Idiots guide to a new laptop?

[DonkeyApple]

My existing laptop is a few years old, full and a bit creaky. I hadn’t planned on changing it but I’ve just been handed a new one for free.

For years I’ve run everything on DropBox so in terms of files etc I don’t have any issues.

But, things like the desktop, a few programs, web history and login details need to be copied over.

I’ve had a bit of a look around the web and the various help guides all seem to point me towards buying something yet not answering my specific questions.

Does anyone know of an idiots guide to essentially just cloning old over to new so that Indont spend the next 12 months trying to remember login details for rarely used things etc?

[IanJ9375]

Very easy to copy Desktop and Favourites over from C:\Users and whatever you called the PC.
Your Docs and also any downloaded software is there as well.
Just reinstall any software you had from the source material, CD or download etc

[DonkeyApple]

I’m assuming I need to connect them with a usb cable?

[IanJ9375]

DonkeyApple said:

I’m assuming I need to connect them with a usb cable?

Copy items from C:\users to dropbox or to a USB key then transfer over (so the contents of desktop you'd paste in to the new laptops C:\users\"your name"\Desktop )

And so forth for favourites etc

[RizzoTheRat]

Depending what browser you use you might be able to copy your stored logins/passwords, eg in Chrome https://www.ghacks.net/2017/07/10/google-chrome-pa...

[Mr Pointy]

DonkeyApple said:

But, things like the desktop, a few programs, web history and login details need to be copied over.

Use Firefox & sign up to Sync which will transfer across your bookmarks & web history (& logins if you use the FF password manager). Consider using a password manager to store your logins.

[EggsBenedict]

This might not be exactly what you think you need, but something like LastPass is very useful.

https://www.lastpass.com/solutions/business-passwo...

If you install it, it will provide passwords across all your devices (so there's a phone app, for example, so change password on one device means that next login on another will just work).

Even at the most basic level, you can c&p usernames and passwords in and out of it.

It's free for single user basic use - and that's generally all you need.

[DonkeyApple]

Thanks. I’ve ended up buying the actual software that Bill Gates expects me to buy. So far I’m 23 hours into a simple 1 hour process but they are kindly offering to fix this by letting me buy some magic cables.

Will wait until this process finally ends and see what’s really been copied over.