Setting up a new PC with no transferred junk

Q: I am running out of hard drive space on my old PC, and many applications run slower than I would like. I would like to purchase a new PC, but I don't want to reinstall all my applications and copy all my data. Is there a simple means to transfer the contents of my current hard drive (applications and all) to a new PC? If so, is there a way to do it without copying all the garbage applications that have found their way into my startup? D.K. There are three approaches to recreating your hard drive on a new computer - cloning, migrating and starting from scratch.

You can transfer the operating system, applications and files on your current computer to a new computer by cloning your hard drive using a program such as Acronis True Image (about $50).

Cloning programs basically take a snapshot of your hard drive and allow you to recreate it exactly on another hard drive. As a result, you can't choose what gets copied over and what's left behind.

This method also requires you to be able to remove the hard drive from your new computer, and it means that you'll be overwriting its operating system.

Rather than spending hours cleaning up your old hard drive in preparation for cloning, why not take advantage of the new operating system on your new computer to get a fresh start?

The fastest way to get your new computer running is to migrate, or copy, your applications and files over to the new machine. Programs such as Laplink's PCmover (about $40) can help make the move easier for you, although you may have to iron out some problems. Acronis also makes a migration program, Migrate Easy, which costs $40 but has a free trial.

Finally, you can consider a fresh install. Yes, it takes time to reinstall all of your programs from scratch, but there are tools available to make the process a little more palatable. Plus, you'll have the benefit of a sleek, streamlined system that's free of all the bloat of your old computer.

You'll have to reinstall your software with licenses one by one (be sure to uninstall them on your old computer first), but there's a neat service that makes it easy to install the free programs you may use, all at one time.

Ninite.com allows you to select programs such as Firefox, VLC, Adobe Reader, Skype, Hulu, AVG, OpenOffice.com - and their numerous competitors. You then download a single customized program that takes care of installing your choices and refuses all of the extras, such as browser toolbars, that may junk up your computer.

And when it's time to set up your user accounts and settings and move over your files, Windows 7 (the likely OS on your new computer) offers an easy transfer wizard to help.

By the way, when you're paring down your documents in preparation for moving them to a new computer, it's the perfect time to back them up. You can make copies on an external hard drive or upload them to DropBox ( www.dropbox.com ), an online storage system that allows you to sync across multiple computers and get access to your files remotely.

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