Customizing USMT You manage USMT through command-line options and the migration .xml files. You could modify the default files to control some aspects of the migration, but this is not recommended. The better option is to create custom .xml files to migrate specific application settings and data. The following list describes customization points for USMT: n
Command-Line Control You can use command-line options, such as /ui and /ue, to include and exclude specific users during the migration process. You can also specify custom .xml files and manage encryption and compression options.
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Customizing the Migration XML Files You can modify the migration .xml files to exclude portions of a standard migration or to redirect data and settings during the migration process. This capability is helpful for scenarios in which you want to consolidate migrated data, but a better alternative to customizing the existing migration files is creating custom migration files.
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Generating Config.xml You can generate a Config.xml file to exclude an entire feature from the migration. For example, you can exclude the entire Documents folder or exclude all of the settings for a specific application. Using this file to exclude features is easier than modifying the migration .xml files because you don’t have to understand the migration rules or syntax. Using this file is also the only way to exclude operating system settings when migrating to Windows 7. For more information about Config.xml, see the USMT.chm help file in the Windows AIK.
Note You can use migration .xml files that you created for USMT 3.0 with USMT 4.0. To
use new USMT features, you must refresh your migration files to use new XML elements and command-line options.
Control File Syntax The default migration .xml files use XML elements to control migration behavior. These files cover the most common applications, documents, and settings. If you want to migrate settings and application data that the default migration .xml files don’t cover, you should create a custom .xml file. The full XML reference for USMT is in the USMT.chm help file in the Windows AIK. Additionally, the XML reference in USMT.chm contains good examples that you can use as your starting point for creating custom migration .xml files. Note The best practice is to create custom migration .xml files instead of adding
application data and settings to the default migration .xml files. Doing so makes maintaining those settings easier over time and prevents confusion.
Developing Migration Files Chapter 7
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