User State Migration Tool

USMT 4.0 is a command-line utility that allows you to automate the process of user profile migration. The USMT is part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) and is a better tool for performing a large number of profile migrations than Windows Easy Transfer. The USMT can write data to a removable USB storage device or a network share but cannot perform a direct side-by-side migration over the network from the source to the destination computer. The USMT does not support user profile migration using the Windows Easy Transfer cable. USMT migration occurs in two phases, exporting profile data from the source computer using ScanState and importing profile data on the destination computer using LoadState.

USMT 4.0 allows you to capture user accounts, user files, and operating system and application settings. The USMT tool also migrates access control lists (ACLs) for files and folders, ensuring that permissions set on the source computer are retained on the destination computer. You can use USMT to migrate profile data to computers running Windows 7 from computers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. You can also use the USMT to migrate data from computers running Windows 7 to Windows Vista. You cannot use USMT to migrate mapped network drives, local printers, device drivers, passwords, shared folder permissions, and Internet connection sharing settings.

Note You cannot use the USMT to migrate data from computers running Windows 7 to computers running Windows XP.

Unlike Windows Easy Transfer, where you select the particular items you want to migrate when you are running the application, with USMT, you configure a set of migration rules prior to the migration that specify what data to export from the source computer.

There are four different .xml migration files used with the USMT:

• MigApp.xml This file contains rules about migrating application settings. These include Accessibility settings, dial-up connections, favorites, folder options, fonts, group membership, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) settings, Microsoft Office Outlook Express mailbox files, mouse and keyboard settings, phone and modem options, Remote Access Service (RAS) connection phone book files, regional options, remote access, screen-saver settings, taskbar settings, and wallpaper settings.
• MigUser.xml This file contains rules about user profiles and user data. The default settings for this file migrate all data in My Documents, My Video, My Music, My Pictures, desktop files, Start Menu, Quick Launch settings, favorites, Shared Documents, Shared Video, Shared Music, Shared desktop files, Shared Pictures, Shared Start menu, and Shared Favorites. This file also contains rules that ensure that all the following file types are migrated from fixed volumes: .qdf, .qsd, .qel, .qph, .doc, .dot, .rtf, .mcw, .wps, .scd, .wri, .wpd, .xl*, .csv, .iqy, .dqy, .oqy, .rqy, .wk*, .wq1, .slk, .dif, .ppt*, .pps*, .pot*, .sh3, .ch3, .pre, .ppa, .txt, .pst, .one*, .mpp, .vsd, .vl*, .or6, .accdb, .mdb, .pub, .xla, .xlb and .xls. The asterisk (*) represents zero or more characters.
• MigDocs.xml This file contains information on the location of user documents. n Config.xml This file is different from the other migration files as it is used to exclude features from the migration. You can create and modify the Config.xml file using ScanState.exe with the /genconfig option.

It is also possible to create custom XML files to be used with the migration. For example, you can create a custom XML file that reroutes folders, specific file types, or specific files. You would use rerouting if you wanted to move all the files of one type, such as .avi files, that may have been stored in different places on the source computer to a specific folder on the destination computer.