Transfer Data From Old To New Computer?

I bought a program that will transfer data from my old computer (Vista) to my new computer (Windows 8) I plugged them both in. I had the screen on the Vista computer and it seemed to be working in transferring my stuff. I wanted until the lights on the new computer stopped blinking. Then I disconnected the Vista computer and hooked up all my wires from the Vista onto the Windows 8 computer. I can't find any of the data I supposedly transferred. Where would it be?

So now I think I better do the transfer thing again. So I take the old computer and plug it in (without monitor as I only have 1) No power. It's plugged in but the old computer won't go on. Now, I'm panicking... all my data, documents, spread sheets, genealogy are all in the old computer.

Now I do have backups... portable disks.... I see the info (or some of it) on the backup disks but how do I transfer it onto the Windows 8 computer? Theses were backedup from the old Vista computer.