New computer, want to copy over my current setup if possible....

So finally got a new computer. I run both Window's 11 pro on both.

I bought LapLink but not sure about using it as your very limited to what you can do during the transfer so wondering if there is a way to either Flash the C drive and unpack it over on the new computer or if there is a way that anyone can suggest?

I just hate hate hate the idea of having to reinstall all my programs and set up my settings all over again. I know that some of my main Window's settings are saved up to the MS website and those have already been applied to the new one but areas like programs are most concerning to me (as well as the Registry bits for them and the App Data area.

If LapLink is really the way to go is there a very simple guide to go about doing it? I know I need to have the included ethernet cable connected between both computers and have the program installed on both..... but that's about all I know....

Suggestions?

Thanks so much

I would recommend making system image of your old system (with Macrium free or similar), then restoring that image onto your new computer. Windows would take care of new drivers etc.

YOu should get the same system as you were used to, but on new computer

AndreTen said:

I would recommend making system image of your old system (with Macrium free or similar), then restoring that image onto your new computer. Windows would take care of new drivers etc.

YOu should get the same system as you were used to, but on new computer

Click to expand...

Before you clone the old computer into the new, make a drive image of the new.
You may need to install some specific drivers on the old computer before generating the drive image as the new may need them to boot the cloned drive.
Another option to Macrium Reflect is Aomei Backuper

First off, I would advise against using Laplink for this; I used that a lot in Windows 7 and Windows 10, but with Windows 11, it became unreliable and I ended up doing so many corrections, that it wasn't worth using anymore. But I have not used it in over a year, so if you can get a trial version and that works, it may be worth buying.

Second, I have used EaseUS ToDo PC Trans -- but while that worked great in the past, more recently, it has not worked well. I liked the interface a lot more than LapLink and it was very easy to use. But ... while it did copy over and restore nearly all the apps and the account settings, it did not retain the ID/Password settings for the Browsers -- as accessing any site and selecting the saved info did not work. Again, as with LapLink, this was an older version, so the new 13.10 version might work better.

There may be another product more recent than these, but I am not aware of it -- and this is something that you need PAID software in order to do. It is not something you can do on your own, primarily due to enormous Registry issues.

Thanks for all the replies. So sorry for the delay. I'm signed up for email notifications but none came my way.

Man, trying to get any help from Macrium if I don't have a license is proving to be quite annoying. So maybe you good folks have some answers for me.

Is there an upgrade option? I have an older version of Reflect from 2014 (Yea, I know).

On their sales page it gives me an option for 1 computer or 4 but I can find no info if I can install on two computers to do the imaging or backup thing.

I'm currently doing a backup to my F drive including all the files needed to activate the unpacking when I get that F drive connected to the new computer but not sure if it should be a backup to restore or another option. There is also a file and folder backup option, wondering if that might be a better choice for the programs but then again I'll need registry info as well as App Data to make sure all the programs run as they should.

Not sure why I wasn't get any email notifications but here's hoping they start up. Spam folder has nothing from this forum so it seems to be an issue with the system here not sending them out even though I'm "subscribed"

Macrium has gone to subscription system. Not sure if upgrade from 2014 version is possible.

You can still get the free version (ver 8.09 but latest is not free anymore.

Downloader for free version:

Regarding your backups... Do the system image backup, not files and folders.

OK. SO the backup is done.

So then the next step would be to install this on the new system, hook up the F drive there and double click it and that just extracts everything to the new system??

NO -- MR creates a backup image file. You have to load and run MR in order to do a restore from that file.

IF you use MR to create rescue media on USB stick, then you can boot from that USB stick to run MR, and once inside MR, you choose existing backups, select the backup file, and do a Restore function.

So then install Reflect on the new computer and access the backup from there and it will install all from that file to my new computer?

Also programs like ZBrush (3D creation software) or Photoshop usually have to have the licenses removed from the old computer and reinstated to the new one so I guess if it "restores" the new computer with all that data I'll get some hiccups around the licenses or no?

Just backup C:\windows\system32\driverstore\filerepository
That’s the drivers for your pc. Then you can just pull the ssd from your old one, install in your new one and then install all necessary drivers via device manager.

I did that with my older computer, it had a 1 T ssd drive and so now use that as a backup drive. I'm curious of which driver set I want to back up, I'm assuming the new computer since the old one will be boxed and put away. I'm going to leave the OS ssd drive in it so I have a system that I can make use of asap in case the current system has issues.

I'll have to investigate which drive the F partition is on, I have to many and it's a mix at this point of SSD and SATA. I've a feeling it's a SATA drive as it grumbles a little bit when it's accessed compared to the silence of the SSD drives.

Ssd can have a sata connection.. I assume you mean m.2 vs sata? In any event, just backup all filerepositories and label the folders accordingly.

RAMWolff said:

So then install Reflect on the new computer and access the backup from there and it will install all from that file to my new computer?

Also programs like ZBrush (3D creation software) or Photoshop usually have to have the licenses removed from the old computer and reinstated to the new one so I guess if it "restores" the new computer with all that data I'll get some hiccups around the licenses or no?

Click to expand...

It doesn't actually "install" anything like applications do; instead, it completely replaces the contents of the Windows partitions with the backup you made earlier, so everything gets overwritten back to that state.

It's actually better to boot from the USB stick and run the restore that way because Windows is not actually running when you do that.

Yes, m.2, sorry, more things to remember! LOL

I wonder if the Reflect image backed those up within that file? Do you know if there is a way to view what all's in that file or no? The file is just 442 GB's so I'm assuming it's got all of the C drive within it.

Mark Phelps said:

It doesn't actually "install" anything like applications do; instead, it completely replaces the contents of the Windows partitions with the backup you made earlier, so everything gets overwritten back to that state.

It's actually better to boot from the USB stick and run the restore that way because Windows is not actually running when you do that.

Click to expand...

Even if I'm not using that computer at the time? I'll have it booted up but I won't be working on it. I don't think I have a USB stick large enough to put that many Gigs on it.

Yeah any backup you made with macrium or aomei software will backup the c:\windows\ directory. So going either route will work. But if you backed up your old pc and are going to restore that backup image on the new pc, I would FIRST use a usb and backup the filerepository of the new pc as the old pc backup image may be missing drivers when you apply it to the new pc. Just what I would do as a “just in case”

It's too bad that this software doesn't give one a way to exclude the drivers so all the new ones will be left alone.

You don't need large USB. Just create USB recovery drive from existing working Macrium.

- boot your new PC with Macrium recovery USB drive.
- when macrium starts, replace C: partition only from backup of your old PC
- click on "Fix boot record" in Macrium environment
- restart PC (and remove USB)

First Windows start will take some time to install new drivers etc

If it replaces the C:… you’re relying on WU to find and install all of the new pc drivers?