Windows Tip Sheet
Migrating User Settings
Transfer a user's settings, preferences and files from one PC to another with this free Windows scripting tool.
A user on
ScriptingAnswers.com
recently asked if there was a way to write a script which would move a user's
settings, preferences and documents from an old PC to a new one. That'd
be quite a script to write: You'd need to scan for the files, export hundreds
of registry keys and do heck knows what else to successfully apply everything
to the new PC. However, a script would be easier than trying to use the File
& Settings Transfer Wizard on a few dozen machines, which is what the reader
was faced with.
Which is proof that VBScript -- or any tool, for that matter -- isn't
the right tool for every job. In this case, the right tool is the User State
Migration Tool (USMT), currently in version 2.6, which is free from Microsoft.
It's usually on the Windows product CDs, but you can download it here
for the latest version.
It's essentially two tools, Scanstate and Loadstate, which provide the
same functionality as the File & Settings Transfer Wizard, but in a scriptable,
command-line format. Use Scanstate to bundle a user's stuff into a migration
file, and Loadstate to apply the file to a new PC. An .INF file provides pretty
granular control over what gets migrated (USMT comes with five sample files
for different migration scenarios), such as applications, system settings and
so forth. Best of all, USMT works on everything back to Windows 95 for source
systems and Win2000 and WinXP for destination systems.
About the Author
Don Jones is a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft’s MVP Award, and is Curriculum Director for IT Pro Content for video training company Pluralsight. Don is also a co-founder and President of PowerShell.org, a community dedicated to Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell technology. Don has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, and specializes in the Microsoft business technology platform. He’s the author of more than 50 technology books, an accomplished IT journalist, and a sought-after speaker and instructor at conferences worldwide. Reach Don on Twitter at @concentratedDon, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConcentratedDon.