Thread: Migrate XP to Windows 7 with Easy Transfer and a USB Drive

If you are running XP and leave out the Vista update and want a better way to move files and settings, we take a look at using Windows Easy Transfer and an external USB drive to simply finish the task.

Start Windows Easy Transfer

Start new Windows 7 system and go to Start \ Getting Started \ Transfer your files.



Tick through Welcome screen and choose “An external hard disk or USB flash drive”.



Next select “this is my new computer”.



Answer this screen as No.



Choose “I need to install it now” to install Windows Easy Share so you get the most recent updated version. At this end you would like to ensure that external drive want to utilize is plugged into the Windows 7 machine.

Now select “External hard disk or shared network folder” to copy the Easy Transfer program to it.



After Easy Transfer file is copied over you get head over the old PC.



Configure XP Transfer Process

Now depend on the XP machine plug in external hard drive and start Easy Transfer.



You are shown with a progress display while it set up to run.



A Welcome screen is shown on the Windows 7 machine.

select “An external hard disk or USB flash drive”.



After scanning user accounts and their settings you get a general list where you can pick what to save.



Clicking on the Advanced link permits a detailed way to choose single files and folders, when finish click on Save.



You have the choice to password keep the backup.



A successful save is finish and now time to go back and plug the external drive into new Windows 7 machine.

On Windows 7 machine this time tick Yes.



Explorer opens and navigates to place of the backup on the external drive.



Now restore the whole backup or select particular files and folders to restore, save your choice and start the transfer.

When transfer is finish you view a report of what transferred or suggestions for extra programs.





Not all programs and settings are going to move to new OS but these absolutely make it easier to move well-suited program settings, your files, folders and main documents.