From TNPC issue #4.18...

Applications: Here to There - Part 2

by T.J. Lee
September 6, 2001

In Part 1 I recounted the saga wherein I started out to migrate my working PC's programs and data to a bigger, faster system here in the Underground Labs. I was intrigued by a new product from the V Communications folks who brought us System Commander, it's called PC Upgrade Commander. As I had used and was impressed with System Commander, so I thought PC Upgrade Commander could be the answer we've all been looking for when migrating our "stuff" between PCs.

Sure, it's not hard to copy data from one PC to another via a null modem cable connection, or a network, or using a third party piece of software like LapLink (albeit the latter is a pricey way to go). But moving applications from one system to another is a nightmare ever since the Registry became the sanctum sanatorium for application information. I was also complicating the issue by wanting to move applications from Windows 98SE to Windows 2000, a situation that PC Upgrade Commander is supposed to handle with aplomb.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of my sojourn into the PC-to- PC transfer netherworld, let me get a mea culpa out of the way. Last issue I mentioned MagicMover, a utility that was part of the indispensable PartitionMagic program (made by PowerQuest). The operative word here being "was." It seems that the powers that be decided to drop MagicMover from PartitionMagic in version 6. Alas, I am still using version 5 and had assumed that something as useful as MagicMover would remain a part of PartitionMagic forever. This is, sadly, not the case. To all of you TNPCers who have been trying to find MagicMover in PartitionMagic version 6 I apologize, it's simply not there.

Fortunately, TNPCer Lewis L. not only set me straight but pointed me to PowerQuest's latest information about MagicMover. According to PowerQuest, "PM6's new Split Partition feature replaces the separate MagicMover utility that was included in earlier versions of PartitionMagic." You can get the scoop here:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/418/tr.cgi?jim1

Hmmm, having read the PartitionMagic Web site blurb on the Split Partition feature it does not sound much like MagicMover to me. It moves folders and applications between partitions, relies on DriveMapper to update shortcuts and the Registry, and they recommend you not fool with the Program Files folder at all. Given the way my Program Files folder grows I've wanted to relocate it to another drive for some time now.

In any event, we started out trying to move the contents of one PC to another, so did I discuss relocating programs on a single machine in the first place? The answer is housecleaning. Like cleaning up and organizing your belongings before a move, it makes things easier when you get to your new place.

Remember, the traditional scenario is to start on the new computer with only the operating system and then reinstall all your programs from scratch. This gives you the opportunity to do major housecleaning and reorganization. In fact this is probably the one thing that makes the pain of reinstalling everything manually worthwhile. Note that manually reinstalling is still a viable, sometimes inescapable, method of migrating to a new computer.

But my wanting to avoid reinstalling all my applications, which necessitates finding all the application disks, CDs, and/or downloaded program files, to say nothing of all the updates, upgrades, service releases, bug fixes, ad infinitum, along with resetting, calibrating, tweaking, and fine-tuning my programs... well, this is what led me to investigate migration software in the first place.

Here's how the migration process is supposed to work: all your applications and data are force-fed to the target computer, and the operating system's Registry is updated so it thinks all the copied applications have been installed on that computer all along and everything is supposed to run peachy-keen. That's the theory.

Since everything on the source PC is dumped onto the target PC it pays to do some of your housecleaning *before* migrating to the target machine, and that's where a program relocation program comes in handy. Since MagicMover is no longer supplied with PartitionMagic, several TNPCers pointed me to an alternative freeware program called Change of Address (COA). The latest is COA2 version 1.0, written for Ziff Davis by Neil J. Rubenking.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/418/tr.cgi?jim2

COA2 works as advertised but you should be aware of some important caveats (these are explained in the documentation). COA2 does not actually move a program's folders or files. You have to relocate the program folder yourself then tell COA2 what folder you moved (showing a fully qualified path) and where exactly you moved it (again with a fully qualified path). Then COA2 goes into your Registry and shortcuts and swaps out the location strings to point to the new location. You have to do this one folder at a time so doing any serious housecleaning and reorganizing is a long, tedious chore (albeit much shorter and less tedious than tweaking the Registry and shortcuts manually too).

I had high hopes for PC Upgrade Commander. V Communications staff told me the next version would deal with the issue of copying unneeded drivers from one PC to the other and that they were working on giving the user a way to selectively transfer applications. Sounds sweet. Unfortunately, so far I've been unable to get PC Upgrade Commander to work. Installation was a snap. When I started the application on the target and source PCs they recognized each other over my test network, and the migration process would start properly. But at step 3 of 3 it consistently failed with a message box, "Target is busy. Press Stop." Stop it did, but with no migration accomplished.

Technical support engineers ran through their checklist, "Is hibernation disabled?" (it was) and emailing me sections of the PDF manual (that I already had) so I'd know how to verify NetBEUI and TCP/IP protocols were installed on my computers (even though only TCP/IP is required for migrating across a network). Our email conversations quickly degenerated to gropes like, "Are you using CAT-5/UTP network cables?" and, "Somewhere in the 7 OSI network layer your system is incompatible with PC Upgrade Commander." Tech support came up with perhaps my DSL network card on the source PC was confusing the program. I'll run some tests and let you know how it ultimately works out (or doesn't). I was really dismayed to have problems with a V Communications program but I noticed on the Help About dialog that the copyright to Upgrade Commander is held by another company so V Communications did not develop it themselves.

I did hear from some TNPCers who have tried PC Upgrade Commander. Andrew J. said that after 12 hours of a projected 24 hours to complete the migration, the transfer aborted leaving him high and dry. Dave S. reports that he did a successful migration from Windows 98 to Windows ME over a parallel cable and moved a ton of data and programs with no glitches or problems.

Meanwhile, a number of The Naked PC readers make a strong case for a program called PC Relocator from a company with the unlikely but memorable name of AlohaBob. PC Relocator does not purport to work between disparate operating systems but is supposed to be fast and, according to these readers, works very well. Next issue I'll conclude with a report on AlohaBob's PC Relocator.

You can reach T.J. Lee at:
mailto:tj_lee@TheNakedPC.com

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