How to transfer everything from old PC to new (even apps!)

You just bought a new PC, but your old one has all your data on it. Old problem, right? Everyone knows how to get all your old files from one computer to another. Programs like Microsoft's own File and Settings Transfer program make this relatively simple. Gadgets like Data Drive Thru's Tornado (a 2007 Last Gadget Standing winner) make it painless.

But getting your data from one computer to another is the easy part. What about all the programs you've used to create that data? How do you get them from one PC to another? In general, you don't. Due to the intricacies of the Windows registry, hidden files, and more, it's mostly impossible to just copy files from one PC to another and expect any of the programs to work. Instead, you have to reinstall them from the original CD. But that can take hours... or days, depending on how much stuff you have.

Solution: LapLink's PC Mover, software (and hardware as an option) which will copy all your data and your apps, too. It works just like any data transfer program. Just plug the cable into both computers, install the software, and select what you want copied over. It works fast and, in my tests, without error (though some users have of course complained that they experienced problems), and it supports OSes from Windows 95 to Vista. $60 gets you the cable and a serial number that lets you make a single transfer (all you want, one time only) from one PC to another. You'll have to buy additional licenses if you want to use it more than once on different computers.

Remember that if you use this method and transfer apps from one OS to another, not all apps will be compatible with a newer OS. This is especially true for Vista. Fortunately, LapLink will transfer just about everything, and you can find out if anything's not working after you're done.

What are you gonna do? Install all your old junk from scratch? Do you even have your original CDs? 

UPDATE: I meant to include a note on cloning your hard drive (which I've covered several times in the past) as a way to grab apps from one machine and put them on another. This works too, but it also brings the operating system, drivers, and everything else. If you're upgrading to a new OS, this obviously doesn't work, but it's the driver issue that's the biggie: You can't just pop out your hard drive and put it in a different model machine (especially a laptop) because the drivers won't be compatible. It probably won't work at all.