Creating Applications that Migrate Easily

[thiruvasagamani]

Summary:   Discover best practices for writing applications that allow settings and data to be migrated from one PC to another PC regardless of Microsoft Operating System versions (such as Win98 to Windows XP). The intent of the document is to provide developers and coders with easy to follow guidelines to ensure that an application's settings and personalizations are easily moved from a previous PC to a new PC, thus ensuring that a user will continue to use the same application on the new PC. The guidelines do not facilitate easier migration of an application itself—users are still expected to re-install applications or purchase an upgraded version of an application.

With the proliferation of digital media and large amounts of individual customization of the personal computer, the complexity of moving from an old personal computer system to a new system has become significant for both corporate IT departments and individual users. The PC Migration Work Group was formed to identify opportunities to improve the PC migration process, raise awareness, and increase trust in the currently available solutions.