I've written about this a bit before, but since my laptop is currently busy downloading and installing Windows 8 (It's the first time I've changed versions of Windows without buying a new computer, so it's a new process for me) I wanted to post up some reminders about moving from one computer to another.
First: Make correct backups of your information; simply copying the folder from one computer to another won't always work.
- For Club Accounting 3, make sure you go into the File menu, and choose Export
- For Toolkit, go into Options > Database Utilities > Backup Toolkit database
Second: Make sure you know where the backup file is. Windows is great at remembering the last place you saved a file, but if the last place you saved a file was "wherever it went when I downloaded something", it's probably going to be tricky to find latter on down the road.
- If you're changing computers, and letting someone like the Geek Squad, or a local computer shop handle the transfer, then saving the backup to your Documents folder is probably a safe thing to do; most computer techs will assume that the things you want to keep will be either there, or somewhere else in your user folder.
- If you're doing the work yourself, or (like me) you like to have a backup of your backup files, then I would suggest to invest in a usb/thumb drive. They can be picked up at most stores for only a few dollars
Third: Make sure you have your current serial numbers on hand
- For Club Accounting, just open up the program; the serial number will be near the top of the screen when the program opens up.
- For Toolkit6, go to the Help menu, and choose About Toolkit 6; the serial number will show up.
Fourth: Unless your internet connection is terribly slow or unreliable, don't use a CD / DVD to install the program.
- We've done enough updates over the years that installing the software by disc could result in downloading a lot of little updates the first time you open it up on the new computer. In the same way that it's faster to get everything you need from the store all at once than to make lots of smaller trips, there's a good chance it will be faster to download the whole program from our web site than to put in the disc. Our download page is at: http://www.iclub.com/support/downloads.asp
Fith: Especially if you are moving to a new version of your Operting system, make sure to check for updates. Microsoft has been getting in the habit of releasing updates on a weekly basis, so even if the computer is relatively new, make sure to run the Windows update program, and let it download and install any updates it might find.
Sixth: Let us know if you run into trouble. There are all sorts of sayings about how plans can go astray; if that happens, let us know. We're on the phones from 9:30am to 6pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday. If you're not able to be on the phone during that time, remember you can also send in a support request from our page at: http://www.iclub.com/support/default.asp