Hi,When using usmt 4.0 you can create a hard-link migration store. You can not format or repartion your drive. How can you wipe the disk before applying the new operating system.Does anyone has a cool Windows 7 Task Sequence with this hard link migration store ?

take a look at this link http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1633-sample-xp-to-windows-7-task-sequences/ cheers niall my SCCM step by step Guides > http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1064

Hi,I have one for you, please send me an e-mail (use comment on article)through my blog: www.jannesalink.comPlease mark posts as Answered if appropriate.

I've got a question, when i get to the apply operating system step, do i NOT need to format the drive (will this wipe the stored information from the hardlink capture) or will the SCCM Task sequencer already ignore that information if I do format???

Hi,ConfigMgr with usinghardlinking will wipe the drive for you.Please mark posts as Answered if appropriate.

Well i can say i am 100% succesful, i've migrated from both an XP to Vista platform in my domain environment with hardlinking via my SCCM task sequence... GOOD BYE State Migration Points!!

Hi,That's great! Thanks for posting your feedback as well. I also found it a very good approach, saves storage on your SMP, network traffic and faster deployment. Please mark posts as Answered if appropriate.

Here's a follow up question... During our SMP deployments, every once in a while we may have a machine that doesn't boot after the machine captures the data and restart s(maybe because the boot image may not have a particular NIC driver, or something like portfast is not enabled, or a static configuration)... Of course these lead to a failed deployment potentially in the PE environment... Now, when we were using SMP's, we would normally resume the task sequence by using a bootable media disc (nic driver added if that was the cause) andconnect back to the SCCM infrastructure, select the appropriate advertisement and continue... This would wipe the disk..., but we were fine since the data at that point was already on the SMP.We've been testing "worst case scenarios" of a hardlink migrationand it appears that now if attempt the same remedy steps , it seems to not recognize the previous "hardlink" migration (we were checking variables, and logs etc) because of it obviously starting later in the task sequence process. Specifically logs indicate the existing of a previous C:\_SMSTaskSequence folder anddeletes it quickly. Of course thisnow wipes out the hardlink store as well... it continues the migration/refresh, but of course now, the data is lost...Does anyone have any suggestions for that scenario... it seems the only thing we can think of it copying the hardlink store during the failed PE state to a thumb drive?

Great!Can you please post the steps in your task sequence to get this working? Are you using SCCM SP2?Are you using the standard "Capture User State" task or a "Run Command Line" task to run scanstate.exeThanks

Hi Bigjon06, Did you get a response or answer for this? That's the exact same thing I've been thinking about for a while now, how to recover from a failed TS using Hard-Links..

BigJonWould you mind posting your task sequence? I am curious as to how you have it setup. Also, are you using the default xml files or do you use any custom ones, if so how do you get that into the task sequence?Thanks,James

here's some sample task sequences, hope they help http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/nbrady/archive/2010/01/26/migrating-windows-xp-to-windows-7-using-hardlinking-setting-up-a-demo.aspx cheers niall My step by step SCCM Guides windows-noob on Twitter

I found the sample task sequences helpful, but I have a couple questions that haven't been answered.1. Is there anyway to use hardlink but still partition the drive? I'm assuming not.2. How exactly can the User State be captured with the /offline switch from PE?

here's one way to do the offline bit http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1735-using-offline-mode-in-windows-pe-using-usmt-4-via-a-task-sequence-in-sccm-2007-sp2/ cheers niall My step by step SCCM Guides windows-noob on Twitter

That's exactly what I want to do, except I want to do all of that from PE. Whenever I try to call the /hardlink /offline switches from the task sequence it gives me an error 50: the request is not supported. I don't know why this wouldn't work, because the script I am trying to call from the task sequence works fine if I run it manually from PE.We have techs that walk up to a machine with the boot media and want to re-image. Being able to do this from PE eliminates the step of having to get it into a collection and then kicking off the install from Windows.

you need to look at this again http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1735-using-offline-mode-in-windows-pe-using-usmt-4-via-a-task-sequence-in-sccm-2007-sp2 i've added my own task sequence there today which does it all in Windows PE *migrating from xp to 7 using offline mode in windows pe*, you'll still need the computer in a collection though.... My step by step SCCM Guides windows-noob on Twitter

I setup my SCCM task sequence using the Windows-noob.com guide. The task sequence captures the user state but does not restore it. When the image is completed I can browse down through the userstate folder and file the various profiles.

Is ther any other sources of information that does not require me to join nother website? Please any information would be helpful I am very new at this and I need to have this done quikly for a POC. Thanks BKM

Hi i was wondering how can i get acsses to this fourm, it keeps giving me " you don't have permission" please help ......

what forum/link are you referring to ? My step by step SCCM Guides I'm on Twitter > ncbrady