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Designing User State Migration 11
Wipe-and-load migration A wipe-and-load migration uses the same hardware. However,
partitions on the hard drive holding the original operating system need to be modified,
which will prevent the
Windows.old folder from being created during the new installation.
Instead, you must use USMT before the installation to save the files and settings to a migra-
tion store from the previous installation. This migration store can then be restored to the
new installation of Windows 7.
Side-by-side migration A side-by-side migration uses two computers. You can use USMT
to save the files and settings to a migration store from the original computer before it’s
decommissioned. You can then use USMT to restore the migration store to Windows 7 on
the new computer.
In this section, you’ll learn where to get the USMT, how to install it, and how to use it in
each of the different types of migration.
User State Migration Toolkit
If you used the User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) from previous operating systems, you
may not have been overjoyed by the performance. I know I wasn’t. However, you’ll find
significant improvements in the USMT on Windows 7. In addition, the time required to
perform a migration has been substantially reduced.
The User State Migration Toolkit is a part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit
(AIK) for Windows 7. Older versions of the AIK exist, so you need to ensure you have the
version specifically designed for Windows 7.
You can use the USMT to migrate data from Windows XP, Windows Vista, or
Windows 7. It supports the following migration paths:
Windows XP to Windows Vista

Windows XP to Windows 7

Windows Vista to Windows 7

Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit

The Windows AIK is available as a free download from Microsoft’s download site
(
www.microsoft.com/downloads) by searching for “Windows Automated Installation Kit
(AIK) for Windows 7.” This download is an
.iso file, so you’ll need to burn it to a DVD.
Burning a CD or a DVD from an .iso file is built into Windows 7. Place the
disk in the drive and then use Windows Explorer to browse to the
.iso file.
Right-click the file and select Burn Disc Image. Windows 7 will do the rest.
Once you download the Windows AIK for Windows 7 and burn the image to a DVD,
insert the DVD into your computer’s drive. You can then follow the steps in Exercise 1.2 to
install the Windows AIK, which includes the USMT.
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