Transfer files from old laptop to new one??

A newbie here. Will be ordering new Inspiron 6000 this week. Windows HOme. My very old Sony has Windows 98. I use AOL. New Dell will have AOL 6 mo. free but I think that is only for new members? So, how do I get things like my address book, favorite places, email, email filing cabinet transfered to the new PC? Shouled I delete the AOL it ships with and install the free one I picked up? Can I use my same email address?

 

You should absolutely be able to keep your current account. I don't think you'll have to delete the AOL on the new machine. The last time I switched computers (they weren't notebooks, but still), there was a set-up for both new users and "existing accounts". You probably won't get the free 6 months, though, if you use your existing address. I am also a newbie to laptops - my first one is on the way. I checked out some of the file transfer programs on amazon.com's site (Dell's site also offers several), and nothing got geat reviews. But, there are programs out there that will move your address book, bookmarks, and other files for you if you want to try them. I decided to get an external hard drive and will move my files to that from my old computer, then decide what will stay external and what I'll move to the HD on my notebook.

 

You can export things like favorites to a file to import in your new machine. Are you going to be using the old machine? If not, you can get a case and just pull the HDD out, using it for an external drive until you're sure you have everything transfered. Alternatively, you could just copy all the contents from the old drive into a folder on the new one, I presume you have more space in the new than the old. You'll still have to install programs fresh though.

 

The XP machine will have Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. It allows you to pick and choose what to transfer (i.e. media types, file types, Outlook settings, etc.). You can transfer over a network (easiest) or thru removable media (I use my USB Hard Drive)