How can I move my current files to a new laptop?

I doubt you can, legally.

The "system files" (Windows) license on the old laptop is restricted to the old laptop.

The new laptop should come with its own new Windows license. If that's the case, why would you even want to install the old Windows?

Do you have some type of weird situation where you are buying a new laptop without Windows?

Your personal files (non-system files) are another story. They can be moved at will.

Copying Progam Files folders over won't work, the programs won't run. You'll need to reinstall the programs on th new laptop.

You can only copy data, you have to install the programs on the new pc and they create the program folders.

If you want the same system on another PC use Macrium to create an image, then put that image on the other PC.

But putting a system from one PC onto another is a bad idea and not the proper way to do it, all you need to copy is your data.

You will need a key to re activate windows.

But your new pc will come with windows installed, so no worries.

You can copy over whatever you want, we`re not saying you can`t do what you want.

You should already have your data backed up :)

You should plan on re-installing all programs.

On the typical system, your personal data is somewhere under C:\users\your_user_name.

You can copy that personal data if you can locate it. It's up to you to be able to find your personal data as we have no idea of your personal sense of organization. You may have 22 folders under C:\users or 22,000.

I wouldn't attempt to "copy over my entire user folder". You can certainly copy the entire folder to an external and then copy the personal data portions back to the new laptop from the external.

Alpha Hedge said:

So would it work if I made a backup of my system, then put that backup on the new laptop?

That leads to a discussion of what you mean by "backup". It's a poorly defined term.

If you mean including Windows files, no. If you mean the entire C partition, no.

But maybe you mean something else.