Newer Macs and PCs allow you to use a cable to make such transfers simple. If you have a Mac, you can use an Apple Firewire cable to connect your computers and instantly transfer your content and settings to your new laptop -- just follow the few steps that come with your new Mac's manual.

For a Windows-based laptop, try using Microsoft's Easy Transfer Cable, which works the same way. Otherwise, you can try manually transferring your old files and settings an external hard drive and then transferring them to your new computer.