Do you know the excitement of getting a new PC only to find that not all your files and other preferences transferred from your old system to your new one?

After requiring four new PCs over the course of just two years, I realize a couple of things.

First, I am very hard on my equipment.

Second, and more importantly, a complete computer setup checklist of the items to transfer from one machine to the next saves considerable headaches and frustration.

Whether you set up your new system or someone else does it for you, I find this to-do list expedites the process and allows me to pick up on a new computer exactly where I left off on an old one.

Here’s What You Should Migrate from Your Old PC to Your New PC

Here’s my list of all of the items to migrate from old PC to my new PC:

• Browser Bookmarks – for all browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, IE, Safari
• Password Manager – Roboform is our preference at Roaring Pajamas
• Special Fonts – ensure they show up in Outlook, too
• Anti-Malware Application – we use Malwarebytes
• Backup and Synchronization Software – we use SyncToy
• Temporary File Cleaner – we use ATF Cleaner
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Outlook – I move all email accounts, contacts, calendar, emails, archives, signatures and autofill
• iTunes – including transfer all my music and ensure it shows up, which sometimes proves tricky
• My Documents – and other folders where I keep important documents
• Photos
• Skype – including all contacts
• WebEx – including integration with Outlook
• Printers – including the physical printer, scanner and ability to print to PDF
• Auto-update Preferences – personally, I turn off auto updates for Windows; I don’t like it when I’m forced to reboot or update!
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Snipping Tool
• Other Special Software and Tools – Screaming Frog is an SEO Spider Tool that is a business-specific application I can’t live without
• Creating a list of apps to pin to the toolbar is helpful as well

I hope what I’ve learned will help you minimize downtime the next time you set up a new PC.

While most of these items relate to anyone, some of my checklist items are specific to my business and me.

Is there anything missing from my list that you’d like to add? Let me know; this, as in all things tech-related, is a fluid and ever-evolving process. Good luck with your new PC!