Windows Easy Transfer
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| There is
no doubt that one of the biggest annoyances when
upgrading or changing operating systems is backing
up all the data and files that have been accumulated
over the years the system has been in service. It's
an onerous task that can take anywhere from a few
minutes to hours depending on the amount of data to
be preserved. In an effort to make the task less
daunting, Microsoft has released Windows Easy
Transfer along with the release of Windows 7. I'm
going to walk through the steps necessary when
moving from XP to Windows 7. |
| Windows
Easy Transfer is automatically installed with every
Windows 7 installation, which is good, but that's
only the back half of the process. To use Windows
Easy Transfer it has to be installed and executed on
the old (XP) system before Windows 7 is installed. I
mention this because I've already received quite a
number of e-mails from users that have,
unfortunately, realized it's a two step process
after the old system drive had been wiped clean,
effectively destroying their data, files, and
settings with no hope of recovery. |
| Overview
of the Windows Easy Transfer Process |
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| Step
One - Obtain Windows Easy Transfer |
| Windows
Easy Transfer is a free download available from
Microsoft. Either go to the
Windows Easy Transfer page and select the
version that matches the operating system currently
installed on the system being upgraded, or you can
use the links in the chart below to take you
directly to each versions download page. |
| If you
have the Windows 7 DVD to be used for the upgrade,
you can skip the download because Windows Easy
Transfer is included on the DVD. Insert the CD and
navigate to X:\Support\Migwiz\ (where X is your DVD
drive letter) and double click the migsetup.exe file
to begin the installation. |
|
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| Note that
there are four different versions available. The 32
bit and 64 bit designations refer to the old
operating system already in place on the system
being upgraded, not the version of Windows 7 that
will be installed. Also, Windows Easy Transfer
cannot transfer files from a 64 bit version of XP or
Vista to a 32 bit version of Windows 7. It's hard
for me to imagine someone with a 64 bit system
wanting to move back to 32 bit, but if that's the
case you'll have to manually back up and transfer
your files and settings. |
|
Caution - There have been reports
of users confusing Windows Easy Transfer
with an older program called 'Files and
Settings Transfer Wizard' that automatically
installs with Windows XP. They are in no way
the same program and the older 'Files and
Settings Transfer Wizard' is not compatible
with Windows 7. If you use it by mistake
instead of the Windows Easy Transfer
program, the restore of your files and
settings in Windows 7 will fail. |
|
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| Step
Two - Install Windows Easy Transfer |
| Once the
download has completed and saved to the system, run
the installer and let it complete. Installation
screens are shown below. |
 |
These installation
screens always make me laugh. I wonder how many
people 'ever' back up their system, much less back
it up before installing a piece of software.
At any rate, back it up if you want to, create a
restore point, make a system image, write out the
files in hieroglyphics, or just click the [Next]
button and get on with the process. |
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As always, there is
the ever present 'License Agreement' seeking your
agreement. This is the second laugh I always get,
wondering how many trees have been sacrificed to
people that actually print out the agreement.
Agree or go home. Click [Next] button. |
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There won't be enough
time for a coffee break before the install is
complete. When it's done, click [Finish] button. |
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Installation
completes. Click [Finish] button and get on to
something useful - like saving your files and
settings. |
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| Step
Three - Saving Files and Settings |
| Using
Windows Easy Transfer is a relatively
straightforward process, especially if the default
settings are accepted rather than making any
changes. That said, it has been my experience that
in very few cases are 'all' the data, files, and
settings that users want saved and transferred
stored in the default locations where Windows
expects them to be located. It's
just a fact of life that files get scattered here
and there, sometimes because of carelessness and a
lack of organization, but other times because the
default locations just don't suit the users style of
work. I happen to fall into the latter category.
I'll walk through the steps to use Windows Easy
Transfer and show you the places where you need to
pay special attention. |
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Pretty much goes
without saying, but the first step is firing up the
application. Start > All Programs > Windows Easy
Transfer for Windows 7 will get the process under
way. |
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Every application
seems to need a 'Welcome' screen, often pointless,
but in this case there is one valuable piece of
information. As the tip at the bottom says, it is
useful to think of the systems as the 'old version'
and 'new version' of windows to avoid confusion. |
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In order for a transfer
of files to take place, some sort of connection or
link needs to be established that allows the data to
flow between the machines. Or, in this case, the
data has to be saved away from the partition that
will be formatted in the new Win 7 installation and
then brought back after the installation is
complete. There are three transfer choices
available; Easy Transfer Cable, Network, and
External Media.
- Easy
Transfer Cable - This method uses USB
2.0 to move the data directly between
two separate and distinct computers via
a special cable (not a standard USB
cable) that has to be purchased
separately. It's an excellent method,
moves the data relatively quickly, but
is unsuitable in this case because we
are dealing with a single computer
instead of two systems.
- Network -
The easiest option when dealing with two
computers that are connected to the same
network. Proximity of the machines isn't
an issue as it is with the Easy Transfer
Cable. A wired network is far preferable
but it will also work with a wireless
network. You would think this was the
option to be selected with a single
machine being upgraded that's connected
to a network, but you'd be wrong.
- External
Hard Disk or USB Flash Drive - The
naming of this option falls short of
explaining what it can accomplish. While
it can use external hard drives or USB
flash drives, you can also use it to
save the files and settings to CD, DVD,
an internal hard drive (either a
separate partition on a single drive
system or a separate internal hard
drive), and also to a location on a
network.
In spite of the fact that under the
'External Disk or USB Flash Drive'
option it says to choose this option if
you are using Windows Easy Transfer to
upgrade the computer you are currently
working on to Windows 7, the fact there
is a 'Network' option as well causes
confusion. It's just poor design and the
should be changed so the last option
description also includes the word
'network' while keeping the line about
selecting the last option if the current
system is being upgraded.
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|
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In this example the
only option for what computer is being used, the old
or the new, is limited to the one option of it being
the old computer. Different scenarios will include
'old' and 'new' options. |
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The next step is
selecting what will be transferred. Current users
will be listed here as well as shared items. In
theory you could just accept these defaults and move
on, but I really can't imagine a scenario where that
wouldn't be foolish. At the very minimum you need to
check out the 'Customize' option. |
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This is the next step
up from the previous screen after using the
'Customize' option. This is better and provides a
bit more control. You can select/deselect any of the
items and move on, but I still think you'd be
selling yourself short not to go for the 'Advanced'
option which allows much more control. |
 |
Alright, now you're
getting somewhere. This is essentially a Windows
Explorer that allows you to drill down through any
files and folders and custom tailor exactly what
will and will not be transferred. Personally, I
think it's better to spend the time on this end of
the transfer and get rid of the junk now rather than
transfer it over and clog up the new operating
system installation. Be aware though that you can
easily select a few wrong items and end up with a
huge transfer of stuff that's utterly useless. Be
careful.
I always keep a folder and a DVD for each computer I
own that has drivers, notes, serial numbers, utility
applications, and anything else I always want
available without having to search through a stack
of CD's. If you drop it into the DVD drive now and
add it to the transfer everything will be there
waiting for you after the Win 7 installation and
file transfer is completed. |
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The option to password
protect the transfer is available. Unless you forget
the password or have a habit of losing sticky notes,
the password can't hurt. |
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Pay attention! When
you go to save the Windows Easy Transfer file that
will be used to restore your files and settings, the
default location for the save will be My Computer
and you have to specify a specific location. It's
absolutely essential that the file NOT be saved on a
drive/partition that will be wiped clean and
formatted during the Windows 7 installation. There
are no built in protections at this step so you have
to take extra care.
In this example, shown in the screen capture at
left, the file 'could' be saved anywhere on C, D, E,
F, or X. However, the new Win 7 installation is
going to be on C (Disk 0 - PA - Windows 7), so if it
was saved there it would be destroyed in the Win 7
install and all files and settings would be lost.
Even though D (Disk 0 - PB - Data) is on the same
drive as C, it's a different partition and won't be
destroyed in the Win 7 install so the transfer files
would be safe. E is another hard drive, F is a flash
drive, and X is the DVD drive so all those are safe
as well for the transfer files. |
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As you can see, I
saved the file on Disk 1 - PA on Drive E. |
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The location has been
selected and the transfer file is being saved. |
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Confirmation the file
has been successfully saved. |
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A reminder screen
where the file was saved in case you need to write
down the location. |
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The closing screen
telling you to go ahead and install Windows 7. |
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| Step
Four - Install Windows 7 |
| Installing
Windows 7 is covered on a number of different pages.
The installation that was used in this tutorial is
here. |
| |
| Step
Five - Transferring Files and Settings to New
Installation |
| With the
Windows 7 installation completed it's time to bring
back the files and settings contained in the Windows
Easy Transfer file. Microsoft recommends running
Windows Easy Transfer as the first step after the
Windows 7 installation completes. That's the logical
thing to do since it will import any user accounts
and all the associated files and settings. After
that is completed, go about the business of
reinstalling applications. |
| The first
step is to make sure that Windows Easy Transfer will
have access to the transfer file that was created
before the Windows 7 installation, be it on a CD,
DVD, network share, USB flash drive, or a
drive/partition that wasn't eliminated during the
Win 7 installation process. |
 |
Windows 7
automatically installs Windows Easy Transfer as part
of the new installation. You can either start it up
via the Start Menu and navigate through the System
Tools folder or the easier way is to connect
whatever device was used to save the transfer file
and simply double click the transfer file.
For the purpose of this tutorial I'm going to go
through the Start Menu as shown at left. It involves
more screens, but the end result will be the same. |
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The same 'Welcome' as
before. Click on through. |
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Back to the screen
where the transfer type is selected. Since I used
the 'External Hard Disk or USB Flash Drive' option
previously, I'm going to select it again. |
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Next up is specifying
whether this is the 'old' or 'new' computer. Even
though it's actually the 'same' computer, to keep
Windows Easy Transfer from being as confused as
Sarah Palin in a geography class, select the 'New
Computer' option. |
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The transfer file was
created and saved long ago before the Windows 7
installation. Say 'Yes' and move on. |
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Browse to where the
file is now located, select it, then click the
[Open] button. This is nothing more than a Windows
Explorer window. You can browse to any location,
drive, partition, CD, DVD, external drive, USB flash
drive, or even network locations on other systems.
It doesn't matter where, just as long as the final
destination has the transfer file located there that
was previously created. |
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After the transfer
file is selected it's back to choosing what will be
transferred to the new Win 7 installation. Just as
when you were selecting items the first time through
Windows Easy Transfer, you have that same control in
selecting items to be brought back in from the
transfer file by using the 'Customize' option which
allows you to drill down using the Windows Explorer
interface. This is why I said in the first part of
the tutorial, if there is any question you may want
something later on, to add it to the transfer file
initially. Just because you added it to the file, it
doesn't mean you have to transfer it back after the
Win 7 installation.
On the right side of the screen, just above the
[Transfer] button, there is a new [Advanced Options]
link that wasn't present on this screen when the
transfer items were initially being selected.
Clicking this link will take you to a double tabbed
screen where you can opt to 'Map User Accounts' and
'Map Drives' before the actual transfer takes place.
I'll explain these two options below. |
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The 'Map User
Accounts' tab provides some flexibility in how the
saved data is distributed on the new installation.
In this example my user name on the old XP
installation was 'Jim', but when I set up the
Windows 7 installation I decided to go with 'Jim -
HP' as my new user name. The mapping function allows
me to bring in the old 'Jim' files and settings and
have them applied to the new 'Jim - HP' user
account. Or, let's say I decided 'Jim - HP' was a
stupid user name and I want something new that
doesn't even exist yet on the new installation. I
can use the drop down box to create a new user
account, something like 'Jim - Indecisive' and have
the files and settings transferred to that account. |
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The 'Map Drives' tab
provides the ability to control where data is
transferred, with one limitation. If the data was
initially on a drive that contained the old Windows
installation, it can only be transferred to the
drive in the new installation that contains Windows.
Because I only selected files and data on the old
installation that was on the Windows install drive,
my only option in this example is to bring it back
onto the Win 7 install drive even though there are
other drives on the system. The additional
drives/partitions aren't visible unless there is
data that qualifies for the mapping function. |
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That's about it. Once
[Save] is clicked on the mapping tabs, you're
returned here. All that's left to do is click the
[Transfer] button and wait for it to complete. How
long it takes depends on the amount of files and
settings being transferred as well as the speed of
the system and type of device being used for the
transfer.
The system will have to be restarted after transfer
completion. |
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| Step
Six - Post Transfer Considerations |
| When you
look back at the Windows Easy Transfer process, it
really is rather quick and simple. The program does
what it's intended to do, although the interface is
a bit dodgy at times and could use some tweaking to
eliminate a couple of confusing places. After having
used it a number of times, I'm much more inclined to
see its value when upgrading from Vista to Windows 7
rather than the move from XP to Windows 7. In a
Vista situation you truly do come out the other end
with a system that's ready to run and be used for
actual work. In the XP to Windows 7 scenario, once
Windows Easy Transfer has finished, the real work is
just beginning with the reinstallation of all your
programs and hunting down updated drivers for use
with Windows 7. |
| I always
tackle the driver issues first rather than
installing applications. It just makes sense to get
all the devices working properly and go through all
the settings to see if things still work the way you
want. Windows 7 is a completely new operating system
and some things just simply can't be made to work
like they did under XP. Accept that fact and you'll
be a lot happier. |
| Before you
go scouting the web for drivers, run Windows Update
under Windows 7. Chances are good (at least this has
been my experience) that Windows Update will
identify any devices that need new drivers and
locate them for you. It's a hell of a lot easier to
install them through WU than go through repeated
locate/download/install cycles at individual cycles. |
| Once I
have all the bits and pieces (external drives,
printers, scanners, cameras, and whatever else)
working properly, my next step is to image the
entire system using Acronis TruImage, although there
are many other image utilities and backup options
available. Even Windows 7 has a built in backup
utility that will create an image and back up all
the files and settings. |
| After the
initial backup has completed I go ahead and start
installing applications. I break the application
installs down into two groups. In the first round of
installations I install only the applications that I
absolutely know I'll be using on a regular basis. In
my case that would be Microsoft Office, Outlook, One
Note, VMWare, WinZip, LastPass, and Directory Opus,
a Windows Explorer replacement. Through previous
experience I trust these applications update process
not to screw up the system so I include them in
another system image using Acronis. |
| After the
second image I go ahead and install the rest of the
applications I use regularly but don't have much
faith in their ability to run and update without
causing system issues. This includes graphics, web
apps, a few system utilities, and above all else,
antivirus and malware programs. None of the programs
in this group are absolute must haves. When they
become problematic through update instability or
version updates I just get rid of them and
substitute a better product. I do keep an image with
these programs installed, but usually just go back
to the second image I created and reinstall all but
the problematic application. |
| Part of
Windows Easy Transfer is a post transfer report. If
you didn't look at it during the transfer phase of
the process, it's available at Start > All Programs
> Accessories > System Tools > Windows Easy Transfer
Reports. It doesn't hurt to take a look at it, but
truthfully I haven't found anything in it of any
real value. Maybe something in there will jog your
mind about some old XP program you want to install
or find a Windows 7 supported version. |
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| The
Bottom Line |
| At this
point you should have Windows 7 installed, a clean
stable system in place, and backups or images of the
different stages so you can easily go back to a
previous point in time if necessary. Use the system
for a couple of weeks. Sort through the new
features. Customize the menus and other features to
suit your work style while evaluating application
and performance issues. A few weeks later, after
your confidence and familiarity level have grown,
make another image or backup that reflects the
changes you have made while retaining the earlier
images for one of those 'uh-oh' moments that are
never expected but inevitably occur. |
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