The program transfer utility between Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista has been reloaded and is now available for download. The Windows Easy Transfer Companion, still in Beta stage, comes in a new version released on June 28. The utility is designed to streamline the transfer of installed programs between an old computer running Windows XP SP2 and a new Windows Vista-based machine. The software is just another example of the great efforts Microsoft has poured into supporting the adoption of Vista.

Windows Easy Transfer Companion (Beta) automates the transfer process of XP installed applications to Vista. According to the Redmond company, the utility supports in excess of 100 popular application titles, but also additional installed programs. Users will be able to select the applications to transition from XP to Vista, and Windows Easy Transfer Companion (Beta) will alert them if anything goes wrong. Microsoft informed that the tool will most likely fail to transfer security solutions deployed on XP to Vista, citing technical issues. Files, settings, or user profiles are also non-transferable with the tool.

"The Windows Easy Transfer Companion (WETC) is a program that you can use to help transfer programs from a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) to a computer that is running Windows Vista. WETC does not replace Windows Easy Transfer. Instead, WETC is an independent program that complements Windows Easy Transfer. You can use WETC to transfer many kinds of programs between two computers that are connected by an Easy Transfer Cable or by a network connection," Microsoft revealed via Knowledge Base article 931696.

In a detailed guide set up to train users to transfer programs from XP to Vista through the Windows Easy Transfer Companion, Microsoft also provides a list of items that the utility will transfer with no issues. The programs transferable through Windows Easy Transfer Companion (Beta) between XP and Vista can be found here.