WinCrazy's XP Help & Info
The MS Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (FSTW) Tutorial
The most common use of the FSTW is to make a backup just before a Restore/Recovery/Reinstall is done. The program was intended to be used to transfer files and settings to a completely new PC, though. Note that if your XP installation needs to be reinstalled because of viruses or any other malware then you may not be able to run FSTW successfully because of damage to the OS and/or your account.
I was amazed to not be able to find a complete and clear FSTW usage tutorial when Googling for it. So, I wrote my own. I found 2 tutorials from Microsoft, but they were very outdated and recommended using floppy disks !
Prologue
The particular version of FSTW you are using might be very important to you. If the source XP installation version does not match the destination installation version you will be in trouble. The version can be found by navigating to the file
C:\WINDOWS\System32\usmt\migwiz.exe
Right-click on the file name and select Properties. Select the Version tab. The version number will be highlighted.
I found out when I did my tests that there are (at least) 2 versions of FSTW:
Version 5.1.2600.2180
This is the "standard" version of FSTW shipped with all 32-bit XP versions (Home, Professional, MCE). When making backups that includes saving files, only files in and under My Documents will be saved.
Version 5.1.2600.2665
This is the newer version that can be installed as an optional update in all 32-bit XP versions using the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB 896344 download (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6C2F2318-CBDB-47C0-B7C2-77C4CC37A450&displaylang=en). This version is standard in all 64-bit XP OSs.
The KB 896344 article states:
"The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard included in Windows XP SP2 does not support gathering data from a 32-bit Windows XP environment and applying it in a 64-bit Windows XP environment."
This is very misleading and has a glaring omission! Any 32-bit XP installation can be updated with the new version of the FSTW. As a result, any updated FSTW 32-bit XP installation will no longer restore backups created with the older version of FSTW.
So, what to do ? If you are going to Restore/Recover/Reinstall on the same XP version (e.g., any 32-bit XP to any 32-bit), then just back up and restore with the version of FSTW that is included in your XP installation.
If you are going to truly transfer files and/or settings to a different XP installation then you have to know which version of FSTW the destination installation is running and then use the matching version on the source PC. I have successfully updated FSTW, made a backup, restored on an updated FSTW system and then uninstalled the FSTW update on the source PC to get it back to its original version.
Actually, all XP updates/hotfixes can be uninstalled like any other application in Add or Remove Programs. Simply check off the box at the top of the Add or Remove Programs titled Show Updates. All MS updates/hotfixes will now be listed in the form Windows XP Hotfix KBnnnnnn or Security Update for Windows XP (KBnnnnnn) under the group heading Windows XP – Software Updates.
What FSTW Does
FSTW saves the following files, folders and XP settings:
What FSTW will not save:
Restoring the above items will save you a lot of time setting up your new installation to be like your original one, which is the intended purpose of FSTW.
Step 1 of 2: Making the Backup
You can start the FSTW the easy way with the command: Start > Run… > MIGWIZ > OK
You can use any lower case letters if you like.
I use the all-keyboard method:
WindowsLogo-R > MIGWIZ > Enter
The alternative is to go through the menus:
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
Notice that the version of FSTW is not displayed and there is no toolbar with a Help button which would normally show the program version of a typical program.
Click the Next button. Select Old Computer. Actually, that means the Source Installation. By far, the most common use of FSTW is just before a Restore/Recovery/Reinstall on the very same computer ! Misleading description, isn't it?
Click the Next button. You will see this while FSTW does some searching:
After a few moments:
Select Other and then the Browse button.
Browse to any folder on any drive you want your backup folder to be created. You can choose any kind of drive, but not a CD or DVD. You can specify anywhere on C: even though it will be completely overwritten by any Restore/Recovery/Reinstall. Be sure to remember to burn the backup folder to a CD or DVD if you want it to end up on an optical disc.
Click the OK button. You'll go back to the underlying parent popup window. Click the Next button.
The default is to back up Both files and settings. Remember that "files" means all folders and files in and under your My Documents folder. Keep in mind the different effect that the 2 different versions of FSTW will have when saving files and folders.
If you are running FSTW version …2180 then you will have to do a separate and different kind of backup to save any other files and folders on C: and any other partitions/volumes that may exist.
Click the Next button.
It's creating the backup folder contents, ending up with this:
Click Finish. In the folder you chose to put your backup you will see a new sub-folder.
This example backup's size is about 24MB. I never put any of my important files to be put My Documents. If you have music and/or videos there the backup size can easily be in the Gigabytes. You need to specify a location in a drive big enough to hold it. As for possible storage locations you have various options:
Step 2 of 2: Restoring from the Backup
At this point you should have logged into a new account that you want to apply the settings and copy the saved files from your old account. You may have reinstalled XP, be using a brand new PC or simply have logged onto a new user account on the very same PC with the original XP installation. You may even want to apply the saved settings and files to your same account if it has become changed to the point that you don't know how to get it back in the state that it once was at the time of the backup.
The procedure to restore a backup with FSTW is very similar to making the backup. Start the FSTW either with the same command: Start > Run… > MIGWIZ > OK
Or, WindowsLogo-R > MIGWIZ > Enter
Or, use the menus:
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
Click the Next button. But, this time select New Computer. This really means The Account to Which You Want to Apply the Backup's Settings and Copy the Backed up Files.
Click the Next button. This screen shows for a few seconds:
I don't have a clue what the message means – you can ignore it and wait for it to go away. This window appears:
FSTW can be run from an XP Installation CD, but this program already exists on all XP installation. Choose the last option, Other. Click the Next button.
I suppose if you had burned the backup folder to a CD or DVD you could have selected the middle option …removable media – CDs and DVDs are removable media. Anyhow, you can still browse to the backup folder using the last option no matter where it resides – CD, USB flash drive, a networked drive, an external hard drive – where ever. I'll browse to and select the backup folder where I left it. But, this time that hard drive is now seen as a networked drive in relation to the installation that I want the backup applied to. The actual location of your backup can be/must be anywhere you are able to browse to.
Click the OK button. The location and backup folder name will now be displayed in the parent window:
Click Next. You will now see the Progress bar fill up as FSTW does its work.
In order for the FSTW to install Explorer settings the program must temporarily shut down Explorer. I can't show you a screenshot of this, but take my word for it that all that will appear is the background picture (wallpaper) and the Transfer in progress… window. The Task Bar and all the Desktop icons will have disappeared.
The FSTW utility program has a serious bug! When I ran the restore the progress bar completely filled up, but then the FSTW program hung. I know this for sure because I left it sit there that way for hours hoping that it was just taking a "long" time to finish. Nope! The good news is that it had actually finished, but couldn't shut itself off. Both the original and the new version of FSTW hang when doing a restore.
If you restore does finish normally, I believe that it should ask you to restart the PC. In the case of a "hang" I accomplish the same thing by opening the Task Manager by pressing the key combination Ctrl-Alt-Delete (the old Windows '95 and '98 "Three Finger Salute").
Click Shut Down in Task Manager's tool bar. From the drop-down menu select Restart. The PC will log out, shut down and restart. It will take longer than usual to log into your account because all the settings are being applied. When it comes back this account will look and act like your old Desktop that you saved. Mission accomplished !