Thanks guys, I only need to move my photos and document, letters etc. from Textmaker which is part of Softmaker Office suite. I don’t understand why I couldn’t do it via usb, obviously as a tech nerd I am missing something. I will try Deviators suggestion, is computer name the make? I just call it my PC.
What was the issue with USB?
Was it the Mac couldn't see the USB?
Is the USB formatted as FAT32 rather than NTFS (Mac's NTFS driver is at best flakey)
Presumably your old laptop was USB-A given its age, and the M1 is USB-C, so you are using an adapter? Apple hardware is fussy on adapters.
To use you new crApple device, you will have signed up to iCloud. You can install iCloud for Windows on the old laptop. Copy your docs to the iCloud folder on Windows, and they will slowly start to appear on the Mac. The freebie iCloud is only 5Gb, so you probably wont be able to get them all over in one go, which means moving them once they have sync'd over, then doing the next lot (though using cloud storage long term isn't a bad idea, and despite its horrible limitations, iCloud isn't that expensive for the 50Gb version)
**NOTE** cloud storage is NOT a viable form of backup, dont let anyone tell you otherwise, so you still need to backup important stuff locally to optical media or external drives etc.
Once you get documents over, there is no guarantee the Mac apps can understand them, though the photos show be fine. Also, be aware, the M1 is ARM based, and not all applications from last year "work" under the Intel x86 emulator. With the M1 being so new, and the first to use an overgrown iPhone CPU, much of the guff on the internet is irrelevent. Beware of following instructions blindly 
What was the issue with USB?
Although both machines 'dinged', I cant see the Mac on the PC under devices where all the drives are shown, and I'm not sure where the PC would show up on the MAC, it doesn't show under network.Was it the Mac couldn't see the USB?
In Mac under network it shows a USB, but says it is either not connected or the other end is not responding.Is the USB formatted as FAT32 rather than NTFS (Mac's NTFS driver is at best flakey)
PassPresumably your old laptop was USB-A given its age, and the M1 is USB-C, so you are using an adapter? Apple hardware is fussy on adapters.
Cable with USB A PC end to USB C Mac end.To use you new crApple device, you will have signed up to iCloud. You can install iCloud for Windows on the old laptop. Copy your docs to the iCloud folder on Windows, and they will slowly start to appear on the Mac. The freebie iCloud is only 5Gb, so you probably wont be able to get them all over in one go, which means moving them once they have sync'd over, then doing the next lot (though using cloud storage long term isn't a bad idea, and despite its horrible limitations, iCloud isn't that expensive for the 50Gb version)
I have installed iCloud on the PC, but haven't got a clue how to transfer files into it. In this instance Google has not been my friend.**NOTE** cloud storage is NOT a viable form of backup, dont let anyone tell you otherwise, so you still need to backup important stuff locally to optical media or external drives etc.
I have always done that on my PC, and will be doing so with the MAC. I should also say that I only ever used the old laptop as a backup if my PC failed, as it did once 18 months ago, but I hope to use the MAC more generally, as I physically need to be able to use it in the living room, and not the study, as I am full time carer for my wife.Once you get documents over, there is no guarantee the Mac apps can understand them, though the photos show be fine. Also, be aware, the M1 is ARM based, and not all applications from last year "work" under the Intel x86 emulator. With the M1 being so new, and the first to use an overgrown iPhone CPU, much of the guff on the internet is irrelevent. Beware of following instructions blindly
Yes I have discovered that, while it 'may' be a brilliant concept, it is so new that it has not caught up with transfers etc. I am not alone in having operating difficulties.
Incidentally, I did research before I bought the Mac, and all the reviews were excellent, but of course the reviews don't cover this sort of issue. Also it was cheaper than a couple of equivalent MS laptops I looked at. [/quote]
