Migrate Programs to a New Operating System

good
key review info
application features
  • Transfer all your applications from one PC to another
  • (3 more, see all...)

Despite faster installation times for Windows operating systems, moving to a new station still takes longer than users are willing to spend, especially when the process involves migrating software.

Several solutions exist on the market and some of them are quite skillful at setting up the new environment automatically, complete with applications and system settings.

PickMeApp is a free alternative that focuses on capturing installed programs only, leaving all OS customization settings to the user.

Getting the application up and running is an easy task, but mind that it offers to install third-party software. From what we’ve seen it promotes a browser toolbar (it can change the homepage and the default search engine) and a registry cleaner.

Generally, if you get past the promotional screens during installation, you’re off the hook, but in the case of PickMeApp, the promoting extends to regular usage of the software.

The interface is nothing spectacular; nevertheless, handling all the tasks shouldn’t create any problems to an average user.

PickMeApp works by capturing all the details of installed applications into profiles. It brings to the table its own collection of programs that have been already tested and found compatible for the migration to a different operating system.

Judging by the scroll bar, the list is quite large, but it is far from meeting the requirements of an average user. It includes basic programs, mostly free of charge, such as Adobe Reader, 7-Zip, KeePass, FileZilla, GIMP, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Avast! Free Antivirus, Thunderbird email client, web browsers, etc. However, we also spotted WinRAR in the list.

One of the best parts is that you can install any of the applications in this collection automatically. PickMeApp does all the hard work. On the downside, not all of the installers are the latest releases.

On the same note, during our tests it failed to detect a good deal of the software installed on the system. You can check the full list of compatible programs before using the application.

Review image
Review image
Review image

After capturing the applications on the old operating systems, you can save the details into a proprietary format that can be opened by the PickMeApp on the new OS. Alternatively, everything can be packed into a self-extracting file and deployed without the help of the migration utility.

A list with all the programs to be deployed is available at the beginning of the process. One shortcoming is that you cannot exclude any of the entries in case you change your mind.

If you decide to work with PickMeApp to make the move to a new operating system, you have to keep in mind that software compatibility with the OS is respected. This means that an application won’t work if unpacked onto an operating system it does not support.

The same result is achieved when moving data from a newer OS to an earlier version (e.g. Windows 8 to Windows XP) or between 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

The configuration options are unimportant, until you get to the Advanced section, where there is the possibility to enable capturing of the software settings and deploying it with the custom options.

They are disabled by default, but our recommendation is to turn on these two choices because they can really save time after the migration completes.

Also important is the ability to capture the programs while they’re running and verifying integrity after deployment.

Unfortunately, PickMeApp won’t emit any warning when attempting to deploy programs that are not compatible with the new environment and you have to do your homework in this regard before proceeding with the operation.

As such, you can end up spending time capturing the details for items that don’t work on the target system; thus, you get back to square one with them performing a manual installation and customization. The support details available for each listed application do not include OS compatibility.

The entire progress of the job is visible in the lower part of the main screen. It comes complete with the date and time for every step of the process. Furthermore, a history of all the activity is provided, so you can see which programs have been processed.

Review image
Review image
Review image
Review image

The Good

The application does not require installation and can be used as a portable download. It is easy to use and manages to also capture and transfer the current settings of the program.

You can store the profiles for longer times and save application details as self-extracting files that can be deployed without PickMeApp.

The Bad

It is persistent with promoting third-party software; the screens for installing promotional applications popped up even when we initiated the first program snapshot.

The list of supported applications is mostly restricted to freebies and much of the commercial software we had on the test system would not be included.

The Truth

PickMeApp is not the most reliable application for getting the digital tools transferred to a new machine, but it can lend a helpful hand for the beginner and even an average user.

With up-to-date information about OS compatibility for each entry and larger list of supported programs, it can become a reliable and popular tool, especially for less advanced users.

user interface 3
features 3
ease of use 4
pricing / value 3


final rating 3
Editor's review
good
 
NEXT REVIEW: EagleGet