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I’ve just had a run-in with the Windows Easy Transfer wizard, following which I’m tempted to fly to Redmond and run a seminar on the definition of the words “easy”, “transfer” and “wizard”.
It appears the tool that I’ve used to shunt files and settings from one PC to the next for God Knows How Long has been utterly emasculated in Windows 8.1, without any explanation from Microsoft whatsoever. So, let me attempt to shed some daylight on the situation.
We bought the father-in-law a new Windows 8.1 laptop for his 70th, and thus not wanting to spend the next six weeks in family tech support purgatory, I told him to bring both old and new laptop round and let me transfer the files, settings and everything else.
I fired up the old laptop and opened the Windows Easy Transfer Wizard, and as I’ve done countless times before, chose to transfer the files over my home network. After a couple more clicks, I got the screen below, with clear instructions on what to do on the new computer:
So I jumped onto the Windows 8.1 laptop and started the Easy Transfer Wizard, with the following screen telling me everything will be hunky dory moving stuff from Windows 7:
I click Next, and I’m presented with the following question:
Now I’m snookered. Yes, I’ve used Windows Easy Transfer on the old PC, but not to save files – I want to do that over the network. I’ve got my code and everything! So I press No. And the Wizard just shuts down. Screw you.
So, I restart and this time click Yes, and now I’m presented with the Windows Explorer dialog box, asking me to hunt down the location of the Easy Transfer file it thinks I’ve saved to disk. Except I haven’t, because I picked the option to transfer via the network, which seems to have disappeared down the Microsoft memory hole.
A quick search online reveals that, yes, Microsoft has removed the options to transfer files via the network and using the (faintly pointless) Easy Transfer Cable. It just hasn’t bothered to tell anyone, least of all the poor sods trying to use the wizard, which still presents all three options. Disk transfer, which I resorted to eventually, is now the only way to go.
Given this is likely the first thing many people will do when they get their new Windows 8.1 machine, it’s an appalling user experience. Windows 8 is already disorientating for many Windows XP/Vista/7 upgraders, without Microsoft adding to the discomfort for people simply trying to move their files to their new PC.
I’m reliably informed – but cannot confirm – that Microsoft had to remove the network and cable options after a legal challenge. If true, may I humbly suggest that Microsoft pulls its finger out and patches the Wizard to remove the now redundant options. Either that, or renames the feature to the Tortuous Transfer Wizard to reflect its current state.
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