Question 1

Just wanted to know how old is this product (2009) or is this one a newer version? If newer can you list the version please. Thanks!

Accepted Answer

The paperwork says it is PCmover Pro 7, is supposed to work with Windows 8.  I have not installed the product yet.  I used the free version from the Laplink site, and it worked perfectly.  The current Laplink website product is PCmover Pro 8.

Question 2

Can I use this to recover files from a computer that crashed?

Accepted Answer

If the PC will not boot then no.  That is, PCmover Professional must be installed on both your old and new computers, so if you computer will not boot you cannot install PC Mover.   If the hard drive works, you could install your old hard drive in an external enclosure (I've used both Transcend and Vantec enclosures with good success) and copy the files to another PC.  Note that if you are unfamiliar with disassembling PCs (and especially laptops) this might not be a good do-it-yourself project.  If the hard drive is broken or corrupted then you are looking at probably a professional data recovery service.  These tend to be expensive. Hope this helps.

Question 3

I am transferring data from Windows XP professional to Windows 7 Professional. Is this the best PV mpover edition for this task?

Accepted Answer

I had trouble making the supplied cable work, so I transferred through my switch. Also, I did not realize that I needed to set up my libraries to be on my E drive in windows 8.1 before starting the transfer, so they were dumped on the C drive, filling it nearly to capacity. A few programs were transferred successfully, but next time I will save my money for a new Office.

Question 4

I have a laptop vista operating system with a 240G hard drive.
I want to backup via a disk image to an external hard drive so that I don't have to reinstall the operating system if the disk crashes. I would consider backing up the data files separately.
The software I am looking for has to be on a CD and control the backup. If the disk crashes I want to be able to launch from the CD and pull in the image hard drive.  Is Acronis for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes, go for Acronis it is easy to use and will accomplish your task.

Question 5

The ULTIMATE version states very clearly that I can "pick & choose" exactly the files I want transferred, but the PROFESSIONAL version doesn't state that as clearly. Will I be able to "pick & choose" which files/folders/programs I want transferred in the PRO version?? ...or will it just transfer EVERYTHING and then I have to delete what I didn't want transferred? (seems like LapLink would be crystal-clear about this in their marketing/advertising!!!)

Accepted Answer

From the PCmover Pro manual:

List of Applications: On this screen is a list of the applications on your old
computer. All applications that are likely to transfer successfully are selected by
default to transfer to the new PC. You may deselect any applications that you do
not wish to have transferred.

PCmover allows you to list file types to exclude from the transfer.
Some file types are already set up for you in this screen, such as temporary files
(.tmp). These files are generally small, but if you have a large number of them,
they can take up quite a bit of hard drive space. To exclude any of these file types,
select the check box(es).
To exclude other file types not shown on this screen, click Add and type the file
type extension(s) of the file(s) you wish to exclude. For instance, if you want
to exclude all files in .jpg format, this is where you list “*.jpg”. Click OK when
finished listing file types.
Click Done when finished.

PCmover allows you to deselect and exclude specific folders from the transfer. If,
for instance, you do not want to transfer any of the files in the Pictures or Music
folders, you can deselect those folders in this screen, and they will not transfer
to the new PC. You cannot exclude specific files, but you can exclude specific
folders.
All folders that remain selected in this screen will transfer to the new PC.

Hope this helps. I bought to use on an upcoming build but have not actually used the program yet.

Question 6

I have two computers using windows xp, would like to change to windows 7 professional.
I would like to move all data and programs from xp computer to remote hard drive, install windows 7 pro, then move data and programs back to computer with new OS.
will this work?

Accepted Answer

Yes, especially since if you have Windows 7 Professional you are entitled to Windows xp mode, which is a free download from Microsoft.  It is a virtual machine that works using 7 Pro as a host, and will run at the same time. (Providing you have ample memory and a good processor.)  A quick search of the Microsoft website will lead you to the download link.

Questions & Answers