Don’t land in hot water with new Vista users: Simplify the transition by migrating profiles

With any OS upgrade, one of your primary concerns is making sure your users can get down to business with their new OS/computer. To migrate hundreds or thousands of users, you’ll use the User State Migration Tool to do the job. However, at this point your Vista plan may be limited to piecemeal upgrades as your company buys new computers to replace existing ones. Since the new computer users will have enough trouble adjusting to the new OS, make sure you transfer their files and settings with Windows Easy Transfer. Bonus: With your guidance, savvy users can save you time by doing it themselves.

Windows Easy Transfer in a nutshell
Windows Easy Transfer is the Vista version of Windows XP’s Files And Settings Transfer Wizard. With this new wizard you can transfer files from Windows 2000 and XP systems. If transferring files from an XP computer, you can also transfer a user’s system and program settings.

What’s an Easy Transfer cable?
Many users and IT pros alike have tried to use a USB Bridge cable to migrate settings from one XP computer to another, without success. Windows just didn’t have the capability built-in. To answer customer demand for the feature, Microsoft added USB functionality to Windows Easy Transfer, so long as you buy the specially designed cable. The Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista made by Belkin costs around $40.

Start at the new computer
Begin on the new Vista (target) computer by launching the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from the Welcome Center (click the Transfer Files And Settings button and click the Start Windows Easy Transfer link) or select Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Windows Easy Transfer. The Windows Easy Transfer window appears. Let’s take a look at how to transfer files from a Windows XP computer to a Vista computer using a USB flash drive.

Note: The transfer file can be large depending on the number of users you plan to migrate. For a single user who saves his personal files on the network, a 512 MB USB card will do.

To start a new transfer:

1. Click Next on the Windows Easy Transfer welcome page.
2. If you left any programs running that can’t run during the transfer, the Close Programs page appears. Click Close.
3. Click the Start A New Transfer link.
4. On the Which Computer Are You Using Now page, click on the My New Computer link.
5. On the Do You Have An Easy Transfer Cable page, click on the Yes link if you do, or click on the No link to designate a different transfer method. We clicked on the No link.
6. On the following page, designate whether you need to install Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. Click on the No, I Need To Install It Now link.
7. As shown in Figure A, the following page asks you to designate the media you’ll use to install Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. Click on the link for the method you want to use. We clicked on the USB Flash Drive link.
8. On the following page, specifically designate the path to the chosen media type. We selected the G: drive. Click Next.

Note: If you selected USB Flash Drive in step 7 but didn’t connect it to the computer, Windows Easy Transfer will prompt you to insert it before listing the drive letter in the dropdown list.

Windows Easy Transfer copies the wizard to the media. When complete, it instructs you to remove the media and insert it into the old computer.


Jump over to the old computer
Now remove your USB flash drive and insert it into the old (source) computer. The computer should automatically offer to run Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. If it doesn’t, browse to the MigWiz folder on the USB drive using Windows Explorer and double-click on the file migwiz.exe. The Starting Windows Easy Transfer dialog box appears while it loads.

To collect data from the old computer:

1. Select the media type to which you want to transfer the data. We clicked on the USB Flash Drive link.
2. On the next page, select the drive letter for the USB device you want to use.
3. To password protect the data enter a password in the Create Password (Recommended) and Confirm Password text boxes. Click Next.
4. On the following page, choose which files you want to transfer: All User Accounts, My User Account, or Advanced Options. We clicked on the Advanced link.
5. In the Advanced Options, select the check boxes for each folder you want to transfer.
6. Note the Transfer Size, which we’ve highlighted in Figure B, and make adjustments according to your media’s capability. Click Next.
   Windows Easy Transfer creates a Migration Store (.MIG) file and copies it and other files and folders to your media.

Bring it full circle — transfer to the target PC
When Windows Easy Transfer indicates the transfer is complete, return to the target Vista computer and insert the media. To complete the transfer process:

1. Launch Windows Easy Transfer and click Next.
2. Click on the Continue A Transfer In Progress link.
3. On the following page, select a username for the new user from the User Account On The New Computer dropdown list or type a new username in the text box.
4. On the Review Select Files And Settings page, review the files and click Next to proceed with the transfer.

When complete, Windows Easy Transfer lists the number and type of files it transferred. For a complete list, click on the Show Me Everything That Was Transferred link. Figure C shows a sample of the resulting report which you can print or save as an HTML file.

Support tip: If you ask your user to complete these steps, instruct him to save the report for you to review. Use it to ensure that he transferred all the necessary files before you take his old computer out of production.

Log in for final results
Once the transfer is complete, have your user log in to his user account on the new Vista computer and use the computer for several days. When he initially logs in, Windows prompts him to change the password from the one he used on his Windows 2000 or XP machine to a new one for Vista. Remind him to choose a strong password, and to report any problems he encounters with his new machine.

Related Courses

• 5115 Installing and Configuring the Windows Vista™ Operating System
• 5117 Installing, Configuring, Troubleshooting, and Maintaining Windows Vista®
• Windows Vista - Level 1
• Windows Vista - Level 2

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