This may seem basic, but, we need to make sure that the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software is installed on both computers. We also need to start the software on both computers to initiate the connection. If you haven't already done so, these are the first steps we need to take.

If you're still having trouble after installing and starting the software on both computers you'll want to try these troubleshooting steps in order:

1. To start, let's give both computers a restart. It's always a good practice to restart your computer after installing software to allow the installation and changes to complete

2. Then, let's make sure that only the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software is running right now while we test the connection

3. Let's try plugging the cable into different USB ports on both computers to see if that allows the connection to go through, and let's swap the cable ends around as well. This is a pretty basic step, but it can really make the difference and hopefully get you going

4. Another important thing to try, is to run the program as an administrator. You can do this by right clicking the application, and choose, "run as administrator" (The transfer program grants direct access to files, so Windows User Account control may flag it, and keep it from running)

5. Finally, if these steps don’t work, let’s try temporarily disabling any antivirus/firewall/security software on both computers. The software can definitely be enabled again, and if the connection works properly, you may need to just add an exception for the Transfer Software to your security program

If you are still having trouble, please download and run our diagnostic program on each computer with the Transfer Cable plugged into a USB port by clicking HERE

A folder with the results will be placed on each computers desktop view after running the tool. If you would, please send send us an email with your Amazon order number, and the folders attached to: support@plugable.com, and we'll be glad to help you.

We recommend installing the transfer software first because it will copy the necessary driver files to your PC so they are ready to load when the cable is attached.

No. Programs and games must be installed using the original discs/installation files.

No. Our Transfer Cables are not compatible with any macOS version. Our Transfer Cables are only compatible with:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows 8.x
• Windows 10 

Yes, each PC will need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse so that you can launch and operate the transfer program.

The Product Key is a 16-character alphanumeric code and is unique to each order. Since 12/01/2017, Product Keys are printed on a tag which are tied to the Transfer Cable itself like this:

If you purchased your Transfer Cable before 12/01/2017, you should have received an email containing the Product Key. Please reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with your Amazon order number for help with your Product Key.

Thankfully, Amazon keeps an entire record of all purchases made on an account all the way back to the date the account was created. You may need to sort through your orders, but, the order number for the Transfer Cable will be there.

Connecting to any open USB port will do. In situations where the transfer software cannot establish a connection between the two PCs, or is losing the connection mid-transfer, attaching the cable to a different port is a good troubleshooting step. On older PCs especially, we’ve found that trying the cable in another port (preferably on the rear of the computer) can help resolve various issues.

No. Computers must be in full working order to both install, and run the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software to perform transfers. We would suggest finding a local and trusted technician to see about data recovery.

Q. My laptop screen is broken. It turns on, but I can't see anything. Can I still transfer?
A. Possibly. You would need to connect the laptop to an external monitor or TV with an HDMI or other compatible cable. Ultimately, it may be your best bet to take the computer to a trusted technician for further help, especially if this doesn't work.

Feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns, and we'll be glad to help you!

** This is a legacy article. Updated information may be available. Please see the product pages for the USB-EASY-TRAN, and
USB3-TRAN for more details on current topics.

Many recent computers combine a small, speedy solid-state drive (SSD) for system files with a larger, slower hard disk for data files. This can pose a problem when migrating from an older computer using the Plugable Windows Transfer cable because the data files and operating system files should go to two different drives. In some cases, even without an SSD, people want to put their data on a second drive separate from their system drive.

These scenarios are not well supported in the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software supplied with the Plugable Windows Easy Transfer cable. By default, Easy Computer Sync tries to transfer all the data from the main drive on the old computer to the main drive on the new computer. If the main drive on the new computer can’t hold all that data, an error message will complain that there is not enough space on the destination drive.

Otherwise the data will end up on the wrong drive. In this post, we will look at a method for getting your data stored where you want it on the new computer. I will assume the common scenario where all the user files are transferred to the second drive on the new computer. I will use a Windows XP computer as the old one, and a Windows 8.1 computer for the new one, but this will work with any combination of supported operating systems. With appropriate modifications, this same method can be used to select any collection of files or folders from any fixed disk on the old computer and send them to any location on any fixed disk on the new computer.

I’ll assume you have downloaded the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software, installed it on each computer, and entered your Product Key. If you haven’t, follow the Install Instructions section on this article.

Preparing the Old Computer:

1. Plug the Windows Transfer cable into each computer and start the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software. You will see the Welcome window.

2. On both computers, click Next twice until the screen says “Waiting for Connection.”

3. In a moment, the on-screen message should change to “Connection Detected.” If it doesn’t change within a minute or so, temporarily disable any anti-virus or firewall software and try again. If this doesn’t work, contact Plugable support for help.

4. After the connection is detected, Easy Computer Sync will display the Tools window. This is where you select the type of transfer you want to do. Since we are transferring files from an old computer to a new one, select Transfer Data to New Computer.

The Sync Files option is used when you want to send data back and forth between two computers on an ongoing basis. However, the technique mentioned here will work for the Sync Files function also. The Drag & Drop function is used for manually transferring individual files and folders.

5. Easy Computer Sync will display a list of user folders it wants to transfer to the main drive on your new computer. Although the user folders under the user name—such as My Documents and Pictures— are frequently accessed, the individual files they contain are infrequently accessed and should go to the second drive on your new computer. Unfortunately, the software will not allow you to change the transfer location in this window. If these folders are left in their currently selected state, they will go to the smaller SSD drive, which is the system drive (usually the C drive).

6. Since you don’t want these user folders on your SSD, clear the check mark next to each folder here, including the Public folder. In another window, you will individually select the destination disk and folder on your new computer for each user folder you see here

In the following Steps 7 through 17, we will select the destination for a single user folder on the old computer. This procedure must be repeated for each user folder you want to transfer from the Select Items to Transfer window. At the end of this post, I will show you how to make the newly transferred folders the default user folders on your new computer.

7. To make a gathering place for those folders on your new computer, start by creating a folder on the destination drive with your Windows user name. Do this before proceeding to the next step.

In this example, I want to transfer folders belonging to the user named “David” on the XP computer to a folder named “David” on the second drive of the new computer. So I use Windows Explorer to create a folder named “David” on that drive.

Setting up a folder for transfer to second drive of the new computer (repeat for each folder)

Do the Steps 8 through 17 for each user folder you want to transfer from those shown in the Select Items to Transfer window. You can also use this procedure to transfer other data folders on your old computer if you know where they are. In this example, I will transfer the My Documents and Desktop folders from the David user in the XP computer to folders I will create with the same names in the David folder on the second disk of the new computer. In real life, you will probably want to transfer all the folders shown under your user name in this window.

8. Click Add Folder

9. This opens a new window that shows drives on the old computer and the new computer. You can expand a drive and reveal its folders by clicking the + (plus) sign next to it.

10. Unfortunately, in this view Easy Computer Sync does not automatically show the user folders we want to transfer, such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, Videos, and the like. This is because they are located under Documents and Settings folder on the system disk in Windows XP or under Users in later Windows versions. Easy Computer Sync hides these folders to protect them. To display and transfer them, you have to make these protected folders visible. To do this, click Show Protected Folders at the lower-left

11. A confirmation window will appear. Click Yes.

12. Expand the local disk again by clicking the + (plus) sign

13. The User folders are now visible. Expand the Documents and Settings folder in Windows XP or the Users folder in later Windows versions to view them. Expand the folder of the user you are transferring (David in this example.)

14. In the left-side panel, highlight the folder on the old computer (such as My Documents) that you want to transfer. With it still highlighted, go to the right-side panel and expand the drive you want to transfer that folder to, and highlight the user name folder you made on that drive in Step 7.

15. Use the Create Folder function to create a new folder for the contents of the folder you are transferring. The new folder will be created under the one highlighted in the right-side panel.

16. Click Create Folder

17. A text entry box will appear. Type in the name of the folder and click OK.The new folder will be created in the Select Folders Window. Making sure both the source folder and the destination folder are highlighted, click OK in the Select Folders window to save this pair of folders.

The Select Folders Window will close and you will be returned to the Select Items to Transfer window, where you should see a check mark next to the name of the folder you just added.

18. Use the same procedure to add each folder you want to transfer. The screen shot below shows the Desktop folder being added

19. When finished adding each new folder to be transferred, click OK in the Select Folders window. After the final folder has been selected, make sure each folder you selected has a check mark next to it in the Select Items to Transfer window, as shown below. Make sure any folders you don’t want to be transferred are not checked. Easy Computer Sync will remember these settings for future transfers between the two computers.

20. When all is ready, click Next in the Select Items to Transfer window to start the transfer. The Transferring Files window will show a progress bar while the files are being transferred. This may take a long time for large amounts of data.

21. When the transfer is finished, the Finished window will be displayed, showing how many files were transferred.

22. Click View Log to see a detailed view of which files were transferred. This is useful if Easy Computer Sync reports some files not transferred. The log opens in Notepad as a text file, and can be saved from there.

This completes the procedure for transferring the user folders to your new computer. If you want to make those newly transferred folders your default user folders, follow the procedure below.

Changing your default user folders to the ones you transferred

After transferring your user folders to the second drive on your new computer, you may wish to set those folders as the default user folders in place of the original ones on your SSD drive. Windows and many programs automatically select the default folders as the save location for files. For example Word saves documents in the Documents folder. Photo programs like Picasa save photos in your Pictures folder. Many music programs save music in your Music folder. You change the default separately for each user folder. Please note that this will permanently alter your computer’s setup.

1. Open Explore, and navigate to the current default folder. Right-click and select Properties.

2. In the Properties Window, select the Location tab.

3. In the Location tab, edit the text box to show the location of the newly transferred folder. Clicking the Find Target… button will open another Explorer window where you can locate the target. Enter the location of that folder in the text box.

4. Click OK. You will be asked if you want to move your documents and other files from the current default folder to the new one. Click Yes here to consolidate all the files in one folder. A window will appear showing the transfer operation.

If you have any questions or issues following these instructions, please leave a comment on this post, or contact us at support@plugable.com

** This is a legacy article

Plugable Windows Transfer Cables transfer files between computers using the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software. Your purchase of a cable includes a full license to this software, which manages the connection and transfer process and includes all needed drivers.

A Product Key is required to use the Bravura Easy Computer Sync software and is included with the Windows Transfer Cable (a $19.95 retail value). This Product Key is a 16-character alphanumeric code located on a tag attached to the cable. The key can be used for any number of computers.

If you purchased your Windows Transfer Cable before December 2017:

Windows Transfer Cables purchased before December 2017 do not have the Product Key attached to the cable. Customers who purchased their cable before December 2017 should have received an email containing their Product Key. If you are unable to locate this key and purchased your Windows Transfer Cable before December 2017, please contact support@plugable.com for assistance.

There are three common scenarios for using a Windows Transfer Cable:

1. Upgrading to a new computer
2. Transferring files back and forth between two computers on an ongoing basis (synchronizing)
3. One-time transfer of a few files or folders

The Bravura Easy Sync software is used for each scenario. Instructions for each scenario are given below after the install instructions.

Install Instructions:

The first step, is to download Easy Computer Sync onto both computers. The download also includes and installs the most recent drivers for your Windows Transfer Cable.

After clicking the link above, you will typically see a dialog box like this:

Click Run. The Easy Computer Sync installer will download to your computer. After the download finishes, you will see another dialog box like this:

Again, click on Run to run the Easy Computer Sync installer. Now the installer will appear.

Typically, in each page of the installer, you should accept the default options and click Next, or the option similar to it. This installs the Easy Computer Sync on your computer, and starts it after the installer finishes.

During installation, you will be prompted for a Product Key for the Bravura software. This Product Key is a 16-character alphanumeric code located on a tag attached to the cable.

Note: Windows Transfer Cables purchased before December 2017 do not have the Product Key attached to the cable. Customers who purchased their cable before December 2017 should have received an email containing their Product Key. If you are unable to locate this key and purchased your Windows Transfer Cable before December 2017, please contact support@plugable.com with your Amazon order number.

Starting Easy Computer Sync:

Once installed, there are three ways to start the Easy Computer Sync software:

• Double-click its icon on your desktop.

• In Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7, click on Start Menu > All Programs > Easy Computer Sync, and select “Easy Computer Sync,” or in the Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 Start menu, just type “Easy Computer Sync,” and click on it in the search results.
• Plug the Windows Transfer Cable into a USB port on your computer and select it from Autoplay menu if it appears:

Upgrading to a New Computer:

1. Follow the instructions above to install the software on both the old computer and the new computer.

2. Plug the cable into a USB port on both computers. On Windows 8 and earlier computers, you may be prompted to start another program called Windows Easy Transfer in a window like the one below. Do not start Windows Easy Transfer. Instead, start the Easy Computer Sync software you just installed.

If you don’t see this window when you plug in the cable, start Easy Computer Sync according to the instructions above.

If a window asks you to allow the program to make changes to your computer, click Yes.

3. Click Next on both computers until you reach a window that says “Waiting for connection.” When both computers are ready, this will change to “Connection Detected” and a new window will be displayed asking you to Select how you want to transfer data. Select, Transfer Data to New Computer. If the software is stuck on “Waiting for Connection” for more than a short time, please temporarily disable any antivirus and firewall software on your computer and try again.

4. You will be asked if this is your old or new computer. From your old computer, select This is my old computer. A window will appear asking you to select items to be transferred.

5. On the old computer, select the folders that contain the data you want to transfer to your new computer. You do not need to select anything on the new computer. Only the most commonly used folders are included by default. You can add more folders by clicking the Add Folder button. If your computer has a second drive or you want to customize your transfer beyond the default folders, you might find this blog post useful.

• Note: The Public Data option will transfer all items in your Shared/Public My Documents\Pictures\Music\Videos folders. Un-check this selection if you do not wish to transfer data from your Shared/Public folders.
• Tip: it is strongly recommended that you do not simply put a check mark in the “My Computer” selection, or the entire “C:” drive box below it. This will transfer a huge amount of unnecessary information to the new PC, wasting hard drive space and substantially increasing the time required for the transfer.

6. On the same window, click Options. For Transfer Files select Only to other computer. For If there is a conflict, select Make Copies. Click OK. The display will return to the previous window.

7. Click Next. The files in the folders you selected will be transferred to the new computer. On the final screen, you can click View Log to see a list of the transferred files.

Product Unboxing and Step-by-step Instructions:

Syncing folders between two computers:

The Sync Files option lets you quickly select folders to synchronize between your computers.

1. After a connection between the two computers is established through the cable, the Select how you want to transfer data window will appear. Select Sync Files. The Select Folders to Synchronize window will appear.

2. Place a check mark next to the folders you would like to synchronize between the two computers. Please note, this will not only copy data from the first PC to the second, but also from the second PC to the first.

3. If you want to synchronize folders that are not in the list of default folders, select Add Folder. To show all non-hidden folders on the computer, select Show Protected Folders. See this blog post for more details on setting other folders and drives.

4. Click Options to set how duplicate files are handled. Information on these settings can be found here.

5. Click Next. The files in the folders you selected will be synced between the computers. On the final screen, you can click View Log to see a list of the transferred files.

One-time transfer of a few files or folders:

The Drag & Drop Files function allows you to transfer one or more manually selected files and folders to the second computer using a Windows File Explorer-style interface.

1. After a connection between the two computers is established through the cable, the Select how you want to transfer data window will appear. Select Drag & Drop files. The Simple File Transfer window will appear. This window has a menu section and four panes. The top-left pane shows the folders on the first computer (where you started Drag & Drop). The top-right pane shows the contents of the folder currently selected on the left. The bottom two panes show the same things for the second computer.

2. To see your user folders, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, and the like, click Show System Folders at the upper right of the menu section. They will appear in the folder pane under Users > Your_User_Name.

• Tip: Please be aware that with the “Show System Folders” view enabled, you have access to copy data to and from protected folders on the drive. "With great power comes great responsibility" – be careful when transferring data via this method! Generally speaking, it is unlikely that you will need to move information to/from any of the “Program Files” or “Windows” folders, so it’s safest to ignore those folders unless you have a specific need to access them. Also, do not move any hidden folders under your User name unless you know exactly what you are doing. They could overwrite important information on the new computer.

Finding the information you want:

Generally the most commonly transferred information is documents, pictures, music, and the like—the irreplaceable stuff. By default, most programs save this data in your User folders, a set of folders created by Windows for every user name on the system. The location of your User folders will differ depending on which version of Windows is on the system, and will (usually) share the same name as your Windows login.

• For Windows XP, the location will be: C:\Documents and Settings\Your_User_Name\My Documents\My Pictures, Music, Desktop, etc.
• For Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10, the location will be C:\Users\Your_User_Name\Documents, Pictures, Music, Desktop, etc.

If you have any problems using your transfer cable that isn’t answered here, please feel free to contact us at support@plugable.com.

You've transferred over our documents, pictures, videos, and other data files from your old computer to our new computer, but, your Bookmarks/Favorites didn't transfer over from Edge, Chrome or another browser.

We do want to make it clear that the Easy Computer Sync software can't directly access files from other programs. But, hope is not lost, and we can get access to these important items and transfer them over!

We need to export our Favorites from our Edge Browser into HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) files first, and then we can transfer them over to our new computer.

Exporting your Favorites & Bookmarks:

1. With your Edge browser open, click the three dots ... in the top right side of the browser which will open browser options.

2. Then, click on, "Favorites"

3. Now, we can see the Favorites we have, and would like to export so we can transfer them over. Click the three dots (...) in the Favorites Window which will give us the option to, export.

4. Click on, "Export Favorites", which will get your Favorites ready to export.

5. Finally, choose the folder where you want to export the Favorites. The file name will default to a Month/Date/Year format, so feel free to rename the HTML file to something else, and then click, "Save". 

You've now exported the Favorites to your computer, and can transfer them over to be imported on your new computer!

Click Here, to see our video of step-by-step instructions if you need.

Importing your Favorites & Bookmarks:

Importing files is really easy to do as well. Let's go over to the new computer now, and get started! We're going to start out the same way we did to export the Favorites:

1. With your browser open, click the three dots ... in the top right side of the browser which will open browser options.

2. Then, click on, "Favorites"

3. Next, click on, "Import Favorites"

4. Then, you'll get a drop-down menu, and you'll be able to choose where you want to import the data from. Select, "Favorites or bookmarks HTML file", from the drop down menu, and then click, "Choose File", which will open up a File Explorer window.

5. Now, you'll be able to choose the Favorites file we exported, and transferred over. Select the file in the folder, and click, "Open".

6. Once the bookmarks are imported, we should get this message saying that it's, "All done!".

7. Ok, we've imported our Favorites into our new computer. But, let's check and make sure everything is there.

8. Great! All the favorites we've imported are there, and now we can pick up where we left off with the old computer.

I have another browser, what do I do?

Thankfully, the process should be relatively similar, if not the same across all browsers. Here are links to steps for some of the other major browsers to get you started:

• Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Brave

We hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out to us directly at: support@plugable.com with any questions or concerns.