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Customize USMT XML files

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Overview

If you want the ScanState and LoadState tools to use any of the migration .xml files, specify these files at the command line using the /i option. Because the ScanState and LoadState tools need the .xml files to control the migration, specify the same set of .xml files for both the ScanState.exe and LoadState.exe commands. However, you don't have to specify the Config.xml file with the /config option, unless you want to exclude some of the files and settings that you migrated to the store. For example, you might want to migrate the My Documents folder to the store but not to the destination computer. To achieve this scenario, modify the Config.xml file and specify the updated file with the LoadState.exe command. Then the LoadState.exe command will migrate only the files and settings that you want to migrate.

If you leave out an .xml file from the LoadState.exe command, all of the data in the store that was migrated with the missing .xml files will be migrated. However, the migration rules that were specified with the ScanState.exe command won't apply. For example, if you leave out an .xml file, and it contains a rerouting rule such as:

MigsysHelperFunction.RelativeMove("c:\data", "%CSIDL_PERSONAL%")

USMT won't reroute the files, and they'll be migrated to C:\data.

To modify the migration, do one or more of the following.

  • Modify the migration .xml files. If you want to exclude a portion of a component, for example, you want to migrate C:\ but exclude all of the .mp3 files, or if you want to move data to a new location on the destination computer, modify the .xml files. To modify these files, you must be familiar with the migration rules and syntax. If you want ScanState and LoadState to use these files, specify them at the command line when each command is entered.

  • Create a custom .xml file. You can also create a custom .xml file to migrate settings for another application, or to change the migration behavior to suit your needs. For ScanState and LoadState to use this file, specify them on both command lines.

  • Create and modify a Config.xml file. Create and modify a Config.xml file if you want to exclude an entire component from the migration. For example, you can use a Config.xml file to exclude the entire My Documents folder, or exclude the settings for an application. Excluding components using a Config.xml file is easier than modifying the migration .xml files because you don't need to be familiar with the migration rules and syntax. In addition, using a Config.xml file is the only way to exclude the operating system settings from being migrated.

For more information about excluding data, see the Exclude Files and Settings article.

Migration .xml files

This section describes the migration .xml files that are included with USMT. Each file contains migration rules that control which components are migrated and where they're migrated to on the destination computer.

Note

You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in each of these files. However, you cannot use a question mark (?) as a wildcard character.

  • The MigApp.xml file. Specify this file with both the ScanState.exe and LoadState.exe commands to migrate application settings.

  • The MigDocs.xml file. Specify this file with both the ScanState and LoadState tools to migrate all user folders and files that are found by the MigXmlHelper.GenerateDocPatterns helper function. This helper function finds user data that resides on the root of any drive and in the Users directory. However, it doesn't find and migrate any application data, program files, or any files in the Windows directory. You can modify the MigDocs.xml file.

  • The MigUser.xml file. Specify this file with both the ScanState.exe and LoadState.exe commands to migrate user folders, files, and file types. You can modify the MigUser.xml file. This file doesn't contain rules that migrate specific user accounts. The only way to specify which user accounts to migrate is on the command line using the ScanState and the LoadState user options.

Note

Don't use the MigUser.xml and MigDocs.xml files together. For more information, see the Identify file types, files, and folders and USMT best practices articles.

Custom .xml files

You can create custom .xml files to customize the migration for your unique needs. For example, you may want to create a custom file to migrate a line-of-business application or to modify the default migration behavior. If you want ScanState.exe and LoadState.exe to use this file, specify it with both commands. For more information, see the Custom XML examples article.

The Config.xml file

The Config.xml file is an optional file that you create using the /genconfig option with the ScanState.exe command. You should create and modify this file if you want to exclude certain components from the migration. In addition, you must create and modify this file if you want to exclude any of the operating system settings from being migrated. The Config.xml file format is different from the migration .xml files because it doesn't contain any migration rules. It contains only a list of the operating system components, applications, and the user documents that can be migrated. For an example, see the Config.xml File article. For this reason, excluding components using this file is easier than modifying the migration .xml files because you don't need to be familiar with the migration rules and syntax. However, you can't use wildcard characters in a Config.xml file.

If you want to include all of the default components, you don't need to create the Config.xml file. Alternatively, if you're satisfied with the default migration behavior defined in the MigApp.xml, MigDocs.xml, and MigUser.xml files, and you want to exclude only some components, you can create and modify a Config.xml file and leave the other .xml files in their original state.

When you run the ScanState.exe command with the /genconfig option, ScanState.exe reads the other .xml files that you specify using the /i option to create a custom list of components that can be migrated from the computer. This file will contain only operating system components, applications, and the user document sections that are in both of the .xml files and that are installed on the computer when you run the ScanState.exe command with the /genconfig option. Therefore, you should create this file on a source computer that contains all of the components, applications, and settings that will be present on the destination computers. Creating the file on the source computer will ensure that this file contains every component that can be migrated. The components are organized into sections: <Applications>, <WindowsComponents>, and <Documents>. To choose not to migrate a component, change its entry to migrate="no".

After you create this file, you need to specify it only with the ScanState.exe command using the /Config option for it to affect the migration. However, if you want to exclude additional data that you migrated to the store, modify the Config.xml file and specify the updated file with the LoadState.exe command. For example, if you collected the My Documents folder in the store, but you decide that you don't want to migrate the My Documents folder to a destination computer, you can modify the Config.xml file to indicate migrate="no" before you run the LoadState.exe command, and the file won't be migrated. For more information about the precedence that takes place when excluding data, see the Exclude files and settings article.

In addition, note the following functionality with the Config.xml file:

  • If a parent component is removed from the migration in the Config.xml file by specifying migrate="no", all of its child components will automatically be removed from the migration, even if the child component is set to migrate="yes".

  • If you mistakenly have two lines of code for the same component where one line specifies migrate="no" and the other line specifies migrate="yes", the component will be migrated.

  • In USMT, there are several migration policies that can be configured in the Config.xml file. For example, you can configure additional <ErrorControl>, <ProfileControl>, and <HardLinkStoreControl> options. For more information, see the Config.xml File article.

Note

To exclude a component from the Config.xml file, set the migrate value to "no". Deleting the XML tag for the component from the Config.xml file will not exclude the component from your migration.

Examples

  • The following command creates a Config.xml file in the current directory, but it doesn't create a store:

    ScanState.exe /i:MigApp.xml /i:MigDocs.xml /genconfig:Config.xml /v:5

  • The following command creates an encrypted store using the Config.xml file and the default migration .xml files:

    ScanState.exe \\server\share\migration\mystore /i:MigApp.xml /i:MigDocs.xml /o /config:Config.xml /v:5 /encrypt /key:"mykey"

  • The following command decrypts the store and migrates the files and settings:

    LoadState.exe \\server\share\migration\mystore /i:MigApp.xml /i:MigDocs.xml /v:5 /decrypt /key:"mykey"

Additional information

User State Migration Tool (USMT) command-line syntax

USMT resources