Sarasota PC Monitor
Intellimover
A Software Review
byBrian K. Lewis, Ph.D.
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.Anyone who has purchased a new computer as a replacement for an older system has run into the same problem. How do you move files, applications, e-mail, addresses, etc. from one machine to another? Unfortunately, there is still no simple method to accomplish this process. Intellimover from Detto Technologies can help, but the process is not easy. The installation instructions for Intellimover tell you to install and run, at least once all the software you intend to use on the new system. Only then should you attempt to transfer any files from the old computer to the new computer.
The next step is to close all open applications on the old computer and install the Intellimover software. So I shut down everything except Explorer and Systray. Then I inserted the Intellimover CD in the drive. The autorun function started a demo of the software. It ran for a few minutes and then I continued the installation. After the installation the application started automatically and you can simply follow the onscreen instructions. You will have to type in a key number after accepting the license conditions. This number is supplied with the Quick install booklet. The application will also ask you if you have a monitor for each computer. If you have only one monitor, it will instruct you when to connect the monitor to your new computer. Intellimover will spend a few minutes checking the software on your computer. Then it will present you with a system settings and preferences screen. Although the written instructions imply that you will want to transfer all of these settings to your new computer, I suggest you review this list carefully. For example, under Internet Explorer it lists categories such as Advanced Browser Preference, Cookies, General Preferences, Favorites, Browser Services and Security Settings. If you are moving from a computer which uses IE 5 or 5.5 to one that has IE 6 installed, I would move only the favorites. Included in the list are Outlook Express addresses, messages and mail settings. Certainly the address and messages can transfer with no problem and probably the mail settings. It also lists Options, Toolbars and templates for Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Here again, I would transfer these only if you had the same version of these programs on both computers. The list also contains Desktop settings. Again, if you are going to Windows XP from a version of Win9X or ME, these are not settings I recommend transferring. So review this settings and preferences list carefully and don't automatically accept all of the program's suggestions.
The next window lists all the file types that Intellimover found on the computer. In my case it listed over 120 file types plus the "My Documents" folder. However, it did not list many of the file types that were associated with applications located on my D drive. In addition, many file types that it obviously collected from the registry, were types associated with software that no longer existed on my computer. So, I had to review this list very carefully. By the time I had checked the files I wanted transferred I had 21 types, plus the "My Documents" folder. Still, I still had no option to select folders from my D drive that contained files. Those files included all of my WordPerfect document files that were in the standard WPD format. This file type was not in the Intellimover list although it is on their supported application list.
Intellmover comes in two versions. They supply one version with a parallel transfer cable that connects to the printer ports (parallel ports) on the two computers. Their other version uses a USB cable. They do not have a version that will work with a network connection. The version that I was using had the parallel cable. After I had selected my files, Intelllimover indicated that I had selected 2,724,146 Kbytes and that it would take 11 hours and 49 minutes to transfer the files to the new computer. This translates to a transfer rate of 50-60KB per second. The USB version would probably take considerably less time for the transfer since it is capable of up to 12MB per second. Remember, that this was not the complete list of files that I needed to move to the new computer. Intellimover installs a file transfer program on each computer that can be used to move files left behind.
The next step was to run the application on the new computer. You are again presented with the demo which you can bypass. The InstallShield program then installs Intellimover and starts it running. You have to tell the application that you are now on the new computer and enter the key number. The program instructs you to connect the parallel cable. After clicking the Next button, the transfer commences. After the transfer is complete, you can view or print a report showing what was transferred. Finally, you must reboot the new computer.
Intellimover certainly is one way to transfer data from your old computer and it does work. However, you must scrutinize all the selections and not just accept them. This is especially true in moving to Windows XP and in moving information between old and new software versions. If you purchase the parallel cable version of Intellimover, be prepared for a long transfer process. If you are interested in using this software, I suggest you check www.detto.com/products/appsupport.pdf. This lists the software that Intellimover recognizes and the cross-version support it can provide. If you have a network connection between your computers, I suggest using Windows XP "Files & Settings Transfer Wizard". You must use the same care in selecting files and settings with this as you do with Intellimover. However, the price is right.
Intellimover is available direct from Detto Technologies for $49.95 for the parallel version and $59.95 for the USB version. Detto Technologies, 14320 NE 21st, Ste. 11, Bellevue, WA 98007 www.detto.com :
Copyright 2002. This article is from the May 2002 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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