A common scenario is where a Windows XP system has the hardware to support Windows 7. Windows 7 is installed, and the user's data and settings are then migrated from the Windows.old folder. However, there are some scenarios where the existing system needs to be wiped clean or completely replaced. In these scenarios, you can still use the USMT commands to capture the files and settings and then later restore them, but the process is a little different. The two possible scenarios are a wipe-and-load migration or a side-by-side migration.
A wipe-and-load migration uses the same hardware but removes all data on the partitions. A simple example would be a system that has multiple partitions that aren't needed in Windows 7, so the drive is reconfigured as a single partition. Repartitioning the disk will result in the loss of all the data, so before this is done ScanState is run to capture all the files and settings. The ScanState data can be stored on a server, stored on an external USB drive, or even stored on a USB flash drive if the user doesn't have much data. After Windows 7 is installed, LoadState is executed to restore these settings from the server (or the external USB or flash drive).
In a side-by-side migration, a user has an older computer system that will be replaced. ScanState is run on the older system, and this older system is then decommissioned. The ScanState data can be stored on a server, stored on an external USB drive, or stored on a USB flash drive if the user doesn't have much data. A newer system with Windows 7 is provided, and LoadState is executed on it to restore the files and settings.
In both scenarios, the process is similar:
1. Run ScanState on the original computer, and store the files and settings externally, such as on a network share or an external USB drive. The ScanState version that comes with the Windows AIK for Windows 7 can be run on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems.
2. Install Windows 7. A wipe-and-load installation will install Windows 7 on the same computer, whereas a side-by-side installation will install Windows 7 on a separate computer.
3. Run LoadState on the Windows 7 system using the externally stored files and settings.
When ScanState is run for wipe-and-load and side-by-side migrations, the /offlineWinDir:c:\windows.old\windows switch is omitted. Instead of capturing the files and settings from the Windows.old folder, ScanState will retrieve the migration data from the actual system. In addition, instead of storing the results in the C:\Store folder, you could map a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a share on a server or connect an external USB drive.
Imagine that you have connected an external USB drive, and it is assigned the letter G:. The following ScanState command could be used:
ScanState.exe g:\store /v:13 /o /c /hardlink /nocompress /efs:hardlink /i:MigApp.xml /i:MigDocs.xml
The captured files and settings can be restored to the Windows 7 OS with the following command. The only thing that will change is the letter of the drive where the \store folder is stored. It may be G: on the original installation that had multiple partitions, but the external drive may be E: on a system that has Windows installed with only a single partition and a single DVD drive.
LoadState.exe e:\store /v:13 /c /lac:P@ssw0rd /lae /i:MigApp.xml /i:MigDocs.xml /sf /hardlink /nocompress
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Kevin N. Young at
09132010
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