User-State Migration

User-state migration tools delivered with Windows XP substantially simplify moving users to new PCs. The tools are configurable utilities that can back up all user data on a Windows PC (including PCs running Windows 9x or NT 4.0 Workstation) and restore that user data to a PC running Windows XP Professional. Administrators can customize these utilities to support their organization’s own PC configurations and applications.

User-state migration tools offer some advantages over Roaming Profiles and Folder Redirection for moving users to new PCs. Most important, these tools can work with user data and settings managed by applications that don’t follow IntelliMirror guidelines. On the other hand, the tools are strictly for one-time bulk data and settings migration; they don’t provide any support for users who roam among PCs during the workday or who want to take their data home with them on laptops.

There are two sets of state migration tools, one for administrators and one for users.

The tools for administrators are bundled as User State Migration Tools (USMT) and include two items: ScanState, which backs up files and Registry keys from a source PC; and LoadState, which restores the files and Registry settings to a new PC. In a typical migration of a user to a new PC, an administrator (or a script) would use ScanState to copy data and settings from the source PC to a file share on a server, prepare the new PC with Windows XP Professional, and then run LoadState to install the user’s data and settings on the new PC.