Transferring your files

This is the part people worry about most, and it’s usually simpler than it looks. There are three sensible ways to go about it, and which one suits you depends mostly on whether your old computer still turns on. If you’d rather not do it yourself at all, that’s fine too: we’re happy to do it for you.

Do this first

Make a list of the programs you use, and find the licence keys or logins for anything you paid for. Files copy across easily; software licences are the thing that tends to catch people out a few days later, so a few minutes now saves a headache.

If your old computer still works

Option 1: Cloud storage (easiest)

If you already use OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox, just sign in on the new computer and your files come down on their own. There’s nothing else you need to do.

If you don’t use one, the free tier of any of them is plenty for documents. Photo and video libraries are usually too big to be worth it, so an external drive is the better option there.

Option 2: An external drive or USB stick

Reliable, and it works for any amount of data.

1. Plug the drive into your old computer.
2. Copy across the folders that actually matter. In almost every case that’s everything under C:\Users\[your name]: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, Music.
3. Safely eject, plug it into the new computer, and copy the folders into the matching places.
4. Open a few files and check they’re really there before you wipe anything.

Option 3: Have us do it

Bring both computers in and we’ll transfer everything across for you. It’s a job we do all the time and we’re glad to take it off your hands. Contact us for pricing and to book it in.

If your old computer won’t turn on

Take heart: your files are very likely fine. A computer that won’t boot has usually lost a power supply, a motherboard or a fan. The drive, where your files live, is normally untouched and can simply be read on another machine.

So please don’t throw the old computer away. Bring it in and we’ll recover the data off the drive for you. Talk to us before you do anything else with it, and we’ll help you work out the best way forward.

Don’t forget

These are the ones that are easy to overlook, and they’re all annoying to lose:

• Browser bookmarks and saved passwords: sign into your browser account on the new machine, or export bookmarks to a file
• Email, if you use a desktop mail program rather than webmail
• Photos and videos: check phone backup folders, not just Pictures
• Software licence keys for anything you paid for
• Two-factor authentication apps, which often need to be deliberately moved before you wipe the old device. Losing an authenticator app can lock you out of accounts entirely, so it’s worth doing this one carefully, and doing it first.

Before you get rid of the old computer

Wipe it, or let us wipe it for you. Deleting files does not remove them from the drive; they’re recoverable with free tools.

We’ll do this properly and give you a certificate confirming it. See Data wiping and destruction. And if the machine has any value left we may pay you for it, so have a look at Trade in your old computer.