[inzeo]

I'm receiving an new dell this week and it will have Vista installed.

I have never used vista and am in the "not really sure I want to" camp, but a 1 year warranty says give it a try. I want to have a similar desktop (programs, organization) to what I have now.

Can someone offer advise for
a. What and how to back up documents and such? (Firefox settings and bookmarks, also)
1. should I drag everything to my wd 500 extrenal and then drag it to the new?
2. Should I connect the computers via ___?____ for easy transfer
b. What must I make sure I don't forget during the switch?
c. practical advice from someone who has done this (maybe even recently)?
d. Am I even asking the right questions?
e. Am I over thinking the whole thing and everything will be OK?

* I would also love to hear what are some out of the box things I should do to clean up the crap that will be on my new comp (ie. programs I don't want/need)?

below is a list of programs I use everyday, if it helps....any other info you need just ask!

Thanks,
Inzeo


NOD32
CD Display
Firefox 3.
Sunbird
Utorrent
VCL Media player
FLAC
Foobar 2000
Openoffice

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Backup everything to your external hard drive. Presuming that it's formatted in FAT32 you won't have any "access denied" issues.
Firefox bookmarks are easily backed up online by using the Foxmarks extension (and that way you can sync them with whatever computer you use, and they're always available online).

The most practical advice (IMO) is to not erase anything until you're sure you've got it on the new system.
Make sure that you know what version of Vista you have (32 or 64 bit) - this will affect your devices and some programs (like antivirus and firewall). To find this out, press the Windows key and the Pause/Break key at the same time.

Vista's a lot nicer to play with now that SP1 is out - but the difference between 32 and 64 bit can trip you up. So check for compatibility with the version that you have before installing something. For example, I had a computer at work that had the 32 bit iTunes installed on it. It worked well until the iPod was plugged in - then nothing wanted to work. It turns out that the customer had installed the 32 bit version on his 64 bit OS. Uninstalling it was a pain, but the 64 bit version now works fine.

[usasma]

Backup everything to your external hard drive. Presuming that it's formatted in FAT32 you won't have any "access denied" issues.
Firefox bookmarks are easily backed up online by using the Foxmarks extension (and that way you can sync them with whatever computer you use, and they're always available online).

The most practical advice (IMO) is to not erase anything until you're sure you've got it on the new system.
Make sure that you know what version of Vista you have (32 or 64 bit) - this will affect your devices and some programs (like antivirus and firewall). To find this out, press the Windows key and the Pause/Break key at the same time.

Vista's a lot nicer to play with now that SP1 is out - but the difference between 32 and 64 bit can trip you up. So check for compatibility with the version that you have before installing something. For example, I had a computer at work that had the 32 bit iTunes installed on it. It worked well until the iPod was plugged in - then nothing wanted to work. It turns out that the customer had installed the 32 bit version on his 64 bit OS. Uninstalling it was a pain, but the 64 bit version now works fine.

[inzeo]

ok, thanks and good start.
a. I've backed up my docs to an external HD (fat) and have exported FF bookmarks and settings to it too...

b. I will check for 64 vs 32 when it arrives...

Thanks Again...now...what else?

Inzeo

[usasma]

?Sit back and twiddle your thumbs?

Seriously, there's not much to do while waiting. You can research your favorite apps to see what will work with 64 bit and what won't. From the list above, I'd suggest checking on your NOD32 compatibility (I'm not familiar with it). Also, you'll have to decide on what sort of programs that you want that must be 64 bit.

For example, there are 64 bit versions of the popular Internet browsers - but I find that quite a few of the add-ons aren't compatible. The last that I read, you couldn't get Flash installed on a 64 bit browser, so I've stayed with a 32 bit browser on my 64 bit systems.

I've always had problems when exporting/importing settings from a "mature" system (one that's been used for a while). As such I don't import settings any more. Rather I reinstall everything fresh and tweak it once it's installed. Then I import my bookmarks and I'm happy. It may be painful, but it's less painful than importing something that's either not compatible, or that has hidden problems that'll pop up when you start using it.

[inzeo]

Thanks...I guess I'm over thinking things. I appreciate the 2 cents.

Inzeo

[inzeo]

Got comp and am really happy...I did overthink the whole thing!

[usasma]

I'm glad to hear that you're happy with it. If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!