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"  Windows Vista was, if anything, an excellent excuse to hold on to an old computer. Microsoft&amp;#039;s last-generation operating system was so widely ridiculed that a whole generation of PCs running the previous OS, Windows XP, was kept in service long after the hardware had become creaky and outmoded. That has largely changed with Windows 7--a system that, although not a complete reinvention of Vista, is a vast improvement in terms of performance, reliability and usability. In fact, the past year has brought us new operating systems from both Apple and Microsoft. Apple&amp;#039;s new version of OS X, Snow Leopard, along with a host of updated desktops and laptops, has introduced plenty of innovation to the Mac platform, as well.  So now is a natural time to think of upgrading to a new computer. But if it&amp;#039;s been four years or more since the last time you migrated from one computer to another, you&amp;#039;ll find that the logistics of moving have become far more complicated. The days of throwing all of your files on a floppy disc or even burning them to a CD are over.  Computers are now often our main repository of music, photos and even movies--which have both sentimental and real monetary value that may exceed that of the computer itself. That means that one&amp;#039;s personal files may amount to a multi-gigabyte transfer that requires both capacity and organization. Plus, the longer you&amp;#039;ve waited since your last computer upgrade, the higher the chances that software you&amp;#039;ve grown accustomed to may not transfer at all.  Whatever your situation, make sure to allot a decent amount of time to the process (it can eat up a full weekend). Our own Popular Mechanics assistant editor Erin McCarthy recently switched from a three-year-old Dell laptop running Windows XP to a new Intel-based MacBook running OS X Snow Leopard. She&amp;#039;s impressed by the performance of her new laptop. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s so much faster than my old computer,&amp;quot; she says. But she was also humbled by the work involved in the data transfer from her old PC. &amp;quot;The amount of time it took to get everything the way I like it was ridiculous,&amp;quot; she recalls. &amp;quot;But I wasn&amp;#039;t going to let the machine win.&amp;quot; Step 1: Get Organized Think of moving to a new computer like moving to a new house. First figure out how much stuff you&amp;#039;re taking with you (2 GB? 10 GB? 100 GB?). Then box it up logically (photos, music, documents, videos). Finally, determine what type of moving equipment (DVDs, memory keys, external hard drives) you&amp;#039;ll need. A network attached storage (NAS) drive can make the process easier, as it can serve as a waypoint between your old PC and your new one.  You may have kept your files well organized (or not), but even if you think you know where most of the files on your old computer are, use the search tool built into your OS (in Windows XP, it&amp;#039;s called Search Companion; in the Mac OS, it&amp;#039;s referred to as Spotlight) and look for files by type and/or extension: photos (.jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .raw, .gif); documents (.doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .pages); music (.mp3, .wav, .aac, .m4p, .m4u); and movies (.avi, .mov, .mp4, .wmv). Many of the files you find will be sample files that came with the OS or other programs, but you may also discover a hidden repository of forgotten gems. Speaking of things you might forget, don&amp;#039;t overlook the browser bookmarks, iTunes playlists, passwords, software preferences and printer and network settings that made your personal computer personal to you. Some of these can be easily exported. (Firefox, for example, allows you to make a transferable bookmark backup file.) For other things, such as program settings, it may be necessary to take an old-fashioned paper and pencil and browse through the various menus in each program&amp;#039;s preferences section, taking notes on how you set it up. If you&amp;#039;d rather save time and pay to migrate the simple way, then it&amp;#039;s worth considering solutions such as Belkin&amp;#039;s Easy Transfer Cable ($40), which uses software to find and move all media files, documents and settings over a special USB cable. Macs make the moving process a bit easier with OS X&amp;#039;s built-in Migration Assistant, which moves most of the data and settings from an old to a new Mac via FireWire. For converts moving from a PC to a Mac platform, Apple offers data-migration services at the company&amp;#039;s in-store Genius Bars as part of its $99 One to One service. If you&amp;#039;d rather not leave your personal files in the hands of Apple&amp;#039;s geniuses, try Move2Mac ($40) software by Detto Technologies, which automatically transfers files over a network or via external drive. For those migrating from Mac to PC, there really aren&amp;#039;t a lot of third-party solutions--which maybe tells you something. PC Postmortem Don&amp;#039;t just throw away your old computer. Dispose of it securely and responsibly. Scrub Your Hard Drive If the hard drive from your old machine isn&amp;#039;t useful in your new one, make sure to get your personal data off before sending it to the great beyond. Formatting doesn&amp;#039;t actually erase data; it simply reallocates space on the drive--so opt for a more secure data wipe with a true hard-drive eraser such as Active@KillDisk ($30).  Consider Donating Your computer may be too slow for your needs, but if it is less than five years old, it may still be useful to someone. Many local organizations refurbish old machines for schools and charities. Find one near you at techsoup.org/mar.  Or At Least Recycle Even if your machine is too old to be useful to anyone, it still shouldn&amp;#039;t go to the dump. Many computers--particularly older ones--contain lead, mercury and other environmental pollutants. Check the website of the manufacturer of your computer. Many PC makers will recycle your old computer for free. Likewise, many technology stores, such as Best Buy and Staples, will recycle your old electronics.  --&amp;amp;gt; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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