just follow what vhg says.
This is about as detailed as it gets (for free!)
There are utilities that give passwords and such ... but they are very expensive. My fave is �1250.00
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtm l
will show serial numbers for XP and office
Vista has an option to create reset discs and backup passwords
There is the files and settings transfer wizard (see this)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup /expert/crawford_november12.mspx
and you can import/export favourites and backup my documents.
finally (and probably the safest of all) you can create an image of the entire hard disc ... which will restore everything (as it was when you took the "snapshot")
This is a good project for you to cut your teeth on.
call back if you need