Why doesn't Windows Easy Transfer work?
Has Microsoft fixed this yet? Easy Transfer is like rolling the dice. Either it works flawlessly or not at all. When it doesn't work, it's during the restore process. I browse to the backup file it created, it looks at it for a few seconds and says "Cannot Open File". Nothing else. I've tried every possible suggestion. Put the file on the local drive, a flash drive, a network share... Where I work we're switching domains so I have to disjoin each machine and re-join it to the new domain. This causes a change in the user profile. On my own laptop I used WET to transfer all user profile data from the old user to the new. It was like I never did the process. Perfect. Many other machines I just keep getting the above stupid error and all I can find are threads on the problem with no solution to it. So is there some secret I'm missing or is WET simply broken and if so, does MS plan on fixing it? It's one of the few real disappointments I've found in Win7. Thanks! (And yes, just copying the folders in \Users will work but for some reason won't retain things like the desktop arrangement, MRU lists and a few other things)
September 29th, 2011 1:55am

Most of the time that error is the result of corrupted file.Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
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October 6th, 2011 6:09am

Perhaps you have a security issue with the location of the saved file. Try running WET as administrator. Also, Right click on the saved file and select properties, click on the security tab and check your permissions. Jerry
October 6th, 2011 5:20pm

While reproducing the issue please collect the procmon (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645) log for analysis.hitenderyadav
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October 7th, 2011 7:24am

Windows Easy Transfer "must be initiated" from the "New Machine" first in order to function correctly. The first step to take when running Windows Easy Transfer on the destination computer is to specify the transfer method that you are going to use and that this is your new computer. Depending on which method you are using, one of the following will happen: If you are using the external hard disk or USB flash drive method, you will be asked to specify the location of the Easy Transfer file and to enter a password to open it. If you are using the network method, you will need to enter the Windows Easy Transfer key before the transfer will begin. The source computer displays this key. You will then go through the process of selecting what to transfer that was described previously. If you are using the Easy Transfer Cable method, the wizard will attempt to detect the cable and then will initiate the transfer. You will STEPS TO USE BELOW: 1. Run Windows Easy Transfer on the destination computer and select the transfer method that you are going to use. 2. Select the This Is My New Computer option. If you have chosen the Easy Transfer Cable or Network options, go to step 3. Otherwise, click No when prompted as to whether Windows Easy Transfer has already saved your files. 3. On the Do You Need To Install Windows Easy Transfer On Your Old Computer? select I Need To Install It Now. 4. On the How Do You Want To Install Windows Easy Transfer On Your Old Computer? page, select either USB Flash Drive or External Hard Disk or Shared Network Folder. The Windows Easy Transfer application installation file will be copied to this location and you will then be able to install the application on the source computer. I would personally use USMT (user state migration tool) in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), its a much better tool for large numbers of migrations on a domain. Hope this answers any questions you have about using this tool, enjoy!Please remember to flag a post that helps you as "answer" so that it may help others with same problems. | My Technet Wiki Article
October 7th, 2011 5:11pm

"Most of the time that error is the result of corrupted file." I can't see how it can be corrupted, I had just finished writing it successfully. Tried a network share and external HD. "Perhaps you have a security issue" I was able to copy the file from either the removeable HD or network share without a problem. "While reproducing the issue please collect the procmon " I will do that, thanks! "Windows Easy Transfer "must be initiated" from the "New Machine" first in order to function correctly." There is no new machine. The same machine is changing domain memberships. I: - perform and easy transfer backup exactly as specified in your post. Destiniation is a removeable USB hard drive but I've tried a network share also. - Change domain membership. Give the new user administrative privileges and log in as the user. - Perform the easy transfer as a restore, exactly as you specified. - Cannot read file. Try copying it to the local C drive; error. Try copying it to any other possible location; error. 75% of the machines I try this on, fail with nothing other than 'cannot read file'. I've read of problems between say, XP and 7 or changing hardware but this is the same machine. It should be slam dunk every time. I don't get the opportunity to try this often as I have limited access to the workstations. I'll report back when I've had a chance to try again. Thanks very much for the responses so far!
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October 7th, 2011 6:28pm

It is possible that the file it is choking on "may" be encrypted. I not to sure WET handles encrypted file transfers (I'm not 100% on that). I do know that USMT does handle encrypted files, either way it gives you something to check since if it is an encrypted file issue then there are ways around it.Please remember to flag a post that helps you as "answer" so that it may help others with same problems. | My Technet Wiki Article
October 7th, 2011 7:44pm

Windows Easy Transfer "must be initiated" from the "New Machine" first in order to function correctly. The first step to take when running Windows Easy Transfer on the destination computer is to specify the transfer method that you are going to use and that this is your new computer. Depending on which method you are using, one of the following will happen: If you are using the external hard disk or USB flash drive method, you will be asked to specify the location of the Easy Transfer file and to enter a password to open it. If you are using the network method, you will need to enter the Windows Easy Transfer key before the transfer will begin. The source computer displays this key. You will then go through the process of selecting what to transfer that was described previously. If you are using the Easy Transfer Cable method, the wizard will attempt to detect the cable and then will initiate the transfer. You will STEPS TO USE BELOW: 1. Run Windows Easy Transfer on the destination computer and select the transfer method that you are going to use. 2. Select the This Is My New Computer option. If you have chosen the Easy Transfer Cable or Network options, go to step 3. Otherwise, click No when prompted as to whether Windows Easy Transfer has already saved your files. 3. On the Do You Need To Install Windows Easy Transfer On Your Old Computer? select I Need To Install It Now. 4. On the How Do You Want To Install Windows Easy Transfer On Your Old Computer? page, select either USB Flash Drive or External Hard Disk or Shared Network Folder. The Windows Easy Transfer application installation file will be copied to this location and you will then be able to install the application on the source computer. I would personally use USMT (user state migration tool) in the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), its a much better tool for large numbers of migrations on a domain. Hope this answers any questions you have about using this tool, enjoy!Please remember to flag a post that helps you as "answer" so that it may help others with same problems. | My Technet Wiki Article
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October 8th, 2011 12:07am

Hi, Let me know once you have procmon capture. Thanks.Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
October 10th, 2011 7:59am

"Let me know once you have procmon capture." What am I supposed to be catpuring exactly? I did run it during the restore but it didn't seem to contain anything useful. However, I did notice it write a set of log files when it finished and snatched the debug.log from C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\MigWiz. It contains many references like this one: 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Warning [0x0803d9] MIG IndirectKeyMapper: RegLoadKey(HKEY_USERS,S-1-5-21-1292632515-1896747465-2928853966-1000,C:\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT) failed (32) 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Info MIG Attempting to find and unload hive C:\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT (\Device\HarddiskVolume2\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT) 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Info [0x0808ad] MIG Hive \Device\HarddiskVolume2\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT is loaded at \Registry\User\S-1-5-21-1844363951-2850295377-2401842703-1140 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Info [0x0808ae] MIG Unloading hive at HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1844363951-2850295377-2401842703-1140 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Warning [0x0808af] MIG Failed to unload hive at HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1844363951-2850295377-2401842703-1140 (error 5) 2011-10-22 09:15:38, Warning [0x0808aa] MIG Failed to find and unload hive: C:\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT (error 5) I'm not sure what this even means but it's the only "error" in the file and ocurrs many times throughout it. This is during the restore process. I did the backup portion with no errors to an external USB drive, changed domains/user, then simply run WET in restore mode, specifying the same file on the external drive. Thanks! Any input appreciated, Google doesn't do much.
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October 22nd, 2011 9:48am

While running WET please capture the same using procmon. The reason i need procmon data is to trace what other location the WET is accessing and failing while restoring the profile. As per the errors related to registry hive unload you can reboot the workstation so that all the handles are cleared or install UPHclean (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=6676)hitenderyadav_Microsoft
November 14th, 2011 2:21pm

You can send capture at blrforum-at-microsoft-com Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
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November 15th, 2011 1:51am

Ok, I'm still trying to get this thing to work. After having no success at all with the above machine, I tried a different one. Windows 7 Enterprise x64. I logged in as the current user, started easy transfer and backed up to an external USB hard drive. I changed domains, logged in as the new user and started the restore. Hey! No error on restore! So I let it go, it finishes and says so. Absolutely no difference in the user profile. The desktop is empty (the original had 50+ items on it), no documents... I know I'm being asked for a procmon capture but I really don't get procmon. What am I looking for? When I load it on my machine it's showing 700,000 of 900,000 events and just keeps climbing. How am I supposed to know what's going on with almost 1 million events? I'm to post a million lines to the forum? I really, really need to transfer user profiles. How do I do this without the ongoing months of nightmares? Thanks
November 24th, 2011 3:50pm

Hi, Can you send email to above mentioned email? If it is too large to fit into email, I'll give you a secured FTP location where you can upload and we can take a look.Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
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November 28th, 2011 4:57am

Ok I'm still fighting with this and had a chance to do another run, this time with procmon running, filtered to migwiz.exe. Here's a few entries: Date & Time: 12/30/2011 2:38:33 PM Event Class: File System Operation: CreateFile Result: SHARING VIOLATION Path: C:\Users\User\NTUSER.DAT TID: 3716 Duration: 0.0051063 Desired Access: Read Data/List Directory, Write Data/Add File, Read Control Disposition: OpenIf Options: No Buffering, Random Access, Open For Backup, No Compression Attributes: N ShareMode: None AllocationSize: 0 On NTUSER.DAT? Of course there's a sharing violation, why would easy transfer even attempt to overwrite this file? It's the one and only file in a profile you're not supposed to touch. Date & Time: 12/30/2011 2:39:03 PM Event Class: File System Operation: CreateFileMapping Result: FILE LOCKED WITH ONLY READERS Path: C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero\Shell\NormalColor\shellstyle.dll TID: 3836 Duration: 0.0000015 SyncType: SyncTypeCreateSection PageProtection: ? - Why would it attempt to overwrite system DLLs? There's quite a few of these File Locked errors. "Can you send email to above mentioned email?" I can send the PML file if you're still willing. Otherwise, anybody got any further ideas? Thanks!
December 30th, 2011 3:06pm

You can send it to me. If it is too large for the email, I'll give you a Secure FTP location to upload. Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
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January 1st, 2012 6:20am

I sent the file a few days ago just by the way. Or can anyone else tell me how to get this thing to work? I can't implement Exchange on our network unless I can migrate these users (of course, they're the company owners who now think I'm a complete moron). Or how do I report this utility to Microsoft as broken so they can fix it? Or is there any other method to migrate a user profile that won't crash and burn all over the place? Thanks!
January 12th, 2012 2:44pm

Hi, We got the file. Either I didn't get the proper file or it doesn't have relevant data. Looking at the time/progress through forum, I'd suggest this issue to be handled through a phone support engineer.Ketan Thakkar | Microsoft Online Community Support
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January 28th, 2012 2:43am

Ok thanks for trying. In the meantime I suggest they take the "Easy" out of the name.
January 31st, 2012 10:39am

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