A. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard is a core component of Windows XP. Previously available as a separate component of the "Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit" and the "Windows 2000 Professional Resource Kit," the wizard is also known as the User State Migration Tool (you can download the tool at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/new/usmt-o.asp ). Before you use XP's built-in version, run Windows Update to install a fix that resolves the following problems identified in Microsoft article "Files and Settings are Not Transferred When You Use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard":
- The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard quits before the transfer process has been completed.
- User settings or system settings are not transferred as expected.
- Icons created on the desktop do not work as expected.
- Account information in Microsoft Outlook Express is lost.
- A new account created in Outlook Express overwrites an old mail account.
- Outlook Express and Microsoft Outlook 2000 settings are not transferred if Outlook Express and Outlook 2000 share the same address book.
- The Outlook Express message store becomes corrupted if the store is open while the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard is used on a Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me)-based computer.
Microsoft created the wizard to let an administrator move a user's files and settings from one computer to another or to back up the user's files and settings before reinstalling the OS. The wizard can use a direct cable connection, removable media, or a local store that you can back up or move.
You can move any combination of the following user files and settings:
- Files and folders (e.g., My Documents, My Pictures, select file-extension types)
- Accessibility settings
- Command prompt settings
- Display properties
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) settings
- Mouse and keyboard settings
- Network printer and drive settings
- Outlook Express settings
- Regional settings
- Sounds and multimedia settings
- Taskbar options
- Application-specific settings
After you export the user's files and settings to target media separate from the source computer, you can use the wizard to import the user's files and settings onto a new computer. If you install on the new computer the same applications that exist on the old computer, the user's environment will be identical to the environment that exists on the old computer.
