Transferring Apps/Data to New System

[BobH]

With the demise of my old laptop, I am faced with the issue of setting things up on the new Dell Inspiron 13".

The new system has only one USB-A port. I despise and cannot use without great difficulty, the keyboard on a laptop; so I use a standard, wired keyboard. I have ordered a Bluetooth mouse, but having only one USB port is limiting.

I had Microsoft Office installed on the old machine running WIndows 10 from a license acquired years ago. I have no media for it. Is it possible to transfer it to the new machine running Windows 11? I have the HDD from the old laptop and have put it in an enclosure and connected it to the new machine. All the files appear to be there but there is no uninstalled MS Office. There are other programs that I have no media for that I purchased as downloads. I have product keys for some of them but not others.

Assuming that I will not be able to transfer MS Office (and I will not subscribe to the pay-as-you-go version nor can I afford to purchase a new license), what free office apps are out there that I should consider?

Any other hints for getting the new system up to the old standard?

[HansV]

Are you sure it's a new Inspiron 13?
a) Dell doesn't sell 13" Inspirons anymore.
b) Inspiron laptops tend to have more than 1 port.

[BobH]

Thanks, Hans!

Yep! This is a Dell Inspiron and the screen is only 13". I bought this system from a remaindering outfit (woot).

It has the port for the power cord, and HDMI port, a port I don't recognize , an SD card reader port, a headphone jack, and a USB port.

When I can figure out how to access iCloud photos on this windows pc, I'll post a pic of the port that I can't ID. It seems to have a P in a box, if that means anything to you.

[Leif]

...a port I don't recognize...
It seems to have a P in a box, if that means anything to you.

Is this what you mean?
    

x.jpg

[HansV]

You can use the USB-C port to connect any USB device. If the device or cable has a (larger) USB-A connector, you can get a USB-A to USB-C adapter for a few dollars, see for example Syntech USB C to USB Adapter Pack of 2.

S2528.png

(You can also buy one from Apple, and pay many times as much, of course)

[Leif]

And an explanation of the symbol: What Does the D-Shaped Icon Next to My USB-C Port Mean?

[BobH]

Hans and Leif, thank you both.

I would never have guessed that the unknown to me port type was USB-C. It's my first encounter with one.

I've ordered the adapter. Does that mean that I can then plug by USB-A keyboard into it? What about adding a hub for other USB connections? Any limitations or cautions?

Thanks again for the info.

[BobH]

Now that we've resolved the ports issue, let's return to my original questions.

I had Microsoft Office installed on the old machine running WIndows 10 from a license acquired years ago. I have no media for it. Is it possible to transfer it to the new machine running Windows 11? I have the HDD from the old laptop and have put it in an enclosure and connected it to the new machine. All the files appear to be there but there is no uninstalled MS Office. There are other programs that I have no media for that I purchased as downloads. I have product keys for some of them but not others.

Assuming that I will not be able to transfer MS Office (and I will not subscribe to the pay-as-you-go version nor can I afford to purchase a new license), what free office apps are out there that I should consider?

Any other hints for getting the new system up to the old standard?

[HansV]

I've ordered the adapter. Does that mean that I can then plug by USB-A keyboard into it? What about adding a hub for other USB connections? Any limitations or cautions?

Yes, and yes - there is a limit to the number of USB devices you can connect via a hub. but that depends on the specifications of the USB-C port.

[HansV]

I had Microsoft Office installed on the old machine running WIndows 10 from a license acquired years ago. I have no media for it. Is it possible to transfer it to the new machine running Windows 11?

No, I don't think so.
The best alternative is probably LibreOffice. It's completely free, it is updated frequently and it can read/write Word documents and Excel workbooks.

[stuck]

...
I had Microsoft Office installed on the old machine running WIndows 10 from a license acquired years ago. I have no media for it. Is it possible to transfer it to the new machine running Windows 11?...

As Hans has already said, transferring Office probably can't be done. However, all may not be lost...

Does your new machine have a trial version of Office pre-installed? If so, you can try activating it using your old / existing the license key. It will either work or it won't

Ken

[HansV]

A relatively new laptop probably comes with a trial installation of Microsoft 365 - Bob doesn't want that. And a license key for his old Office 2016 wouldn't work for Microsoft 365 anyway - each version of Office requires a different license key...

[stuck]

I only suggested this idea because I got in a muddle with installing Office 2016 on my Win 11 laptop, which came with a MS 365 trial. It seemed to let me enter the 2016 key and then work. Perhaps though it just ignored the 2016 key and was just running the MS 365 trial.

However soon after I did that, a further problem with the laptop prompted me to do another factory reset and since then I've not tried to re-install Office 2016.

Ken