Some basic USMT 4.0 actions explained

The last few weeks a saw and got a lot of questions about capturing specific files and folders with USMT. These actions are actually quite basic and good documented on Technet, but still seem to raise a lot of questions. So I decided to devote a post to this. I will show some examples and will try to explain what it all means. Let’s start with a component that migrates all files in a specific folder. <component type=”Documents” context=”System”>  <displayName>Component to migrate all files in a specific folder including subfolders</displayName>     <role role=”Data”>        <rules>           <include>              <objectSet>                 <pattern type=”File”>C:\SpecificFolder\* [*]</pattern>              </objectSet>           </include>        </rules>    </role> </component> Well, that’s a nice component but what does it all mean? Let’s go …

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Using USMT 4.0 and ConfigMgr 2007 while migrating from local profiles to partially redirected profiles

This time I want to devote a post to a situation I haven’t been in that often. The customer was migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7, well.. nothing special here, but also migrating from local profiles to (partially) redirected profiles, well.. that’s a challenge. So to capture the userdata AND -settings we had to come up with something special. Of course we could do some things with scripting, but the biggest challenge was the fact that the new (partially redirected) profile location was only available after the first logon to Windows 7. With this information I started thinking about USMT 4.0 again. Most often you use this to migrate on a computer basis, but we made an exception on this. We came up with …

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How to Capture User Files and Settings Offline (WinPE) or Online (FullOS) using hard-links with ConfigMgr 2012 B2

This post will be another one about capturing user files and settings, but this time with ConfigMgr 2012 B2. I hope everyone still remembers my post about capturing user files and settings in ConfigMgr 2007 (and especially how much work it was). Usually I’m not really into writing ‘step-by-step guides’, but this time I will make an exception. The reason why I’m making this exception is that I want to show how easy it’s done now. It’s becoming really close to just next-next-finish. There are only four packages needed for/ by this step-by-step: Boot image package ConfigMgr client package USMT 4.0 package Image package When these packages are present, right-click the Task Sequence node and select Create Task Sequence. After that follow the step-by-step below. …

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ConfigMgr vNext: It just gets easier and easier.

Its about time that I write my first post about ConfigMgr vNext BETA and well I really have to say that it just gets easier and easier compared to ConfigMgr 2007. The only thing I have to get used to is that everything is in a different location. Capture User Files and Setting Offline (WinPE) with Hard-Links As I have been busy a lot with capturing user files offline on my blog, lets start about how easy that becomes in ConfigMgr vNext. I still remember making BAT-files to run the ScanState –commands, in ConfigMgr vNext its just selecting the checkboxes Capture locally using links instead of copying files and Capture in off-line mode (WinPE only). After this the Capture User Files and Settings –step will …

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Capture User Files and Settings Offline (WinPE) or Online (FullOS) with ConfigMgr 2007

They always say never change a winning team, but sometimes its just cowl to see if its possible to be even better. I had the same with a previous post in which I already showed how to do a Hard-Link migration, when started from WinPE (and FullOS). The biggest part of that example is still the same, but some pieces changed to get a better result. In this post I will go step-by-step (again) to mention the changes that I made to make it even better. At the end of both parts of this post I will shine a light on the changes that I made. Part 1: Capture User Files and Settings For creating a Task Sequence, that does an Online or Offline Capture, …

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Using USMTUtils.exe during a Task Sequence with ConfigMgr 2007

As I had a lot of questions about the use of USMTUtils, I decided to devote a new post to this. In my previous post I used USMTUtils to clean up the hard-link statestore location. USMTUtils is needed to clean up a hard-link statestore, because otherwise the hard-link store cannot be deleted due to a sharing lock. The command-line provided by Technet to do this is usmtutils.exe /rd <storedirectory>. Only this is exactly where the problem starts when running a command like this during a Task Sequence, because this will make the Task Sequence “hang” on the point where it has to delete the hard-link statestore. Taking a look at the SMSTS.log, at this point, will show something similar to this: <![LOG[Executing command line: Run …

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Capture User Files and Settings in Offline Mode (WinPE) with ConfigMgr 2007

In a previous postI already showed how to do a Hard-Link migration, when started from FullOS. That part still exists in my Task Sequence, but it is now moved under the Group Capture User Files and Settings – FullOS. This part will now only run when the Task Sequence is started from FullOS. In this post I will add a part to the Task Sequence that makes sure that the User State will also be captured,  when the Task Sequence is started from WinPE (also called Offline Mode). The cool part is that it will also be done by/ with using Hard-Links! Capture User Files and Settings For creating a Task Sequence, that does an Offline Capture, my way, a few variables and locations need …

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User Driven OS Deployment with “Modena”

It took a while but this weekend it was finally time for some testing of, what’s code-named, “Modena”. Modena is a tool, developed by Microsoft IT, that enables the ability of an End-User Experience by using a powerful OSD Wizard. When you are searching for a way to get your users “involved” in an OS Deployment, then I would recommend you to take a look at Modena. The OSD Wizard of Modena (see picture) can be changed in a lot of different way’s. As an administrator you can select which settings can be done by a user and which are pre-set. By these customizable settings you can think about things like computername, domain, local administrators, language, time, image, backup (via USMT 4.0) and the applications. …

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ConfigMgr 2007, USMT 4.0 and using Hard-Links

One of the coolest new functions of USMT 4.0 is the new hard-link migration store (only for computer-refresh scenarios). These migration stores are stored locally on the computer that is being refreshed and can migrate user accounts, files and settings. This way it will save time and space during a computer-refresh (and you do not need a State Migration Point!). When you create a default Task Sequence it will create the steps Request User State Storage and Release User State Storage. These steps are needed to interact with the State Migration Point (SMP) to get available space and to tell that the action completed successfully. So these steps are not needed anymore when you are using hard-links! This is why these steps are grayed out …

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ConfigMgr 2007, USMT 4.0 and moving collected files to :\Data

This weekend I’ve been playing with USMT 4.0 in combination with ConfigMgr R2 SP2 Beta. I have to say that it is a very powerful combination and I feel a bit stupid that I didn’t do much with it before. I always install it, with every installation that I do, but I never really did something with it. When I was diving in to it I found a special part of MigUser.xml. <!– Uncomment the following if you want all the files collected from the above rules to move to <systemDrive>:\data –><!–                <locationModify script=”MigXmlHelper.Move(‘%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Data’)”>                    <objectSet>                    <objectSet>                        <script>MigXmlHelper.GenerateDrivePatterns (“* [*.qdf]”, “Fixed”)</script>                        <script>MigXmlHelper.GenerateDrivePatterns (“* [*.qsd]”, “Fixed”)</script>                        […]                        <script>MigXmlHelper.GenerateDrivePatterns (“* [*.mdb]”, “Fixed”)</script>                        <script>MigXmlHelper.GenerateDrivePatterns (“* [*.pub]”, “Fixed”)</script>                    </objectSet>                </locationModify>–> This part is about moving the collected files to <systemDrive>:\Data when you uncomment it. Of course I had …

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