System for automatically replicating a customer's personalized computer system image on a new computer system

A method for the automatic migration of the contents of the memory of a customer's old computer system to a memory of a new computer system, comprising:

• storing in a data shadow copy module, located external to and connectable to a customer's old computer system, a shadow copy of the data which is written in the memory of the customer's old computer system;
• autonomously transmitting from a customer data file manager which is resident in the customer's old computer system, customer data files, which comprise non-NTFS files resident on the customer's old computer system, to the data shadow copy module, comprising:
• autonomously mapping file directory structures associated with each of the customer data files into file tree information which identifies original names and a location of each customer data file that is stored in the memory of the customer's old computer system, as well as a corresponding location in said data shadow copy module which stores a copy of these customer data files to enable both memory-level and file-level restoration of data;
• automatically installing, in response to data indicative of a plurality of programs purchased by a customer for installation on a new computer system, the plurality of programs into a memory in the new computer system and program identification and location data into a registry in the new computer system;
• replicating an image copy of programs stored in the memory of the customer's old computer system to the memory of the new computer system and program identification and location data into the registry in the new computer system;
• replicating an image copy of customer data written in the data shadow copy module corresponding to customer data written in the memory of the customer's old computer system and file directory structures of the customer data to the memory of said new computer system.

A method for the automatic migration of the contents of the memory of a customer's old computer system to a memory of a new computer system, comprising:

• storing in a data shadow copy memory module, located external to and connectable to a customer's old computer system, a shadow copy of the data which is written in the memory of the customer's old computer system;
• autonomously transmitting from a customer data file manager which is resident in the customer's old computer system, customer data files, which comprise non-NTFS files resident on the customer's old computer system, to the data shadow copy memory module, comprising:
• autonomously mapping file directory structures associated with each of the customer data files into file tree information which identifies original names and a location of each customer data file that is stored in the memory of the customer's old computer system, as well as a corresponding location in said data shadow copy memory module which stores a copy of these customer data files to enable both memory-level and file-level restoration of data;
• automatically reconstituting the customer's old computer system memory image on the memory of said new computer system, comprising:
• automatically installing, in response to data indicative of a plurality of programs purchased by a customer for installation on a new computer system, the plurality of programs into a memory in the new computer system and program identification and location data into a registry in the new computer system;
• replicating an image copy of programs stored in the memory of the customer's old computer system to the memory of the new computer system and program identification and location data into the registry in the new computer system;
• replicating an image copy of customer data written in the data shadow copy memory module corresponding to customer data written in the memory of the customer's old computer system and file directory structures of the customer data to the memory of said new computer system.