The easy way to move windows profiles and data

Abstract

The idea of replacing faculty and staff computers can be daunting, to say the least, and data transfers have always been an inefficient monster. This year, Bucknell University has integrated the latest version of Microsoft's free User State Migration Tool into our desktop replacement process, allowing us to migrate multiple users and their data from one machine to another without any need for the client's presence.The User State Migration Tool has allowed us to drastically reduce the amount of time and user interaction required to replace faculty and staff computers.In order to successfully use this tool in our workflow, we needed to perform several important customizations: 1. Create custom INF files so the tool will only migrate the data we wanted to keep. 2. Create GUI front ends to either remotely back up a client's profile to a network drive or remotely back up a profile to a new machine and automatically load the profile on the new machine. 3. Create a webpage that allows us to view the status of all the profile transfers that are currently in progress. By customizing and automating the User State Migration Tool, we have been able to streamline our desktop replacement process and reduce the time spent and manpower needed to re-image existing computers and setup newly deployed computers.