Migrate Easy 7
Unlike the other programs, Migrate Easy focuses its migration efforts on drive-to-drive rather than system-to-system transfers. It proves useful, for instance, when upgrading from a drive with a small capacity to one with a larger capacity or when moving a hard drive from an old PC to a new one.
It has a straightforward installation and an intuitive interface that provides one-click access to its two primary migration functions: disk cloning and adding a new drive. Each option is accompanied by a wizard for step-by-step assistance. The online help files offer additional guidance, although experienced computer users probably won’t need it.
The utility handily manages the entire disk migration process. It can create, delete, copy, and even resize partitions to make full use of a larger drive’s capacity. It will copy all of the programs, data, and settings from an old drive to a new one and then wipe the old drive clean and redeploy it for use as a backup drive, if that’s what the user wants to do. Migrate Easy can establish the new drive as the boot drive, as well, allowing users to avoid the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) setup tool.
On the flip side, Migrate Easy cannot migrate data over a network or cable connection. The program only works if both drives are installed in the same system. Moreover, an inexperienced user may find the utility’s on-screen instructions sloppily worded at times, with occasional typos or redundancies that make directions confusing. And, although Acronis for offering free email support and plenty of helpful online resources, the company would offer free phone-based tech support to its users. Waiting several hours (or longer) for help to arrive via email could prove frustrating to users caught in the middle of botched migrations.
Migrate Easy is designed for Windows migrations, of course, but it also supports Linux file systems, including Linux Ext2/ Ext3 and Linux SWAP. The utility is available as a standalone product, and it also comes bundled as part of Acronis True Image Home for an additional $10.
[tags]Data Migration, Migrate Easy[/tags]