A This is a harder job than it should be. The problem is that the Windows Registry needs to know about both your hardware (which is changing) and your software (which isn't). The good news is that an external tape drive makes the job easier. You may be tempted to back up the files on your old computer to the tape drive, move the tape drive to your new PC, and then restore everything. Resist! Hardware conflicts could render Windows unusable on the new computer. What's more, you'd probably be replacing a newer version of Windows with an older, buggier one.

Besides, the Windows folder is constantly filling up with garbage that wastes disk space and increases the likelihood of software conflicts. Consequently, it's a good idea to clean out your system every so often. This job will never be easier or safer than when you're changing computers.

Now that we've covered what not to do, here's what you should do:

1. Gather the installation CD-ROMs and floppies for all programs. Unfortunately, you'll have to reinstall them.

2. Back up everything on your old computer to your tape drive.

3. Move the tape drive to the new computer and install the drive's backup software.

4. Using your backup software, restore from the tape the following folders from your old PC's Windows folder: Start Menu, SendTo, Favorites, Media, Desktop, and Application Data (if you don't have one of these, don't worry about it). You might also want to restore .bmp, .pst (personal folder), .pab (personal address book), and .wab (Windows address book) files.

5. Your Start menu now contains files from your new and your old computer. But not everything is working. Open the Start menu in Explorer by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Explore. Go through the Start Menu folder and its subfolders, deleting duplicate Shortcuts.

6. Most of the Shortcuts from your old computer will be marked by blank icons. You have two choices for handling these: Delete the Shortcut if you no longer need its application, or reinstall the application. Reinstalling is painfully time-consuming, but it's a necessary evil. You'll also need to restore select files, such as macros, templates, and custom dictionaries.

7. Restore your data from the tape. If you use Microsoft Office, restoring the My Documents folder is a necessity.

8. Some important configuration files for your applications may be floating around; if you can figure out what these are, restore them. If you're an Office user, restore your Templates folder, which is probably C:\Microsoft Office\Templates.

9. If you haven't saved the various updates and fixes for your applications, go online and get the latest versions.

10. Don't overwrite the tape cartridge for at least three months. At some point, you'll realise that it holds an important file you haven't recovered yet.

You can do pretty much the same job with a Zip drive or other removable disk drive, or a CD-Recordable drive. The main difference occurs in Step 2. Since you probably can't back up your entire hard drive, you'll have to be selective about what you back up. Use Steps 4, 7, and 8 as guides in determining what to back up.

If you have no such drive, you can remove the hard drive from the old PC and temporarily put it in the new one.