科技前沿:如何將文件轉移到Windows 7電腦上
Mossberg's Mailbox
Q: My wife and I each use a different Windows laptop, so we end up having documents scattered between them. We back up data using a wired external hard drive, not knowing what has been saved where. Is there a solution that can allow file sharing and keep my files, my wife's files, and the backup files synced up?
A: There are networked hard drives from several manufacturers that can back up both laptops wirelessly and allow sharing. One I reviewed recently is the My Book World Edition from Western Digital. Another approach would be to use a Web-based synchronization service. My favorite of these is called SugarSync, from a company called Sharpcast.
SugarSync can automatically, and almost instantly, synchronize files in folders you select among multiple computers, while also backing them up to a password-protected Web account. SugarSync starts at $5 a month or $50 a year for 30 gigabytes of files, and goes up in price based on the amount you use. The company offers a free two-gigabyte account and a free trial of larger accounts for 30 days. More information is at .
Q: I have been a Windows user for may years but have wanted to change to Mac. Yet every article I read says that Quicken, which I depend upon heavily, will not run -- at least reliably -- on a Mac, even with the Windows-compatible software. Is this true?
A: The native Quicken version for the Mac is a less capable program than the Windows version, and doesn't use the same file format, which makes importing Windows Quicken files a tedious and imperfect process for many users. Intuit, the maker of Quicken, is promising a new, much better native Mac version early next year that it claims will solve these problems, but I haven't tested it, so I can't verify that pledge.
However, in tests I have run periodically, Quicken for Windows ran just fine on a Mac equipped to run Windows and Windows programs. This was true when I used either Parallels or Fusion, which allow you to run Windows programs on a Mac simultaneously with Mac programs; or when I used Boot Camp, which converts the Mac into a full-fledged Windows machine, with Apple's operating system turned off.
Q: I plan to get a new computer after Windows 7 is released in October, to replace my old Compaq running Windows XP. Will I have difficulty moving my files to the new one?
A: You shouldn't have much difficulty with your personal data files. Microsoft is building in an Easy Transfer program to move personal files to a new Windows 7 PC. But the Microsoft program won't move over your programs. You will have to reinstall all your programs, which means finding your installation disks or installer files and re-installing all the updates from that have occurred over the years. A company called LapLink is promising to sell software it says will automate the entire process, including moving programs, to spare you this re-installation burden. But it isn't out yet, and I haven't tested it with Windows 7.
專欄作家莫博士就有關電腦和其他電子設備的常見技術問題答讀者問。
問：我和太太都有一部安裝了Windows操作系統的筆記本電腦，所以我們的文檔在兩部電腦中都有。我們用一個需要和電腦連線的外部硬盤來進行備份，都弄不清楚文件存到哪去了。有沒有一種解決方案可以實現文件共享，讓我的文件、我太太的文件和備份文件之間保持同步？
答：數家廠商生產的網絡硬盤都可以以無線形式對兩部電腦進行備份，實現文件共享。最近我測試過的一個是Western Digital生產的My Book World Edition。另外一種選擇是使用基於網絡的同步服務。我最喜歡的是Sharpcast提供的SugarSync。
SugarSync可以自動、幾乎立即同步你在多個電腦上選取的文件夾中的文件，同時還將這些文件備份到有密碼保護的網絡帳戶中。SugarSync的起價爲30GB文件每月5美元，或是每年50美元，超過30GB按量計價。該公司提供一個免費的2GB帳戶和一個30天免費試用的更大帳戶。你可以在上找到更多信息。
問：我用了很多年的Windows操作系統，現在想改用Mac電腦。不過我所讀到的每篇文章都說，即使是安裝了與Windows兼容的軟件，Quicken也無法在Mac電腦上運行，至少是不太可靠，而我嚴重依賴Quicken。是這樣嗎？
答：Mac版Quicken比Windows版的功能要少，使用的文件格式也不同，這樣對很多使用者來說，導入Windows Quicken文件是個繁瑣、有缺陷的過程。Quicken的生產商Intuit承諾要在明年初推出一款新的更好的Mac版Quicken，據說可以解決這些問題，不過我還沒有進行過測試，所以我不能證實他們的說法。
不過，在我定期進行的測試中，Windows版Quicken在能夠運行Windows和相關軟件的Mac電腦上運行良好。無論我使用Parallels還是Fusion，都是這樣，這兩種軟件使你能在Mac電腦上同時運行Mac程序和Windows程序。我在蘋果電腦操作系統關閉的情況下，使用Boot Camp也是如此。Boot Camp可以將Mac電腦轉換成Windows電腦。
問：我計劃在10月份Windows 7推出之後買部新電腦，換掉運行Windows XP的老舊康柏(Compaq)電腦。把文件轉移到新電腦上會有問題嗎？
答：你在個人數據文件上應該不會有太大的問題。微軟內置了一款Easy Transfer程序，以便將個人文件轉移到新的Windows 7電腦上。不過，微軟的程序不會把你的程序也轉移過去。所以，你需要重裝所有的程序，這就意味着你要找到自己的安裝盤或是安裝文件，重裝過去幾年中發生的所有更新。LapLink公司承諾將出售一款軟件，據說這款軟件可以自動進行整個過程，包括轉移各種程序，使你不必再受重裝程序之累。不過這款軟件還沒有上市，我還沒有在Windows 7環境下進行過測試。
