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of rules than those that apply to retail or OEM copies. Under the terms of a volume license
agreement, each computer with a copy of Windows Vista must have a valid license and
must be activated. Under new activation procedures that apply to Windows 7 and
Windows Vista, businesses can purchase product keys that allow multiple activations, or
they can use Key Management servers to activate computers within their organization.
For more details on Volume Licensing programs for Windows and other Microsoft software,
check the Microsoft Volume Licensing home page at microsoft.com
/
licensing.
Dealing with Product Validation
antipiracy checks from Microsoft. This process, called validation, verifies that your copy of
Windows has not been tampered with to bypass activation.
I
t also allows Microsoft to
undo the activation process for a computer when it determines after the fact that the
product key was stolen or used in violation of a volume licensing agreement.
Validation takes two forms
:
an internal tool that regularly checks licensing and activation
access to some downloads and updates.
I
f your system fails validation, your computer continues to work. However, you will see
some differences
:
the desktop background changes to black (and if you change it to
something else, Windows changes it back to black aft
reminder appears on the desktop, and an Activate Now dialog box appears periodically.
I
n
download optional updates, new drivers, or certain other programs from the Microsoft
Download Center until your system passes the validation check.
Note
An unactivated copy of Windows (or one that has failed validation) can still be used.
All Windows functions work normally, all your data files are accessible, and all your
programs work as expected. The nagging reminders are intended to strongly
encourage you to resolve the underlying issue. Some forms of malware can result in
damage to system files that has the same effect as tampering with activation
components. Another common cause of activation problems is a lazy or dishonest
using your original licensed copy.
L
inks in the Windows Activation messages lead to
online support
affecting your system. Microsoft offers free support for activation issues via online
forums as well, with separate forums for enterprise customers
(social.technet.microsoft.com
/
Forums
/
en-US
/
itprovistaactivation
/
) and individuals
(social.microsoft.com
/
Forums
/
en-US
/
category
/
genuine
/
). Telephone support is also
available at no charge.
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Transferring Files and Settings from Another
Computer
I
f you upgrade your computer from Windows Vista to Windows 7, all of your data and
most of your programs should survive the journey intact. But what do you do with your
data and settings if you purchase a new computer, or if you decide to do a clean
installation on your existing system, or if your old computer was running Windows XP and
? With Windows 7, you can use a utility called Windows Easy
Transfer to handle much of the grunt work.
This utility is a significant upgrade to the version that appeared in Windows Vista (which
in turn was a greatly improved replacement for
wizard). With its help, you can migrate settings and files from your old Windows
installation (Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7) to the new one.
Use Windows
E
asy Transfer with a single PC
different physical machines. This utility will get the job done if you want to
completely replace your existing Windows installation with a clean install of
Windows 7. Use Windows Easy Transfer to save settings and files from your current
After you complete the clean install of Windows 7 on the same hardware, restore
the save
Although the utility
of customization options. New in Windows 7 is a post-migration report, which shows you
which files and settings were transferred and then lists all programs that the utility was
able to detect on the old installation
;
you can use this report as a checklist to reinstall
programs on the new computer.
Note
Y
ou can transfer files and settings from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit
or settings from a 64-bit Windows version to a 32-bit version.
Windows Easy Transfer is simple and straightforward in operation, but describing it is
another story.
I
t would take a whiteboard the size of a Jumbotron scoreboard to map out
all the possible paths you can follow when using this utility. So rather than describe every
aze.
Note
Windows Easy Transfer works with files and settings, but it does not transfer the
programs themselves.
I
f you want to transfer programs as well as files from your old
-
over
(laplink.com
/
pcmover
/
).
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Making a Connection
To accomplish the transfer, you need to establish a data connection between the old and
new computers. When you run the Easy Transfer utility and click past the introductory
ist of options shown in Figure 2-8
:
Figure 2-8 The first two Easy Transfer options require a physical connection between two PCs. The third
option is intended for upgraders.
Y
our three transfer options are as follows
:
Easy Transfer cable This custom cable, available for purchase from many
vendors
, allows high-speed
transfers over a direct connection between USB 2.0 ports on both computers.
Y
ou cannot use a standard USB cable for this task.
I
f you connect the cable
before running Windows Easy Transfer, the program assumes you plan to use it
as the transfer mechanism and skips the other options.
Network
Y
ou can connect two computers over a local area network and
transfer settings directly from the old computer to the new one. A Fast Ethernet
or Gigabit Ethernet connection is by far your best choice, especially if you want
to transfer a large number of data files.
Removable media, including USB flash drives and external hard disks
I
f a
existing partition so that you can do a clean installation on the same computer,
for example), you can save the Windows Easy Transfer output to a file and then
restore it after you finish setup.
Y
ou must have enough free space on the
external storage device to accommodate all files to be transferred. The
Windows Easy Transfer utility calculates the amount of data it expects to
transfer and warns you if the destination you select has insufficient space.
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INSID
E
OUT
Use a shared network location for
E
asy Transfer storage
store files and settings from one computer on a shared network folder and retrieve
USB flas
process of calculating which files will be transferred and click the Save button.
I
n the
Save
Y
our Easy Transfer File dialog box, select a shared network folder and enter a
file name
location over the network and begin the transfer.
7, your best bet is
to connect the two computers over a local area network (or using an Easy Transfer cable)
and then run Windows Easy Transfer. This technique is not only the fastest way to get your
existing data files remain intact on the old computer, you can recover easily if the process
inadvertently leaves behind a crucial data file.
I
f neither of these options is available, you
can use an external hard drive to physically store the data and settings to be transferred.
I
f you have any other programs running, stop them now
;
then start the Windows Easy
Transfer utility on both computers.
On the old computer, you can use the Windows 7 DVD (browse to the
\
support
\
migwiz folder on the DVD and double-click Migsetup.exe).
I
f the installation
utility, run Windows Easy Transfer on the new computer first and follow the prompts
to copy the program files to an external hard disk, a USB flash drive, or a shared
network folder
;
then connect your old PC to the device or network location and run
the Windows Easy Transfer shortcut there.
I
f the old computer is running Windows 7,
On the new computer, click the Start button and then choose All Programs,
Accessories, System Tools, Windows Easy Transfer. (
Y
ou can also type Windows
E
asy
Transfer in the Search box on the Start menu or type migwiz at any command
prompt, including the Run dialog box.) Click Next on the opening page.
will need to install a driver for the device. When the driver is successfully installed, follow
the prompts to begin t
prompted to plug in the cable on your new PC, where Windows Easy Transfer should
make the connection automatically and begin cataloging files and settings that need to
be transferred.
I
f you
Transfer on the new PC. The connection should be made automatically.
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enter a numeric key on the new PC (automatically generated on the old PC) to initiate the
connection.
Choosing What to Transfer
When you reach the Choose What To Transfer stage, Windows Easy Transfer automatically
catalogs all files and settings that are available for transfer, calculates their size, and
displays the results in a dialog box like the one shown here
:
Each user account on the old PC gets its own top-level entry in this list, followed by a
Shared
I
tems entry that grabs files from the Public folder hierarchy and settings for
programs that are installed for all users.
The default settings for individual user profiles migrate files from your user profile,
including documents, music, pictures, and videos, as well as per-user program settings and
Windows settings like your desktop background and screen saver. The utility also migrates
I
nternet Explorer Favorites and preferences
;
folder and taskbar options
;
and account
settings, messages, and address books from supported e-mail programs., Windows Mail,
and Microsoft Outlook, among other programs.
I
f you want to replicate the setup of your old PC on your new one, click Next and then
find something else to do while the transfer takes place (transferring 100+ GB of data over
a network can take hours).
I
f you simply want to transfer your personal files and settings
to the new PC, clear the check boxes next to the Shared
I
tems entry and any other
accounts
;
then click Next.
For more granular control over exactly what gets transferred, click the Customize link
beneath your user account entry or the Shared
I
tems entry. That displays a list of folders
and program settings like the one shown in Figure 2-9.
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Figure 2-9 Clear any check box to skip the selected item type. Click Advanced to specify individual folders
and drives that you want to include or exclude.
I
f you have an enormous collection of music and videos, you might prefer to copy those
files to an external hard disk and import them later.
I
n that case, clear the checkmark next
to Music or Videos for your user profile (Public Music and Public Videos in the Shared
I
tems category).
Allow the mouse pointer to hover over the blue
I
nformation icon to see a list of which
programs will have their settings migrated.
Windows Easy Transfer does not migrate program files
;
instead, it copies the settings and
preference files to the correct location on the new computer and uses those preferences
when you install the program on the new computer. Registry settings and preference files
for a long list of programs are copied automatically. (Click Customize and allow the mouse
pointer to hover over the blue
I
nformation icon to see a list of which programs will have
their settings migrated for the selected account.) Naturally, this list is heavy on Microsoft
programs, but it also includes a lengthy list of third-
list of programs covered as of the initial release of Windows 7
:
Ad-aware 6 Professional
Adobe Creative Suite 2
Adobe Photoshop CS
Adobe Photoshop CS 4
Adobe Reader 9.0
AO
L
I
nstant Messenger 5 and 6
Corel Paintshop Pro 9
Google Chrome
Google Picasa 3
Google Talk 1
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iTunes 6, 7, and 8
L
otus Notes 6, 7 and 8
L
otus SmartSuite
Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007
Microsoft Works 9.0
Mozilla Firefox 3
Opera 9
Peachtree 2009
Quicken Deluxe 2009
QuickTime Player 5, 6 and 7
RealPlayer Basic 11
Safari 4
Skype 3
Windows
L
ive Mail
Windows
L
ive Messenger
Windows
L
ive Photo Gallery
Windows
L
ive Writer
WinZip (8, 9, or 10)
WordPerfect Office X3
Y
ahoo! Messenger
Zune Software 3
Restoring Files and Settings on Your New Computer
I
f you use a network or cable connection to transfer files between two computers with
Windows Easy Transfer, you control both ends of the process. After you enter the correct
security keys on each end, establish a connection, and specify which files and settings you
want to copy to your new PC, click Transfer. When the opera
detailed status report on the new computer indicating which files and settings were
transferred.
network drive, run Windows Easy
Documents you may be interested
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