ExtraPuTTY for XMODEM over Serial

Managing HP ProCurve switches is a breeze when you've got an HP ProBook 6570b handy with its (really under-rated) RS232 connector.

Some of the switches don't have a USB port (which itself is a hassle to get working) so I've found the easiest way to pull config files over the wire in Windows is with ExtraPuTTY - this little fork of PuTTY integrates file transfer protocols like XMODEM which have made my life a lot easier.

http://www.extraputty.com/

Just log in via COMx over Serial, then when you initiate the transfer, click on Files Transfer and follow the prompts!

Windows Easy Transfer issues from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1

I attempted a Windows Easy Transfer from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and it all backed up wonderfully smoothly. The restore, however, landed me in some trouble when it said the settings couldn't be restored, only the files.

I didn't really have any option, so I accepted this and it promptly restored all the files to the new installation. Many objects worked, others didn't, but the worst part was, there were now some legacy files stashed away in my computer that caused fresh installations of these programs to not work.

Not only is this highly irritating but it's also left me with anything else but a fresh install of Windows 8.1.

The next couple of posts will be outlining how I remedied particular programs that were not behaving since my standard uninstall options were not available to me with a fresh Windows.