Transfer data between computers

Many loyal people use their computers for many years. They can update a few components and solve maintenance-related issues to help the computer always run as best as possible. However, there will be times when you have no way to speed up or solve the problem with your old computer. So, it's time to replace a new machine.

1. Things to do after buying a new computer

The new computer will run faster and better on all sides. However, switching to a new computer also makes it difficult for you to transfer all important data from your old computer to the new one. We cannot leave data such as learning materials, business data, image files, music files, videos and many other important things on old computers.

Transfer data between computers Picture 1

Fortunately, this is not really as difficult or boring as you imagine. There are still a few different options available on the market today, depending on the amount of data you want to transfer.

All methods are very clear, but choosing the right method will help the process go smoothly. In this article, we will explore some of the quickest and easiest ways to transfer data from old computers to new computers.

1. Use external storage media

Obviously, this is how most people think of transferring data between computers. You only need to plug the USB flash drive into the computer to copy the data, then plug it into another computer and paste the data. If you have a lot of data you can use an external hard drive.

Transfer data between computers Picture 2

Using an external hard drive not only helps to transfer data but also provides you with a copy of the data in case of data loss. This process may take a long time depending on the amount of data you need to transfer.

If both computers have USB 3.0 ports, you can use the flash drive to transfer more data and speed up the process. A faster way is to check if your computer transfers data with an eSATA port or SATA slot. If so, disconnect the hard drive from the old computer and connect to the new computer. It will display this hard drive as another hard drive on the new computer. You can transfer data via SATA faster than using USB.

Of course, a bad choice is to burn the files to CD or DVD and then copy them to the new computer. However, CDs and DVDs are much slower than hard drives. So this option will take a long time - especially when you have gigabytes of music, photos, videos and other things to transfer.

Note, you can only use external storage devices to transfer files and folders, this way cannot transfer Windows settings and applications.

2. Use a USB transfer cable

To convert data between computers, you can use some data transfer cables. It's faster when using a hard drive because copying and pasting data is done simultaneously from one computer to another computer. When using an external hard drive, you basically transfer data between three drives, while using this cable drops to just two.

Transfer data from Windows computer to Windows computer : If your new computer is still using Windows operating system, you can use EasyTransfer USB cable such as Belkin's F5U279.

Transfer data between computers Picture 3

It allows you to connect two Windows computers together by USB-to-USB connection. This method works faster when using USB 3.0 port on both computers.

Transfer data from a Mac to a Mac: Apple has its own proprietary port, called Thunderbolt, that lets you create a daisy chain (some computers or computer devices connected to each other to form a chain) and Transfer files between Macs. So, use a Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt cable and perform simple file transfers like transferring data between a USB flash drive and a hard drive.

Transfer data between computers Picture 4

Transfer data between a Windows / Mac / Linux computer to a Windows / Mac / Linux computer: Use an Ethernet cable to build a local area network without a router. You need to make sure it is a crossover Ethernet cable, that is, the color patterns on one end of the cable that do not match the other end. Network setup on both computers and data transfer.

Transfer data between computers Picture 5

3. Connect the HDD or SSD manually

If transferring data from an old computer no longer works or want to install a new hard drive to replace the old hard drive, how do I get the data on that hard drive?

Transfer data between computers Picture 6

Hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) use standard SATA cables to connect to the motherboard. If you have a redundant SATA or eSATA port, connect to the old hard drive. The operating system will identify it as a new hard drive, then perform data transfer. This is the fastest data transfer solution.

Unlike PC computers, finding redundant SATA ports on laptops is much harder. You can use a simple SATA to USB adapter like Anker's USB 3.0 to SATA adapter.

4. Sharing via LAN or Wifi

For computers close to each other, there are two main ways to share files and folders. The first way is to set up a local area network (LAN) so you can use a computer to find the hard drive of another computer. The second way is to use software to transfer files via Wifi.

Use LAN

All major operating systems have a built-in option to set up a home network, allowing devices in the same router (connected via Ethernet or Wifi) to identify each other. So when you need to transfer files between computers, you don't need to set up a new connection. You can refer to the article How to share data between 2 computers via LAN? to know how to set up.

Share data using software

If two computers are in the same Wifi network, you can transfer files with some simple software. There are many instant file sharing applications that you can search online.

Send Anywhere

Download : Send Anywhere

This is the application for Windows, Mac and Linux. It even has Chrome web and extension applications, so you can use this software on Chrome OS. In addition, you can use it to transfer files from one computer to many other computers or phones, tablets.

Windows Easy Transfer

As the name implies, Windows Easy Transfer may be the simplest way for users to move from one computer to another with a variety of transfer mechanisms - including networking, burning files to CDs or DVDs. , copy them to a USB drive or USB data transfer cable.

Transfer data between computers Picture 7

The method of using the cable is the simplest, although you will have to buy it. This cord may come with a disc that contains the Windows Easy Transfer tool. If not, download it here (remember, this tool is built into Windows 7, so this only applies when you use Windows XP or Vista). Click the Download button and follow the instructions and install the tool, accept all the default options.

Start with your old computer, click Start> All Programs > Accessories> System Tools> Windows Easy Transfer . Next, switch to a new computer (Windows 7) and do the same. On both machines, when the Welcome to Windows Easy Transfer screen appears, click Next . The next dialog box asks how to transfer the file: select ' An Easy Transfer cable ' in both computers.

The old computer (Windows XP / Vista) will only display the option ' This is my old computer ' - click it. Name the Windows Vista computer, select ' This is my new computer ' and there will be a question: ' Do you need to install Windows Easy Transfer on your old computer? . Select ' I already installed it on my old computer '. Then, click Next on both computers.

Next, plug in the Windows Easy Transfer cable to connect the 2 computers - each end just plugs into the USB connector. Windows 7 computer will scan the contents of the old computer and after a short time, it will display the list of user accounts, settings and transferable files.

Meanwhile, the old computer displays the message ' Transferring files and settings . ' and notices that nothing has been transferred during this time.

The new computer will display the window ' Choose what to transfer '. Each user account is listed and stored by default, so you can remove the checkmark if needed.

In addition, users can transfer the items they need from each user account by clicking Customize before selecting. Note that software and applications cannot be transferred and need to be reinstalled on a new computer.

Besides, you can also adjust how user accounts will appear after they are transferred to the new computer. When the old computer displays the ' Choose what to transfer ' dialog box, click on the Advanced Options option.

By default, the main account on the old computer will be transferred to the default account on the new computer, even if its name is different. If you do not want to do so, select Create User from the dropdown menu there, it will ask for a new user account on the Windows 7 computer.

Name the new user account, add the password, and then click Create . Next, click Save to exit the Advanced Options dialog box.

On a Windows 7 computer, click the Transfer button. The ' Transferring files and settings to this computer ' window will appear, displaying the process of transferring items. This process may take a while, depending on the amount of data to transfer. During this time, no matter what you do, don't stop the computer. If either machine or both machines are laptops, remember to plug it in case it runs out.

Finally, the ' Your transfer is complete ' window will appear on your Windows 7 computer. Click on the ' See what was transferred ' link if you want to see details; Click on the option ' See a list of programs you might want to install on your new computer ' to see a list of applications installed on your old computer. Once completed, Windows Easy Transfer can be safely closed.

5. Using cloud storage service

The last option is to use the Internet. You can upload files to cloud storage services and download computers such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. You can also use email to transfer data.

Transfer data between computers Picture 8

Cloud drive is a great option because there is no file size limit as long as you have enough storage space. Also, if both computers synchronize the local directory, when a computer uploads the file, the other computer will immediately download it.

If you do not want to use the cloud drive but want to download a large file, try Plustransfer.com. You can download up to 5GB in one go and you don't even need to register for an account.

Transfer data between computers Picture 9

If you want to speed up the shipping process, you can use the File.pizza website. This is one of the easiest tools to share files with friends. This is a peer-to-peer application, so when a computer uploads files, another computer can download immediately.

You see that transferring all kinds of data to a new computer is a relatively simple task. Indeed, transferring individual files and folders - and even personal settings - may just be less boring than reinstalling the applications and tools we installed on the old Windows. Therefore, the fear of having to transfer large amounts of data will no longer be a barrier when you buy a computer. It's easier than you imagine a lot.

I wish you all success!

See more:

1. 5 ways to transfer data between phone and computer without connecting cable
2. Move data to a new hard drive
3. Convert data, applications from Windows to Linux in minutes