Laplink PCmover

Buying a new computer is always exciting but copying your old files across can be a traumatic experience. PCmover makes short work of copying not only files but programs, emails and contacts from Outlook Express.

The software must be installed on both PCs, but the serial key is only needed for the new computer, which requires internet activation. Before copying the files, PCmover takes a snapshot of the files already on the new PC so as not to copy anything needlessly.

The files and programs to be copied can be moved in a variety of ways: over the supplied USB cable or a parallel cable, over a home network or by specially compressed files created by PCmover.

In the last-mentioned case, files are compacted into chunks small enough to fit onto a CD. An option to select a file size suitable for DVD would help save time, and multiple CDs.

Using one of the wired options is certainly the easiest and quickest method. Anyone nervous of using the network option should be reassured that as long as both PCs are connected to the network, all the finer details are automatically handled by the software.

Unfortunately there is no way to specify which programs should be copied across. If one of the reasons for upgrading was to escape unwanted software and spyware, this defeats the object of the exercise.

In testing, copying files was very successful, with files from the Desktop being moved as well. Getting programs across gave mixed success. ZoneAlarm and OpenOffice were successfully copied but AVG with Firewall needed the licence key to be re-entered.

For a simple upgrade, this is a very useful tool but only if you want everything that was on the old PC. It would be wiser to try the Windows Files and Settings Transfer Wizard if you have the installation discs for all the software on the old computer.