New Computer, Well-Used GW Account

I just purchased a new computer with Vista Home Premium. My previous operating system was Windows XP Professional. What is the best (easiest) way to "migrate" my GW account to the new computer with the minimum hassle? Is there anything special I need to know about running GW on a Vista system?

Thanks all in advance for the responses.

your account is stored server-side, so you don't need to migrate your account at all. just install the GW client, and play.

it's usually a good idea to copy the gw.dat file to your new computer, to save yourself the hassle of downloading a lot of files.

Don't forget to transfer any skill templates you have also.

On Vista the templates and screen shots are stored in a different place, on XP they are stored in the GW dir/, I only used Vista for a month or so before going back to XP, so don't quote me; but they are stored in your Vista My Docs folder.

Just copy your GW.Dat file over to the fresh install. I've got a copy of gw.dat on a disc that I keep with the Guildwars install discs.

Buy an easy-transfer cable from Office Depot for $40.

It consists of a two USB connectors and some magical module in the middle. It will transfer any and everything from your old computer to your new computer. There are folder settings which will allow you to control what gets transferred. It is compatible with XP to Vista transfer.

Fantastic piece of equipment.

This.

I have a clean gw.dat on a USB key - comes in very handy.

Save Gw.dat, the Screens folder and the Templates folder.

Then download the client via Anet, and after a short install, delete the new Gw.dat and replace it old one.

Move both the Screens and Templates folder to C:\Users\*\Documents\Guild Wars

You can get a crossover ethernet cable for about £2 (about $5). Works the same as a USB but is faster, and of course costs much, much less.

Or, if you are running a computer capable of running Vista, just put in one of the old cd's you bought. I think I used Factions. Despite the worry, download times really aren't that long. And I'll say this for Vista and online gaming... It's been 100% more stable than xp. If it ever crashes, I can probably get a better ratio for you.

In Vista, the main program for GW will still be in (drive):\program files\guild wars, where (drive) is the hard drive you install in on (usually C: )

The screen shots and templates will be in C:\users\<username>\documents\guild wars. This is easily accessed by hitting the Vista logo (what used to be the "start" button) and going to "documents".

On a side note, if you install Guild Wars (and other games and apps) on a D: drive (or partition), you can reformat C: and reinstall Windows without any need to copy gw.dat and other files. For example, I have a 200gig drive in my computer. It is divided into a 50gig C: drive (more than enough for the OS) and a 150gig D: drive. All my games and music and video files are on the D: drive (or my server), so when I reinstall windows, I only need to run "Settings and files transfer wizard" (using the D: drive), and can be up and running again very quickly.
So, next time you need to reformat, or you install a new/larger hard drive, take a few moments to divide it into two partitions. (Or keep the older smaller drive as C: and install the new drive as D: ) A 30-40gig drive/partition is more than enough for the OS plus some apps. Put all your games and data on D:.

When installing GW (and other games/apps), when it comes up and says "Install Guild Wars on: c:\program files\guildwars" select "browse" and simply edit the line to say D:\program files\guildwars\

iawtac

I have 2 HDDs, Vista is on one, everything else gets installed to D:\games\ or D:\apps\