Hi, I'm new here and hope I can help you out. This is how I retrieved my mail from OE from and old windows program to Windows XP Hopefully it will work for you. Back Up Outlook Express Messages Microsoft stores Outlook Express messages in a subfolder buried deep beneath the Windows folder, where it's nearly impossible to back up. That can mean disaster if you have a disk crash, or if you replace your PC. When you restore your backed-up data files, you discover that your email is gone! Fortunately, Outlook Express 5.5 (included as a component of IE 5.01 with Service Pack 1 and in IE 5.5) allows you to change the default location where messages are stored, making it easier to back them up with your other files. Follow these steps: Open your My Documents folder, right-click on any empty space, and choose New, Folder from the shortcut menu. Because you'll use this new folder to hold your mail messages, give it a descriptive name like My Mail. From the main Outlook Express window, pull down the Tools menu, choose Options, and click the Maintenance tab. Click the Store Folder button. This opens a dialog box that allows you to select the folder where you want Outlook Express messages to be stored. Click the Change button. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder you created in Step 1 and click OK. Note that the path to your My Mail folder now appears in the Store Location dialog box. Click OK to save this change, and click OK to the warning message that appears next. Close the Options dialog box, and then close and restart Outlook Express. All your message files are now in a convenient location in the My Documents folder. Back up the entire contents of your My Documents folder today and you'll be well protected from data disasters! Now that you have them saved in a new file...... Save on a disc just like you did your other files. In your new computer, Go to OE mail and open... Go to File..Import.. messages Select Program - Example (Microsoft outlook express 6) Specify location - Import from an OE6 store directory Location of messages - Browse to fine your file. Select Folders you want to import - Click Next and it will add them to your new Outlook Express. You can do just the ones you want or pick them all at once. Good Luck to you.

programs yes you definitely would need to reinstall them on the new pc and you should certainly check to see if they are compatible with windows 7 and if you might need new drivers, check the manufacturers site for info. any data, pictures, music, videos etc can be moved to an external HD or a flash thumb drive and then put from there to the new pc. If you are going to network them you could also simply do that then use file sharing in the network to just move them from one to the other. Make sure you scan the old pc very well with several products prior to moving anything to the new pc so that no infection is carried over, Use malwarebytes free, superantispyware free, and an online AV scanner. How to download and install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware application for Windows computers SUPERAntiSpyware.com : Remove Malware : Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware! ESET Online Scanner adding those programs to your new pc would be advisable also.

You did not provide enough information about your two computers for someone to be able to make an accurate recommendation, and you did not wish to buy 'anything'. This is a challenge, but her goes anyway. I'll be making a lot of assumptions about your two systems. First off, you said both computers had XP as operating systems, so I assume that the new computer is set up and running, and all you want to do is transfer data files, and not installed software. Secondly, I assume that both computers have only one hard drive each, and if so, the chore become easy. You will need, however, a second IDE drive cable for hooking up a 2-drive system. [See also the end of this message about "thumb drives"] a. Remove the hard drive from the old computer and set its jumper to "slave". b. Look at the hard drive in the new system and insure that it is set to "master". If has no jumper in place, ass one in the "master' postiion. c. Commect the old hsrd drive to the second IDE conector. With caution, you don't have to install the old drive into a bay. Tape some cardboard across the bottom of the drive to prevent it from shorting the exposed solder points. d. Boot up and both drives show show. Create whatever folders and/or subfolders that you require on the new drive and merely 'copy' files from the old drive to the new as desired. The transfer will be super fast compared to other methods. I recommend using "copy" over "move" because if anything happens, you will still have the files on the old drive. e. After the files have been copied, shut down and remove the old drive and its data cable. d. Close up the new computer and you are done. You can leave the 'master' jumper on the new drive. If the old drive is not too old, it can be used as a second drive in the new computer or as a external drive throgh a USB connection. To use as a USB drive, you will have to buy an adapter and put the drive into this adapter. But before you buy the adapter, check out the prices of external drives already housed in a case for USB ports. There may not be much difference in price. As an alternative, you can get "thunb drives" that plug into a USB port and use this for data storage and file transfers. I do not recommend using a thumb drive as a hard disk since these do have limited write/rewrite life. By the way, if you do not have humungeous amount of data to trandfer to the the new computer, you can use a 'thumb drive' for this. These came in several capacity sizes, BUT you will have to buy one. These are very easy to use and do not require an installation work - just plug and go (afer the system finds and recognizes the drive) and most are 'hot' swappable meaing you can plug and unplug without powering down. One caveat: before unplugging, click on the "safetly remove hardware" icon in XP's lower right tray. A popup menu should appear showing the installed storage devices. Click (or double-click) on the device you are about to unplug and wait until the system tells you it is ok to remove. Why do this? This is done to insure that all files on the storage device have been properly closed thus removing the danger of smashing a file on the next write to the device.

I'm now leaning more towards doing the transfers through external hard drive (gulp) - however, I'm confused on how to hook up the new computer with the old computer still hooked up. Would I just plug it in, and then connect it to our wireless home network? It seems the (old) monitor has only one hook-up spot which the old computer is plugged into. Should I wait for the new monitor to arrive (which is supposed to be about a month from now according to the estimated delivery date)? Or do I need the new computer hooked into a monitor just for transferring data? Now I'm thinking maybe I just need the new computer plugged into the monitor, and the XP computer not plugged in - lol - I'm confused. Maybe I should wait until everything arrives.