XP transfer files to Windows7 help?

[eric0095]

Ok guys/gals, sorry to post this here but i'm in need of assistance. Don't bother reading this if you don't really know about computers. Here's whats happened:

Ok so my computer was getting wonky, something corrupted on my XP OS. I happened to have a copy of Windows7 lying around(which I obtained legally via a school sponsorship thingy). So I decided i'd just switch operating systems and forget about trying to de-bug XP.

I did some looking around, making sure my computer could handle W7, and all that jazz. Then I looked into transferring all my data from OS to OS. This is where things get... tricky. There is a program called Windows Easy Transfer that I could have easily used. Only problem is, I didn't have an external HD that had enough space to transfer everything.

Upon further research I realized that I could overwrite my WindowsXP partition and it would store all my data in a Windows.old folder in my new Windows7 OS. It all worked brilliantly. The file is there and everything is in it. However... getting them out of that file and reinstalling them is another thing entirely.

I'm going to use my Photoshop as an example since its currently the most important thing I want out of that folder. I tried to copy its folder thinking I could easily just paste it and all would be good. So, C:\Windows.old\Program Files\Adobe and then in the Adobe folder is a folder called 'Adobe Photoshop CS'. I copy this folder and put it in the Adobe folder in my program files (C:\Program Files\Adobe). However this doesn't work... in Control Panel where you view all programs/applications installed on the computer, Photoshop doesn't show up...

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Fragsrus]

Dropping items into the "Program Files" folder does not install a program. But what you should be able to do is manually run the Photoshop executable, then on your taskbar where you see the icon for the Photoshop window, right-click and "pin this program to taskbar". It still will not show up within the control panel, because it's not "installed" but at least you will have quick access to the program. I know this probably isn't exactly what you we're looking for but I hope it helps.

:EDIT: On a side note, if you are looking to retain personal preference/settings, you can install the program again, and then drag/drop your old files into the new install, over-righting the base files and that should retain any custom settings from the original install.

[eric0095]

I tried to use the executable file (Photoshop.exe)... didn't work either...

Can't remember the error that came up... something about not enough memory and I should close open programs and try again. Which is bogus cuz no other programs were open...

[Fragsrus]

Well, depending on the system you are using, just the switch from XP to 7 vastly changes the amount of system memory used just by the OS. In my experience Vista/7 will use at least 1GB of memory, more depending on the various visual settings enabled to the desktop. I recommend people that make the switch from XP to Vista/7 to have at the very least 2GB of RAM, more if you can.

My sugesstion would be to keep all the old files in a seperate location, doing a fresh install of Photoshop, and then drag/drop (copy/paste), the old files into the new directory.