Question
Will all of my old programs work on my new computer?
Answer
Most of your existing programs should work perfectly after you transfer the associated files and
registry settings to the new computer with PCmover.
In some cases, however, you may find that the program will not work on the new PC, in which
case you will need to reinstall the program from the original disks or contact the program
manufacturer for assistance in getting it to work on the new computer.
Here are some circumstances under which a program may not migrate successfully:
-
Core Windows applications, services, data. PCmover may not migrate
information/settings from applications provided by Windows itself (ActiveDirectory, IIS,
etc.).
-
The program needs updated drivers. When you are migrating a program into a newer
operating system, that program may now require a new driver in order to work within that system or
with the different hardware on the new computer. You will need to reinstall the program on the new
PC manually, at which time the new driver information should be detected normally.
-
The drivers associated with the program can’t be transferred. Some system
utilities (for example certain anti-virus programs) may need to be re-installed after the migration
because system drivers used by the program cannot be transferred.
-
The program is copyright protected. A small number of software programs are
copyright protected in such a way that the program verifies at startup that it is running on the
same computer on which it was initially installed. When such programs are copied to a new computer,
they will refuse to run until they are re-installed manually or re-activated on the new
computer.
-
Note
: This rule applies to certain files containing DRM (Digital Rights Management)
information. These types of files can include music and multimedia files.
-
The program is incompatible with the new operating system. If you are upgrading
from one operating system to another, each program that is copied to the new computer must be
compatible with the new operating system. Some older DOS and Windows programs, for instance, are
not compatible with Windows XP. These programs will not run on a Windows XP system whether they are
installed from scratch or copied over with a migration application such as PCmover.
-
The program contains non-transferable system settings. System utilites such as
anti-virus or anti-spyware programs, and some other applications that install system services on
the PC may contain system settings that cannot be transferred with migration software. These
programs will need to be manually reinstalled.
-
The program contains a hardware fingerprint. Some programs are dependent on a
specific piece of hardware in your PC. These programs will not work unless the same piece of
hardware is installed on the new PC. In such case, you must install the hardware in the new system
and then manually reinstall the program.
Product: PCmover
KB: 336
Last updated: Nov 10, 2005
