows XP, which it says copies files and settings from your Windows XP PC to a new device running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.

"This tool will copy your files, music, videos, email and user profiles and settings from your old PC to your new device, transferring across your home or work network, and even enables Windows XP users to customize exactly what they want to bring over to their new device," the post notes.

PCmover Express will be available for free in English starting later this week via WindowsXP.com. Versions in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish will arrive later in March, and then Korean, Chinese, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese versions after that. (Laplink is also offering Windows XP users a special deal on PCmover Professional, which costs $60. I have a hard time imagining any individual still using XP is a big spender, but you never know.)

Additionally, Microsoft will be notifying Windows XP users of the pending support expiration via in-product pop-up windows like this one.

This will appear on the 8th of every month for users with Windows XP Home or Professional who have elected to receive updates via Windows Update. That link opens the Windows XP End of Support web site, which can help those users figure out what's next. If I were Microsoft, I'd accompany the notification with that heart rate monitor flatline sound.