Do you have an outdated PC? Are you ready to upgrade to new equipment? It may seem daunting. Depending on how many files, photos and data you have on your current computer, it may be. Let’s make this easy. I’m going to share four useful tips to make your transition seamless, take less effort and be foolproof. These tips can be used at home or work.
Let’s break it down. There are the four steps to follow as you move to a new PC:
Use Webmail for your eMail:
You don’t need to make new accounts and ditch your old ones, if you’re using Webmail you simply have to log-in to your accounts on your new PC. You can use webmail with GMAIL, Yahoo, AOL or Outlook). Email clients are desktop software that allows users to access their emails on their computer without having to log in via the web, this is a bit more complex and results in frustration for many people.
Use Services to Save Your Files:
The easiest way to transfer your files to your new PC is to use a cloud storage service. Your files are stored online and are available to all your computers and mobile devices that are signed in. It’s essentially instant transfer! Cloud also saves on storage for your devices since the consumption occurs on the cloud. The most popular cloud storages are Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. They are free at the base level. Upgrades are available, of course. OneDrive has 1TB of storage if you buy MS-Office (365).
Sign into Your Browser:
Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers and you can create multiple profiles to make transferring computers that much easier as it saves your browsing data, like bookmarks, cache, history, etc., on the cloud. All you have to do is create a new profile and link it to an existing Google account on your new computer.
Microsoft Edge works the same way as Chrome where you have a profile that stores all your data, to transfer onto your new computer launch Edge on your old computer, go to Settings, and click on Profile in the left-hand pane. Next, click on Sync, and select the items you want to sync. Make sure to include your bookmarks on the list. Then launch Edge on your new PC, log in to your Microsoft account and hit the Sync option again.
Firefox also has profiles that store all your data, the easiest way to transfer your data without having to move everything to a flash drive is to move your profile from the old PC to the new one. Log into your profile on your old PC then copy everything you need, then go to your new computer sign in again and paste it all to your new computer.
Have a Microsoft account:
With a Microsoft account, you can manage everything in one place. Track your subscriptions, organize your family’s digital life, update your privacy and security settings, and mange the health and safety of your devices.
Everything stays with you in the cloud and across devices. Your OneDrive account is linked to your Microsoft account so you can back up your files online. When you’re ready, sync them onto a new PC. Alternatively you can leave them in the cloud without having to download them. This saves space on your new PC’s hard drive and leaves your files and photos easily accessible from any of your devices. If you do not already have an account, you may create one here.
All in all moving to a new computer isn’t as much of a headache than one may believe. With the right accounts, programs and apps moving from your old PC to a new one is as easy as can be. Just be sure to keep track of all your account information such as username and password, have all your files sorted and up-to-date and try to keep all your files in one place to avoid confusion or loss. If you need any help navigating your new or old computer, I’m here to help!