Transfering data from a PC to a Mac can be easy, or it can be like entering the Seven Circles of Hell. If you are transferring data only, that is relatively easy. Transfer the data from Documents on the PC to Documents on the Mac, usually using either the original PC hard drive (my choice) or an external drive. You should put the pictures from the PC into the Pictures folder on the Mac, etc, but it is not really required. Most people have data on their desktops as well, and if you and your wife have separate accounts then you have separate desktops. Don't forget those files. Data has a way of ending up all over the place. This is the first circle of hell.
Do you have bookmarks that you want to transfer? This is the second circle. You have to know how to export the bookmarks from whatever browser you are using, and import them into the Mac.
Are you using Outlook, Outlook Express, or Thunderbird and POP3? Welcome to the third circle. The data stored in email programs are not in the Documents folder, they are buried deep in the PC. Thunderbird is the easiest to transfer, because Mac Mail will import that directly. But it won't import Outlook or Outlook Express, so you will have to import your mail into Thunderbird anyway. If you are unlucky enough to be using the new mail program in Windows Vista/7 then you have earned bonus time in the third circle, because getting data out of those is nearly impossible.
Oh, and by the way, transferring your emails does not transfer your address book, that is its own circle, number four. And transferring the address book does not transfer the autocomplete from the email program, you know where you start typing an address and it brings up a list? That is a separate file.
Do you have any songs in iTunes? Welcome to the fifth circle. You can't just transfer the songs from one machine to another, you have to transfer the libraries as well. There are good instructions for doing so on the web, but it is not just as easy as copying files.
I tried the Windows Migration Tool from Microsoft once. Waited for over 2 hours while it backed everything up, and when it came time to restore to the new computer the file was unreadable. I could have transferred 90% of what I needed in that time manually. This was several years ago, so hopefully these types of programs have gotten better.
If I were you I would try the suggestion of the Migration Assistant. I wasn't aware of it the last time I transferred data from a PC to a Mac, but It looks like it addresses all of the issues I have pointed out. Just be aware of what you might need to do if it doesn't work correctly.
