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Get Laplink PCmover Image & Drive Assistant for free

Today only, this $39.95 utility can be yours gratis. It's designed to help you migrate from an old PC to a new one.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read

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Free. Today only. Laplink

The process of migrating from old PC to new can be daunting even for people who know what they're doing. And it gets especially complicated if you're transitioning to Windows 8 from an older version of Windows.

Fortunately, there's an automated helper: Laplink's PCmover. Normally it costs $39.95, but today only, you can get Laplink PCmover Image & Drive Assistant absolutely free.

That link takes you to a landing page with all sorts of offers related to the company's 31st anniversary. Scroll down just a bit until you see the big PCmover box image, then click the link right underneath it -- the one that says Download your FREE copy of PCmover Image & Drive Assistant - Limit one(1) per Customer. (Or you can just click right there, natch.) Update: Sorry, folks, had to remove that latter link. You can access this deal only via the main landing page, above.

From there you'll need to log into (or create) your Laplink account. Then just click Finish to download the software and get your registration number.

True to its name, PCmover Image & Drive Assistant creates an "image" (i.e., copy) of your existing hard drive, then restores that image to your new PC -- programs, settings, data, and all. Frankly, I'm not sure how it works this particular magic, especially when there's a newer Windows involved, but it sure beats trying to move all that stuff manually.

Granted, power users will tell you it's better just to start fresh with the new system, reinstalling the applications you need and then just copying over your data. But even that can be pretty challenging for the novice user.

And even if you're not making a move right now, it might be worth grabbing this for when that day comes. You certainly can't beat the price.

Bonus deal: Game time! This week only, GameFly is offering huge discounts on the Dishonored series, starting with the original game itself for just $4.99. This was among the most celebrated titles of 2012, and it earned a score of 9 from GameSpot, which called it "utterly captivating."

Bonus deal No. 2: Calling all Doctor Who fans! If you like the comics (or think you might) as much as the long-running TV series, here's an almost unbeatable deal: the Humble Bundle Doctor Who Comics Bundle, which gives you over 60 DRM-free issues for whatever price you want to pay. (Well, sort of: As with most Humble Bundle bundles, you have to pay at least the average -- currently $10.90 -- to unlock the full collection.)