User State Migration Tool - Loadstate issue with Favorites

[Guest]

The USMT is great, but I'm having quite the time finding solid information on
it. I've read through newsgroups, the MS Whitepaper, various websites, but I
haven't found a recent reference to the issue I'm having.

According to the logs it is creating, scanstate.exe is copying all of the
information I am asking it to, including user profile data such as the
desktop, My Documents, and Favorites. This is the command line I am running
via a script:

scanstate.exe U:\PCNum\Profiles /i:miguser.inf /i:migsys.inf /v:15
/l:U:\PCNum\Profiles\sstatelog.txt /progress:U:\PCNum\Profiles\ssprogress.txt
/user:domain\* /ui:15

Like I said, the logs show that it is backing up everything I ask. The
problem is with loadstate. Loadstate copies the Desktop, My Documents, and
all other settings beautifully - except for the Favorites. It just doesn't
copy them. Here's the loadstate command line:

loadstate.exe U:\PCNum\Profiles /v:15 /l:U:\PCNum\Profiles\lstatelog.txt
/progress:U:\PCNum\Profiles\lsprogress.txt /user:domain\*

I found a reference to this type of problem with older versions of the USMT
due to migsys.inf not being inludeded, but the issue with the inf files looks
to be resolved with 2.6. Has anyone experienced this issue that may have some
insight for me? Thanks,
Mike

 

[Johan Arwidmark]

The syntax is correct. I tried exact that syntax on my lab-domain and
it did migrate favorites for all users (source computer win2000,
target computer Windows XP SP2).

is the target domain the same domain, or is it a new domain?

Are you using the original miguser.inf and migsys.inf files?

If you add the /compress- switch to your scanstate line, do you see
the favorites in the U:\PCNum\Profiles\USMT2I.UNC\C\Documents and
Settings\username\Favorites folder?

regards
Johan Arwidmark

Windows User Group - Nordic
http://www.wug-nordic.net

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply Johan!

The target domain is the same as the source. This is being used primarily on
PCs that are being cycled out. Every migration goes from Windows XP->Windows
XP.

I am using the original files with slight modifications. Nothing has been
modified in the miguser.inf file, and in the migsys.inf file, a few pieces
were commented out so they would not be copied. (Accessibility, Fonts, M & K,
Browser, Browser Security, International, Multimedia, Outlook Express, ODBC,
and CmdExe)

When I run the tool with the /compress- switch, the favorites do show up in
the folders. In fact, I was running it on another machine, and noticed
something else. When I log in as an administrator and run the tool, the
profile directories are created, and the favorites are actually copied down.
I looked at the newly created profile folders, and can see all of them. It is
only after I log off and have the user log on that the favorites disapear.
The only thing left in the folder is the "Links" folder.

After the first log on and loadstate runs, I know it maps network drives and
printers - what else does it do at that point that could be causing this?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Johan Arwidmark]

Try using unmodifed templates and see if that helps.

Are you using roaming profiles?

Do you have any Group Policys being applied (Internet Explorer
Maintenance in user confiugration)?

regards
Johan Arwidmark

Windows User Group - Nordic
http://www.wug-nordic.net

 

[Guest]

I tried the unmodified templates, and got the same issue. We are not using
roaming profiles.

This is a pretty large organization, so I am not involved in the group
policy setup. I was thinking about that possiblity yesterday - it's really
the only other thing I can think of. I'll have to talk to someone who is
involved with that process and see what they say. Thanks for all your input
Johan - I'll reply to this thread when I've figured it out.

 

[Guest]

It is definitely group policy - specifically the IE branding that is done
when a user logs in for the first time. From the brndlog.txt file:

01/19/2005 11:02:20 Processing deletion of favorites and/or quick links...
01/19/2005 11:02:20 Creating separate thread for deleting favorites...
01/19/2005 11:02:20 COM initialized with S_OK success code.
01/19/2005 11:02:20 Determining paths to special folders...
01/19/2005 11:02:20 <Favorites> folder location is "C:\Documents
and Settings\mmt4516\Favorites".
01/19/2005 11:02:20 <Links> folder location is "C:\Documents and
Settings\mmt4516\Favorites\Links".
01/19/2005 11:02:20 Done.
01/19/2005 11:02:20 The <Favorites> folder is being cleaned with regard
to special folders...
01/19/2005 11:02:20 Special folder <Links> emptied.
01/19/2005 11:02:21 <Favorites> folder emptied.
01/19/2005 11:02:21 Done.

Now I just have to convice the Group policy person to change it for me.
Thanks again for all your help!