cancov

I will confess upfront here that I am really thick when it comes to technical stuff!

I have been thinking about this computer and all the stuff I have stored on it like documents, photo albums, files etc etc. I don't want to lose these forever when I move back to Canada in one month.

What is the best thing for me to do?
Should I ship the computer over to Canada with the stuff I am shipping?

Is there a way to remove the 'hard drive' (although I don't really know what it looks like!) and like take that with me in my suitcase or have it shipped with my stuff?

Or is there a way to save all my contents onto some kind of disc or something and then wipe my computer blank in order to sell it?

I know I sound really dumb here, but I just don't have a clue and I'd really appreciate some advice.

Kellie

debiharper

My suggestion would be to buy a USB external hard disk enclosure, take your hard disk out of your pc and put it into the enclosure. Then you can just plug it into your new pc in Canada (Ideally, you will want to delete the system files from the hard disk first).

Alternatively, if you can afford it, buy a complete external hard disk (enclosure and disk) and copy the files that you want to keep, that way you are not keeping unnecessary system files and your pc remains intact so that you can sell it or give it away.

I would say that it isn't financially viable to ship the pc back to canada (the pc may have a switchable power supply, but the monitor won't so you will have to replace the monitor).

If you want help with any of the above suggestions PM me.

Cheers

Debbie

kt0157

I would agree with that, but there are a couple things to watch out for. 3.5" IDE drives in an enclosure won't be "bus powered": you will have to use an external power supply, which means 110v vs 240v issues if you're not careful.

What I would do is buy an external USB *bus powered* (i.e. it draws its power only from the USB cable) hard drive. Then do a complete backup of all your files on to that drive. You should only put all your own data files: photos, music, documents, etc. (don't bother trying to put all the applications on the disk, since they won't work on a new PC: you'll have to reinstall them).

Take to Canada the USB drive, all the CDs for your applications (games, Microsoft Office, whatever). You're going to have to install Windows and the applications again on a new PC in Canada. Then you need to put your data back on the machine.

I have a recommendation for a USB drive: from Freecom. I have an older one from them and it's been marvellous for moving photos and videos from one PC to another. You want to look at the ToughDrive 2.5" for data storage. Fits in a shirt pocket, no power supplies, works on Windows and Macs. Go for a storage capacity that will hold your photos and music, etc.

When you want to sell the PC in the UK make sure you properly wipe the hard drive: if you don't the new buyer gets to see all your online banking details, your personal photos, emails, your porn stash , etc. To do this you want to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows XP (if you don't do the latter then you can't really sell the PC: no-one is going to buy a wiped PC without Windows). This is easier said than done because Windows is bloody awful. Go this article to see how to re-install Windows. This is going to take you the best part of a day to do, so steel yourself.

Microsoft have a Migration Wizard that will take all the settings from your old PC to the new one, via the pocket USB drive.

Having done this blasted job about eight times in the last couple of years (mostly down to re-installing Windows after it went tits-up) I can recommend a new strategy when you get to Canada: buy a MacBook instead of a PC (you can run Windows on a Mac now anyway, but I moved to Mac OS X a year ago and it was the best thing I've done in computing in years).

K.

cancov

Thank you to both of you

I am reading and re-reading your answers and its starting to become clearer to me, but I must confess the thought of all this scares me! I really wish I was more adavnced when it comes to computers.

Anyways a couple of questions has sprung to mind....

How do I know or find out what 'starage capacity' I would need?

If I buy one of these USB Hard Drives and transfer my files onto it, can I actually take it with me on the plane? Would it go in my hand luggage or my suitcase?

Do these hard drive things come with instructions to explain how to do the transfering off this pc and on to a new one?

Is there a cheap way to hire someone to come and do all this for me?!

Also, going back to the idea of shipping the computer (minus the monitor etc) along with my other stuff, why isn't this financially viable? Is it more expensive to replace the monitor, than to buy a whole new system over in Canada? I think i am missing something on this point.

Thanks again

Kellie

kathrainbow

Another, cheaper option, is to burn all your stuff to CD's or DVD's if you have a burner on your current PC. Then just take the discs with you. (Bigger capacity on DVD's obviously.)
(Hint - you should already have backups anyway of all your important documents/email/pics/music, etc.)

If it helps, I actually plan to ship mine over along with all my other stuff that I intend to take.

Kath

Gray C

Why not ship you computer to Canada, as far as I am aware most modern UK computers can be adapted to work on the different voltage used in Canada.

Correct me if I am wrong.

cancov

Hi Thanks

I have told myself to sort out doing these backup discs but never knew how to so never got round to it.

My computer has a DVD/CD writer- is that what you mean or is it something totally different?

If it is possible for me to do this on my computer, how do I actually do it?

How many discs would this be likely to use?

Would I be able to take the dvds/cds in my hand luggage/suitcase?

When you say you are planning to ship yours over, do you mean just the computer tower bit or something else?

Sorry to burden with so many questions, but I really am a bit slow when it comes to computers (other than going online, typing letters/essays etc, and uploading photos, I don't do much else with it).

Kellie

cancov

Hi this is what I thought too. Has anyone shipped their computers over? Would they reccomend it?

Kellie

Gray C

My sister in law did and it worked fine. I am sure there are many others on this site that have done the same.

As an alternative you could use a flash drive to put all your important info on. If you look in PC World they look a bit like a key ring.

kt0157

I wouldn't muck around with burning DVDs and CDs: I find it unreliable (I've lost archived photos from CDs becoming unreadable, and there are five different DVD formats to choose from, a right mess).

Unless you have videos, I should think that 40Gb will be fine for a pocket USB drive. You ought to be making backups too, but these little drives make perfect backup gizmos. Probably your PC's main hard drive isn't bigger than 40Gb.

I would take the pocket drive in hand luggage.

There's no need to apologise. It's computer experts that made life so bloody difficult for ordinary people to use the damn things (I can say this because I am a computer expert).

The best advice I can give is to scrap the damn thing (sell it here) and buy a Mac when you get to Canada. A Mac is perfect for you. If you get a .Mac account it comes with backup software (which backs up your calendar, email, photos, music, documents, etc., to a virtual disk stored at Apple). If you really truly need to run some Windows software you can get the MacBook to run Windows.

Computing does not have to be such bloody hard work. I think it's down to Asperger's: too many tech people suffer from this form of autism (Bill Gates is widely believed to suffer from Asperger's), and most tech companies let these people design the interaction parts of software. The results are obvious.

K.

cancov

Ok, just looked on the front of my computer and it says it is 40 GB. So a 40GB 'pocket USB drive' should be ok?

And it needs to be 'bus powered'?

I then transfer over my important files on to this gizmo? Is there a lead or something that goes from my PC to it? Any more detail on how to do this procedure? Is it difficult?

Then my files are stored on the pocket thingy and I can take that in my hand luggage on the plane? Then when I eventually buy a Canadian computer system I can upload all this stored data on to the new sytem?

Then my husband (even worse with computers than me), who is staying behind in the UK, can carry on using this computer to email me etc?

When he is ready to follow me to Canada, he can then erase the hard disk as advised, reload windows, and sell to his friend who wants it?

Am I learning?! Please please correct me if I am wrong.

Cheers

Kellie

Wearsider

The cheapest and least time consuming option would be to simply remove your existing hard drive, which will take a complete novice approximately 5 minutes to do, and take this to Canada with you. When you get to Canada and buy a new PC simply do the reverse and add your old hard drive to your new system.

When completed you will have two hard drives, your new one will be your C: drive and your old one will possibly be your E: drive. Again this is a 5 minute process with plenty of people on here to give guidance.

Bleech

I had a similar problem when I moved over so this is what I did.
Copied all my files onto DVD, 3 of them just in case. Put one in hand luggage and the others in a couple of suitcases. I also had some webspace so I FTP'd the files onto the internet. That way the chances of losing it are pretty slim.
PC and monitors all work fine no problems for me. I just bought new cables with the Canadian plugs on the end when I got here. If you've got LCD flat panel monitors they'll most likely have a transformer on them that a small power cable plugs into? Check the numbers on this box, if they say 110-220 then they'll work fine over here. Most modern PCs have an automatic power switching supply, some of them have switches on to manually switch the power.
An external drive is a great idea, I've got one which I back my stuff onto here, but if you're only going to use it once it could become another added expense which you'll come across more and more over the next few weeks
Good luck.

cancov

I really like the sound of 'cheapest' and 'least time consuming'!

I am presuming that once my hard drive is removed from this computer, then I can't sell it? But could I sell the monitor/printer/speakers etc? What might I do with the tower (minus the hard drive)? Can one sell/donate/throw in bin?

How do I remove the hard drive? What is it? What does it look like?

How do I transport it? Do I put it in anything? Do I wrap it up? Can I definately take it on the plane with me? Won't the xrays affect it? Won't the airport/airline worry it is a bomb or something?

When I add it to my new system and have two hard drives, how would that work in practice? Like if I had a Word document on the old drive, but opened up Word on the new drive, could I access the old document?

Kellie

1066

Do yourself a favour ... just take the lot with you.

99.999% of all computers/monitors will work over there without a problem.