Laplink PC Mover Review

Overall Rating

None

That this product actually is being marketed as an easy to use and foolproof method of transferring files.

I bought a brand new top of the line Dell XPS, and I used Laplink PC Mover to transfer all files from my older Dell Dimension to the XPS. I have to say that my woes did not begin in slow fits and starts like someone with a hidden sickness. Instead, my computer developed symptoms not unlike someone who was just hit by a speeding moving truck (no pun intended). In a short summary of problems, Laplink PC Mover resulted in Outlook losing all business contact data, dropped 60% of all Inbox and Sent files, and corrupted the program to such an extent that it would repeatedly shut down without prompt or error message. 4 re-installations fixed the problem temporarily, only to repeat itself after one or two start-ups.

Adobe Acrobat was the next victim. This program was so corrupted that it would allow you to start-up a file, but the file would shut down without prompting or error messages. If you tried to start the program itself, it would shut down after a few seconds. 7 re-installs and repeated upgrades could not correct the Adobe problem (I had to use my laptop to review .pdf files). Just when I thought I was finished with Adobe Acrobat issues, without explanation or reason, Acrobat began opening every time I tried to start up another program. If I started up MS Word, Adobe Acrobat would start up and try to reinstall itself...If I tried to open Paint...Adobe Acrobat would start up and try to reinstall itself. This went on until I uninstalled Acrobat altogether and hoped my problems were over.

Microsoft Office quickly woke me up the fact that my trouble was just beginning. Reactivation took nearly 4 hours over 2 days with technical support, because they could not validate the keys that I was getting after 5 re-installs. They finally sent me to advance tech support, where they worked some serious software wizardry after taking remote control of my computer to force an activation code into my software...problem solved...RIGHT? Wrong! Office requested activation again the next day!

Inbox and Contact files in Outlook Express did not transfer. They were all missing.

Norton Internet Security repeatedly prompted me to download the same AV files, and it took 2 re-installs and 2 hours with tech support to get it operational.

Now things get frustrating. After loading the drivers and software for the Brother Print/Fax/Scan, the machine could not and would not receive faxes. Because the fax machine is run through the computer with the phone backup, all faxes were queued indefinitely or canceled altogether. To test this, I would wait until a fax was coming through, and I would bypass the computer by unplugging the USB from the computer and the faxes would come through without a hitch using the phone line only.

After 3 days of trying to repair my brand new $3000 computer, I went to the PC Mover Undo. While in process of "reversing" I got the error message saying it could not undo the requested function, and that I needed to restart the computer.

I then went to system restore; a function which I greeted like Moses leading me out of the wilderness...that is until I tried to restore the computer to before the Laplink move, and the computer indicated the system restore had been corrupted and I could not go back.

Put all this together with the fact that I counted not less than 9 other different error messages during shut down and start up, and you get only a small inkling of how disgusted I was with this so-called quick and easy solution for data transfer.

What did I finally do? I went out and purchased a USB based external hard drive, rolled up my sleeves, transferred all data, files and Outlook folders etc to the external and did the unthinkable...I ran through the Dell procedures for cleaning my computer and restoring it to the original factory configuration. Then, program by program, I reinstalled and checked functionality. Adobe Acrobat...worked like a champ. Printer/Fax/Scanner - no problems, System Restore...up and running. Microsoft Office reactivation...took 5 minutes with the manual installation. Outlook...all files imported without a single dropped piece of information. In short, the system I had before I moved to the XPS had all these functions and never had a problem. I get an XPS and transfer data using PC Mover and all hell breaks loose. Finally, I clean all the Laplink PC Mover STUFF off the computer, boot up a clean configuration, and the system works like a dream....HMM I wonder what the problem may have been!?