Files and Settings Transfer Wizard - Is Batch Possible?

[Jim]

I'm using the FAST (Files And Settings Transfer) wizard to back up my OE
Newsgroups on a weekly basis. I don't use OE for anything except NGs, so
when the wizard is run, I manually delete everything from the job except OE
and the *.eml and *.nws file types. Works perfectly, but the process is
incredibly tedious. The UI is not very friendly in this regard, can't even
select groups of item, have to hit that damn Remove button for EVERY item.

So now I'm trying to determine if this utility can be run in batch (command
line) mode, and makes things a little easier. I've tried searching on these
key words, but nothing seems to indicate I can. I see some refs to other
migration tools, like User State Migration Tool (USMT). Is FAST some sort
of subset of USMT?? (I notice it creates a subfolder by this same name,
USMT2.UNC). I get the impression that if I want batch support, I have to
switch over to using USMT, which seems like overkill, and just one more
thing to complicate matters. I know there are other third-party OE backup
apps too, but since FAST works just fine, why switch.

In a nutshell, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard does exactly what I
want, just want to know if and how I can gain batch or command line access.

TIA

Jim

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I'm using the FAST (Files And Settings Transfer) wizard to back up
my OE Newsgroups on a weekly basis. I don't use OE for anything
except NGs, so when the wizard is run, I manually delete everything
from the job except OE and the *.eml and *.nws file types. Works
perfectly, but the process is incredibly tedious. The UI is not
very friendly in this regard, can't even select groups of item,
have to hit that damn Remove button for EVERY item.

So now I'm trying to determine if this utility can be run in batch
(command line) mode, and makes things a little easier. I've tried
searching on these key words, but nothing seems to indicate I can.
I see some refs to other migration tools, like User State Migration
Tool (USMT). Is FAST some sort of subset of USMT?? (I notice it
creates a subfolder by this same name, USMT2.UNC). I get the
impression that if I want batch support, I have to switch over to
using USMT, which seems like overkill, and just one more thing to
complicate matters. I know there are other third-party OE backup
apps too, but since FAST works just fine, why switch.

In a nutshell, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard does exactly
what I want, just want to know if and how I can gain batch or
command line access.

Why not just backup the OE files if that is all you are doing with the FAST
wizard anyway?!
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270670/

There are tons of tools out there to do this.. And in general - if you
backup the files/folders for Outlook Express - it can all be imported again
(excluding passwords and the likes.)

 

[Jim]

Why not just backup the OE files if that is all you are doing with the FAST
wizard anyway?!
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270670/

So I guess the short answer is, no, I can't automate the Files and Settings
Transfer wizard. Why does MS make this soooooo difficult? I reviewed the
link you provided, and while somewhat helpful, doesn't in and of itself
address some issues. Backing up the store folder seems easy enough, but
everything else still requires user intervention. I just don't understand
why MS doesn't permit the whole darn thing to be backed up w/ a simple
command. Instead, everything is subdivided, requiring multiple steps, most
requiring user intervention. I thought what I was looking for was simple
enough and and obvious, apparently not according to MS. What a pain.

Thanx anyway, guess I'll have to start researching alternatives (ridiculous
when you realize FAST does everything I want).

Jim

 

[Johan Arwidmark]

Use USMT instead, it's un updated commandline version of FSTW (Files
and Settings transfer wizard). It's also more flexible than FSTW

Download from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...1c-3613-4aac-a305-5ed88f5d4caa&DisplayLang=en


regards

Johan Arwidmark
Microsoft MVP - Setup/Deployment