Upgrading Office Computer. How Do I Keep My Software?

Ravenas · Dec 28, 2011

Hey all,

Currently I have a very out dated office computer and it needs to be upgraded. However, my problem is that all of the software and files are extremely important. For most of the software, I don't have the CDs or install files for them any longer. This is primarily due to the length that I have had the computer.

So my question to anyone who can help is this, how can I transfer everything on my old computers harddrive (including the software) to my new upgraded computer?

Would it be possible that I could just remove the harddrive from the current computer and place it as a secondary harddrive in my new one. The only problem I could see is that windows xp pro is installed on the old harddrive.

:confused:

Sasqui · Dec 28, 2011

If you have any data on the hard drive, back that up FIRST!

Does the new computer have a hard drive with OS installed (like Win 7)? For the majority of programs out there, there is no way to "move" programs from one drive to another, you'll need to install from scratch. One option is to install the new OS over the XP drive install (upgrade path)... it'll typically keep the previous programs intact but it completely depends on what you are upgrading to from XP.

And yes, you should be able to put the old harddrive as a secondary in the new computer, but that's not going to help with the programs. Also make sure you're data files are in a location that is not user-logon dependant in XP like "My Documents" that's tied to a specific logon. Note that also depends on the priveledges you have on the old XP machine.

Radical_Edward · Dec 28, 2011

You'll need the disks for the software. So you have two legal options which are.... Find your disks, or borrow a friends disk and use your CD key when installing the software.

System Name	AM3+
Processor	AMD FX-8350 @ 4715.73 MHz (23.5*200.63 MHz)
Motherboard	ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Cooling	AMD 8150 Factory Water Cooler
Memory	Corsair XMS3 16 GB 1333 MHz PC3-10666 240-Pin DDR3
Video Card(s)	ASUS ROG MATRIX-R9290X-P-4GD5 Radeon R9 290X 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0
Storage	SanDisk Ultra II 480GB, INTEL SS DSC2BW240A4, Western Digital WDC WD50 00AAKX-003CA0
Display(s)	Acer S211HL bd 21.5-Inch Widescreen Ultra-Slim LED Display - Black
Case	COOLER MASTER Elite 335 Upgraded RC-335U-KKN1 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power Supply	Corsair RM Series 850 Watt ATX/EPS 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020056-NA RM850
Software	Windows 10.0 Pro 64 Bit

System Name	Working on it ;)
Processor	I7-4790K (Stock speeds right now)
Motherboard	MSI Z97 U3 Plus
Cooling	Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory	16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE Vega 64 (Non Reference)
Storage	Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x2Tb WD Black
Display(s)	34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (34401440) FREE_SYNC*
Case	Rosewill Challenger
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply	Corsair HX750 (love it)
Mouse	Logitech G5
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software	Win 10 upgraded from Win 7 Pro

System Name	GLaDOS
Processor	AMD FX 9590 X8 4.7GHz
Motherboard	ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
Cooling	Corsair H80i v2
Memory	Corsair DDR3 1333Mhz (4 x 4GB)
Video Card(s)	ASUS ROG-STRIX-RX580-O8G-GAMINGOC
Storage	3 WD 1TB
Display(s)	2 Acer S231HL 23" LED backlit LCD's on a Dual LCD stand
Case	Corsair 600T White edition
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair 850HXi 850W
Mouse	Corsair Sabre RGB
Keyboard	Corsair K70 LUX RGB
Software	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Upgrading Office Computer. How Do I Keep My Software?

Ravenas

Sasqui

Radical_Edward