USMT 4.0 hard-link migration is a new feature that you can use to perform an in-place migration much faster than by using traditional file copy mechanisms. Hard-link migration in USMT scans the computer for user files and settings and then creates a directory of hard links to those files. The hard links are remapped into the appropriate locations in the new operating system. The entire process typically takes a few minutes to run, does not duplicate files on the local disk, and can save several hours when upgrading to Windows 7. You can use USMT hard-link migration both online and offline.

1. Install Windows 7 on a Windows XP or newer operating system by using standard DVD or ISO media. As a best practice, backup your files before installing the new operating system. In this step choose to do a custom installation. (Upgrade is not supported)

2. Select the partition where Windows XP is already installed. Do not delete or format this partition.

3. The following Warning appears. Click OK.

3. Click Next and proceed with the new installation of Windows 7.

4. Once you have completed installing Windows 7, click the Start button, click Computer, and then double-click Local Disk (C:). If the operating system is not installed on C:, click the drive letter that contains the Windows 7 OS. The C:\ directory contains any folders that were already there in the Windows XP operating system, in addition to a windows.old folder.

Windows.old contains the files and settings to migrate from Windows XP to the newly installed Windows 7. If you were previously joined to a domain, join the computer to the domain now, before running USMT commands in the following steps. Also, install any applications from the previous operating system, as USMT migrates application settings for these applications. For example, Microsoft Office Outlook® settings and PST files are automatically mapped for that program, and USMT migration eliminates the need to manually reconfigure Microsoft Office Outlook.

5. Insert your USB drive with USMT files. Copy the migrate.bat file to the desktop. Right-click the migrate.bat file and choose Run as Administrator. The batch file copies USMT 4.0 files from the USB drive to the Windows directory and then runs scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe commands to create the hard-link store and map the links into to the new locations.

6. Click Start, click Computer, double-click Local Disk (C:), and then double-click the Users folder. The Users folder contains all user files in corresponding file libraries. Open Internet Explorer® to see that application settings have been migrated.

Once you have finished these steps, you can reuse the USB drive and batch file on computers with clean installations of Windows Vista or Windows 7 that contain Windows.old directories. When you determine that all necessary files were migrated from Windows.old, use the Disk Cleanup utility and remove previously installed versions of Windows to delete Windows.old. Deleting Windows.old does not delete the files that you have migrated by using hard links.

1. Install Windows 7 on a Windows XP or newer operating system by using standard DVD or ISO media. As a best practice, backup your files before installing the new operating system.
   
   Important: Follow the default installation instructions and do not delete or format partitions containing the operating system or user data. 

2. Once you have completed installing Windows 7, click the Start button, click Computer, and then double-click Local Disk (C:). If the operating system is not installed on C:, click the drive letter that contains the Windows 7 OS. The C:\ directory contains any folders that were already there in the Windows XP operating system, in addition to a windows.old folder.

   Windows.old contains the files and settings to migrate from Windows XP to the newly installed Windows 7. If you were previously joined to a domain, join the computer to the domain now, before running USMT commands in the following steps. Also, install any applications from the previous operating system, as USMT migrates application settings for these applications. For example, Microsoft Office Outlook® settings and PST files are automatically mapped for that program, and USMT migration eliminates the need to manually reconfigure Microsoft Office Outlook.

3. Insert your USB drive with USMT files. Copy the migrate.bat file to the desktop. Right-click the migrate.bat file and choose Run as Administrator. The batch file copies USMT 4.0 files from the USB drive to the Windows directory and then runs scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe commands to create the hard-link store and map the links into to the new locations.

4. Click Start, click Computer, double-click Local Disk (C:), and then double-click the Users folder. The Users folder contains all user files in corresponding file libraries. Open Internet Explorer® to see that application settings have been migrated.

USMT 4.0 hard-link migration is a new feature that you can use to perform an in-place migration much faster than by using traditional file copy mechanisms. Hard-link migration in USMT scans the computer for user files and settings and then creates a directory of hard links to those files. The hard links are remapped into the appropriate locations in the new operating system. The entire process typically takes a few minutes to run, does not duplicate files on the local disk, and can save several hours when upgrading to Windows 7. You can use USMT hard-link migration both online and offline. You can download the follwing guide that explains how to use USMT to migrate files offline from a default clean install by using Windows.old.

Windows XP to Windows 7 Hard-Link Migration of User Files and Settings

You can use Windows® User State Migration Tool (USMT) 4.0 to streamline and simplify user state migration during large deployments of Windows Vista® and Windows® 7 operating systems. USMT captures user accounts, user files, operating system settings, and application settings, and then migrates them to a new Windows® installation. USMT 4.0 is a Microsoft application intended for administrators who are performing large-scale automated deployments. For deployment to a small number of computers or for individually customized deployments, you can use Windows Easy Transfer.

USMT Components

Common Migration Scenarios

You use Windows® User State Migration Tool (USMT) 4.0 when hardware and/or operating system upgrades are planned for a large number of computers. USMT manages the migration of an end-user's digital identity by capturing the user's operating-system settings, application settings, and personal files from a source computer and reinstalling them after the upgrade has occurred.

One common scenario, when only the operating system is being upgraded is referred to as PC refresh. A second common scenario is known as PC replacement, where one piece of hardware is being replaced, typically by newer hardware and a newer operating system.

PC Refresh

The following diagram shows a PC refresh migration, also known as a computer refresh migration. First, the administrator migrates the user state from a source computer to an intermediate store. After installing the operating system, the administrator migrates the user state back to the source computer.

PC Replacement

The following diagram shows a PC replacement migration. First, the administrator migrates the user state from the source computer to an intermediate store. After installing the operating system on the destination computer, the administrator migrates the user state from the store to the destination computer.

Installing the USMT

You can install the User State Migration Tool from the Windows AIK (Automated Installation Kit) that can be downloaded here, on any computer running a supported operating system such as Windows Vista or Windows 7. After the Windows AIK is installed, you can copy USMT files and tools to other computers in your organization.

1. On a computer running an operating system that is supported by Windows AIK, insert the Windows AIK DVD into the DVD-ROM drive.
   The Setup program automatically starts.

   Note
   If the Setup program does not start automatically, in Windows Explorer, browse to the DVD drive containing the Windows AIK DVD, and then click StartCD.exe. Click Windows AIK Setup to begin the installation

2. Follow the online instructions.
3. Copy all of the contents of C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\USMT\<architecture> to a network share or USB port. <architecture> can be either x86 or amd64. For example, at a command prompt, type:
   xcopy c:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\USMT\x86 \\fileserver\USMTx86

4. Copy the USMT files and tools to the source computer. For example, on the source computer, at a command prompt, type:

   xcopy \\fileserver\USMTx86 c:\USMT

   Note
   Only the ScanState tool is supported on Windows XP for USMT 4.0. Other USMT and Windows AIK tools, such as LoadState and Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM), are not supported on Windows XP. To use the Windows AIK to create an answer file or a customized Windows image for deployment, you must install the Windows AIK on a computer running a supported operating system.

Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7 using USMT

Learn how to use the User State Migration Tool (USMT) to migrate user files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 using a default installation.

With the release of Windows 7 yesterday, it would be fair to assume that most IT Managers and IT Professionals would now like to upgrade/migrate their client Operating System platforms to Windows 7.

Therefore, with this series of blog posts, I plan to highlight all the relevant information for the IT Managers and IT Professionals that would help them understand, identify and troubleshoot specific scenarios in the process of moving to the new OS platform.

In this series, this first post highlights the upgrade paths supported by Windows 7 and the consequent posts will highlight the specific tools and utilities that can prove to be very useful in having a smooth transition.

Supported Upgrade Scenarios

Upgrade Scenarios Not Supported

• Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported:
  • Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista® RTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows 7 M3, Windows 7 Beta, Windows 7 RC, or Windows 7 IDS
  • Windows NT® Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server® 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
• Cross-architecture in-place upgrades (for example, x86 to x64) are not supported.
• Cross-language in-place upgrades (for example, en-us to de-de) are not supported.
• Cross-SKU upgrades (for example, Windows 7 N to Windows 7 K) are not supported.
• Upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows N, Windows K, Windows KN, or Windows E are not supported.
• Cross-build type in-place upgrades (for example, fre to chk) are not supported.
• Pre-release in-place upgrades across milestones (for example, Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM) are not supported.

Note:
- The Upgrade option is not available in Windows 7 Setup when installing Windows 7 on a computer running Windows XP. However, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 on the same computer.
- If you are upgrading from a pre-release installation of Windows 7 such as the Beta or RC versions, you will need to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings to a new installation of Windows 7 or by can be done by IT Professionals using USMT about which i will discuss in the coming posts.

Find out if your PC can run Windows 7

To see if your PC is ready for Windows 7, download the free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It scans your PC for potential issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor checks for compatibility issues.

Before scanning your PC with the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, be sure to plug in and power on any USB devices or other devices, such as printers, external hard disks, and scanners, that you regularly use with the PC you're checking.

Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor