# How to transfer programs to new pc without redownloading/reinstalling



## muk (May 12, 2021)

In the next few days I will build a new pc






Which mainboard for 5950x?


So I've lucked out. I ordered a 5950x two weeks ago. Availability is pretty bad here. I thought I just order and forget, and was expecting delivery sometime in summer. Lo and behold, my cpu will arrive tomorrow. Now I have to order the other parts for my new build. Here is my list: CPU: AMD...




vi-control.net





I will do a clean install of Windows 10, but I will install all the hard drives from my old pc into my new one. Is there a way to install all the programs of my old pc on the new one without having to redownload all the content? I have hundreds of gigabytes of samples, and they all sit on the hard drives that will be installed on the new machine. So the content is already there. Is there a way to download/run just the installers without the content? Should I export registry settings from my old machine (which ones?)? Redownloading everything would take ages. I hope there is a way around it. How did you all make the switch to a new machine?


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## José Herring (May 12, 2021)

Sample libraries and their host programs are separate. You can use all your old drives or just copy your old drives to new ones then point the program to the new location.


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## Mr Greg G (May 12, 2021)

If you do a clean install, you will have to reinstall everything , except for samples content where you would only have to install the program and link it to its already installed content (most Kontakt libraries, Omnisphere etc...)

You also have the option to do an image restore of your system drive on a dissimilar hardware which will save you a lot of time. I even read that it’s possible to do a 1:1 copy of the old system on a new HDD or SSD, strip all the old drivers from W10, and W10 will reinstall everything properly on reboot. Everything should be working as intended. At least I haven’t seen anyone complain about malfunctioning programs when doing so.
It will save you a lot of time. You could still do a clean install if you notice something wrong.


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## Crowe (May 12, 2021)

Samples (Kontakt, Engine, Sforzando) are just that, samples. You may have to reconfigure the path in applications like Native Access, but you can just copy them wholesale.

Many vsts can also be copied as is, especially free ones that didn't come with installers.

For everything else... You'll have to re-install everything, unless you're considering cloning your hard-drive to the new pc.

EDIT:

I personally take these moments to index everything I have and check what I really use. I think I got rid of half of my vsts when I did my last reinstall.


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## muk (May 12, 2021)

Right! Sample Libraries are among the more convenient things to reinstall then. 



Mr Pringles said:


> I even read that it’s possible to do a 1:1 copy of the old system on a new HDD or SSD, strip all the old drivers from W10, and W10 will reinstall everything properly on reboot. Everything should be working as intended. At least I haven’t seen anyone complain about malfunctioning programs when doing so.
> It will save you a lot of time.


This sounds interesting. The registry will still be clogged up by old entries that way I guess. If a clean install is manageable that's preferable after so many years on the same system.


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## PaulieDC (May 12, 2021)

muk said:


> The registry will still be clogged...


Exactly. If your actual folders of samples are on the C drive, then punish yourself (no I Love Lucy reruns for a week), get an SSD as a second drive and copy them over! Then you can reinstall Windows nice and clean. When you reinstall the player(s) whether it be Kontakt, SpitFire, etc, you just have to install the player/plugin, and point to the samples. If you already have the samples on a second drive, then you're good to go, just use "Locate" or "Repair" or whatever your players have.


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## fakemaxwell (May 12, 2021)

I've done this many times, it's much better to start anew rather than try and hack your old install into the new one. The easiest way is to back up your C: drive onto an external hard drive, and then reference it to reinstall the programs. There's almost always something that you forget to back up if you do it manually, so just take the whole drive (you can usually leave out the C:/Windows folder though).

I haven't had any issues pointing newly installed samplers to libraries, as mentioned by others. Don't think you need to bring the old registry over. It's definitely a good time for some spring cleaning of plugins you never use.


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## vitocorleone123 (May 13, 2021)

If at all possible, despite the time it takes, start over fresh (for programs, VSTs, etc. but not necessarily samples). There’s no reason to burden your new computer with anything from the old one.


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## José Herring (May 13, 2021)

Shiirai said:


> EDIT:
> 
> I personally take these moments to index everything I have and check what I really use. I think I got rid of half of my vsts when I did my last reinstall.


I personally take these moments for deep self reflection and pondering on the direction of my life.


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## darkogav (May 13, 2021)

I used Acronis about 2 years ago to move all data and apps from one hardware platform to another. It worked quite well. It was well worth the time it saved me from having to do it manually.









System Restoration & Recovery - Acronis Universal Restore


Acronis Universal Restore, included free with all Acronis Backup & Backup Advanced products, enables you to restore your system to any machine in minutes.




www.acronis.com





A lot depends what is the applications and do you have access to the serial codes and installation media. I persoanlly like to start fresh usually and consider the move to a new system as a new opportunity to better optimize the new system and my folder structure. But sometimes you have no choice if its older apps.


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## vitocorleone123 (May 13, 2021)

darkogav said:


> I used Acronis about 2 years ago to move all data and apps from one hardware platform to another. It worked quite well. It was well worth the time it saved me from having to do it manually.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


After several failures a few years ago by Acronis I ceased trusting it and switched to Macrium Reflect. Not as user friendly, but it’s been flawless.


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## José Herring (May 13, 2021)

vitocorleone123 said:


> After several failures a few years ago by Acronis I ceased trusting it and switched to Macrium Reflect. Not as user friendly, but it’s been flawless.


Interesting. Thanks for the tip.


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## rudi (May 13, 2021)

muk said:


> Is there a way to download/run just the installers without the content? Should I export registry settings from my old machine (which ones?)? Redownloading everything would take ages. I hope there is a way around it. How did you all make the switch to a new machine?


I haven't used any of the following programs, but I looked into it a short while ago for when the time comes and funds allow for a new PC:

*Laplink PCmover*






Download PCmover Express for 50%!


PCmover Express is the fast and easy way to move all of your files, settings, and user profiles to your new PC.




pcmover-10.laplink.com





This video shows you how it works, including limitations:






*Easus PC Transfer*






Professional Windows 11/10 PC transfer/migration software: EaseUS Todo PCTrans Professional


Professional PC transfer/migration software: EaseUS Todo PCTrans Professional to transfer data and applications from one PC to another, from Windows XP to Windows 7/8/10/11, from Windows 7 to Windows 7/8/10/11, from Windows 8 to Windows 8/10/11, from 32-bit Windows PC to 64-bit Windows PC, from...




www.easeus.com






*Macrium*

I had a look at the Macrium website, but it doesn't look like it lets you copy your settings and programmes on a _dissimilar _machine (i.e not overwriting settings, drivers etc.), but rather copy from a cloned drive. I could well be wrong! 

UPDATE - I found the following warning on Macrium's website:






Cloning a disk - KnowledgeBase v7 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase - KnowledgeBase v7 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase







knowledgebase.macrium.com







> Important
> 
> The target disk for the clone operation will be overwritten. This is unrecoverable, so please ensure that the target disk contains no valid data.


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## Tralen (May 13, 2021)

That's when I'm glad that I use Linux. I just put the old drive on the new machine and I'm ready to go. My Windows partition comes along just fine.


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## vitocorleone123 (May 13, 2021)

rudi said:


> I haven't used any of the following programs, but I looked into it a short while ago for when the time comes and funds allow for a new PC:
> 
> *Laplink PCmover*
> 
> ...



Yes, it does, as far as I know. Since I did it before. Just get the paid version. But sure, read up just in case. There’s lots of options out there.


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## rudi (May 13, 2021)

@vitocorleone123 thanks for that 

I did more digging on the Macrium website and came across this:

It's a facility called ReDeploy that comes with all paid versions of their software:






Re-deploying to new hardware - KnowledgeBase v7 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase - KnowledgeBase v7 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase







knowledgebase.macrium.com


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## YaniDee (May 13, 2021)

Don't forget that any apps that require hardware based serials will also need re-licensing for your new computer. And computer based I-lok licenses, etc may need to be disabled and re-enabled on a new computer ( or they'll be wasted on the old rig)..I did an in place upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10 on the same machine, and had some of these issues, so be aware of that.


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## tc9000 (May 13, 2021)

keep your old machine working for a while after you cross over - there are always a few things thet get forgotten or dont survive the first transfer. some licences have to be moved off the old machine before you can bring them onto the new one - examples: ilok and sylenth


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## muk (May 13, 2021)

Building went smoothly yesterday. All the hardware is up and running. SSDs are the same as in my old system and simply installed to the new one. I was surprised to see that my new machine boots normally to the state of my old system! Despite having new mainboard, cpu, and, ram. Without doing anything, windows 10 just starts, and all the programs and settings are there like on my old system. I didn't know that was possible. Still, I am going to wipe Windows 10 today and do a clean install.


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## Mr Greg G (May 14, 2021)

If I were you, I would give the SSD swap a try, prep your old Windows and strip all the drivers. Reboot, install new drivers properly and try to use the system as it is for a while and see if it works as intended. There should be no error, this is not Windows XP anymore, not even the first release of Windows 10 and a lot of features have been added through the years. It’s also way more stable than what it used to be. Why would you mess with the registry? I hope you haven’t bought a Pentium II and invested in more than 64MB of RAM 😁


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## José Herring (May 14, 2021)

muk said:


> Building went smoothly yesterday. All the hardware is up and running. SSDs are the same as in my old system and simply installed to the new one. I was surprised to see that my new machine boots normally to the state of my old system! Despite having new mainboard, cpu, and, ram. Without doing anything, windows 10 just starts, and all the programs and settings are there like on my old system. I didn't know that was possible. Still, I am going to wipe Windows 10 today and do a clean install.


Nah don't do it. The transition to a stable system takes about a day. I upgraded from Windows 7, then built a whole new machine shortly after. It's running stable and strong still.

I must admit that after building my machine it took may be like an hour to get the kinks out but it beat taking weeks to reinstall everything.

I just ran crap cleaner to clear out the the gunk from 12 years of continuous use. Then deleted all the programs that I hadn't used in years, leaned out the machine. Ran some virus software just in case. It found nothing. Made sure all the drivers were up to date. Updated windows 10 with all the latest updates to the OS. Got rid of the old mobo drivers and the old video card drivers, installed all the new stuff and up and running. Hasn't crashed on me yet and it's been like 8 months. The only crashes I get now are from Cubase 11 which is way less stable than the 9.5 I upgraded from.


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## Mr Greg G (May 14, 2021)

Exactly. It should be even smoother than going from Windows 7 as W10 has really evolved over the years. Just prep your old Windows and strip the old drivers. You don't even need to use Reg cleaners with W10.


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## Tralen (May 14, 2021)

Windows 10 should just work, if there was no problem with the bootloader. Windows may fail to recognize partitions, but a chkdsk run is enough. I see no reason to do a clean install unless you are experiencing a particular problem.


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## muk (May 15, 2021)

Did the clean install anyway. It's been about ten years since I last did that, and on the old install I have been going from Windows 7, to 8, to 10 if I remember correctly. Always by just updating. Now I am back up and running. It was quite manageable, as I copied over Cubase and NI settings. The only thing I am wrestling with currently is my new RME Aio Pro. The playback volume is very low, and the sound is very bright and lacking lower frequencies. So far I can't find any info about this peculiar problem.


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## Tralen (May 15, 2021)

muk said:


> Did the clean install anyway. It's been about ten years since I last did that, and on the old install I have been going from Windows 7, to 8, to 10 if I remember correctly. Always by just updating. Now I am back up and running. It was quite manageable, as I copied over Cubase and NI settings. The only thing I am wrestling with currently is my new RME Aio Pro. The playback volume is very low, and the sound is very bright and lacking lower frequencies. So far I can't find any info about this peculiar problem.


Is that the internal soundcard? I believe it has an option for different output levels, it should be changed according to what you are plugging in.


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## muk (May 15, 2021)

Tralen said:


> Is that the internal soundcard? I believe it has an option for different output levels, it should be changed according to what you are plugging in.


Yes, the newest pcie model. I have tracked down the issue to either the breakout cable, or my monitor controller. On the SPDIF out the card sounds as it should. So it's either the breakout cable, my rca cable, or the aux input on my passive monitor controller.


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## Tralen (May 15, 2021)

Strange that the peripherals would become a problem after a computer swap. I would expect the problem to be on the computer side, unless the connectors were difficult to handle.


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## muk (May 15, 2021)

On my old system I was using XLR to the main in on my Monicon controller. Now I am using RCA to aux in. I suspect that either the RCA cable or the aux in in the Monicon are defect, as I was using neither of them on my old system.


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## Tralen (May 15, 2021)

muk said:


> On my old system I was using XLR to the main in on my Monicon controller. Now I am using RCA to aux in. I suspect that either the RCA cable or the aux in in the Monicon are defect, as I was using neither of them on my old system.


Take a look at the manual here, page 34. It appears there is a difference in level between the RCA and XLR outputs.


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## chimuelo (May 16, 2021)

I let local shops build the parts I provide, then they install the OS.

Afrer that tweak the OS, then download the data from Acronis Cloud.

I can just download certain apps instead of cloning.

Don’t mind spending time on something I consider valuable.


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## muk (May 17, 2021)

chimuelo said:


> Don’t mind spending time on something I consider valuable.


Yes, true that.

Everything runs smoothly so far. Building and clean install of Windows 10 was less laborious than I would have thought. I think the day of spare time that it took will be well worth it in the long run.


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## Tim_Wells (May 17, 2021)

I'm glad for this thread, as I had been wondering about the same thing. My PC is very long in the tooth and I was hoping to avoid all the reinstalls and moving all the shortcuts and macros to a new PC. But it's clear that is still the best solution. It'll probably take me 2 or 3 days. But chimuelo is right. There's no tool more valuable to me than my DAW, so it's worth it. 

It'd be nice if it were as easy as getting a new phone. But that would probably require something like the App Store or Google Play.... and we don't want to go there.


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## Mr Greg G (May 17, 2021)

Tim_Wells said:


> But it's clear that is still the best solution


How is it clear?
If a clean install and reinstalling all your softwares, plugins and recalling settings takes only 6 hours, sure go for it. In my case it takes more like 4-5 days so system disk swapping is handy.


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