User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation


  1. Posts : 5
    Win 7 Home Premium x64
       #1110

    More detail


    Sorry that was the alert I got. When I click on "OK" nothing happens. I don't get the window you show.User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation-capture.jpg
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
    Thread Starter
       #1111

    ThorsteinO said:
    Sorry that was the alert I got. When I click on "OK" nothing happens. I don't get the window you show.User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation-capture.jpg
    A prompt telling the correct syntax of a command is always shown, regardless the command, if a user has typed the command wrong as now in your case. When this prompt is shown, OK button is there only to close the prompt, giving user a chance to fix the typing errors.

    There should be a space between the /audit and /reboot switches, you have written them with no space separating them. Sysprep does not understand what /audit/reboot means.

    User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation-capture1.jpg

    A user error, caused by yourself.

    Kari
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 5
    Win 7 Home Premium x64
       #1112

    Thanks


    Thanks I'll give that a try
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  4. Posts : 1
    Windows 7 x32/64 Professional
       #1113

    Hello, I will test this shortly and I have seen it works fine, but what I will like to know is that if I do a clean install of win7 with this and then either me or the person I would be installing it wants to upgrade to 8/8.1/10, what would I require to do in order to maintain this?

    Thanks
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
       #1114

    Good afternoon,

    I have a new laptop that I intend to setup with two extra partitions.
    One for users and data and one for system image.
    I intend to setup the users and data on the newly created partition on the C: drive using the excellent instructions and PDF in post #1 by Kari.
    My question is, if I need to restore my system from an image file, what do I need to do, if anything, to make sure the system can still read the data etc from the newly created partition drive?

    Thanks in advance,
    Paul
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
    Thread Starter
       #1115

    kalarse said:
    Hello, I will test this shortly and I have seen it works fine, but what I will like to know is that if I do a clean install of win7 with this and then either me or the person I would be installing it wants to upgrade to 8/8.1/10, what would I require to do in order to maintain this?

    Thanks
    I have no explanation to why I have completely missed this post. I subscribe to this thread, getting email notifications every time something new is posted, yet I have missed this. Like I said, I have no explanation, just a sincere apology.

    This might not help OP any more but for posterity, to explain it to future readers of this tutorial, here's how it works:

    Upgrading to Windows 8 or 8.1 the Users folder must be relocated back to C: drive before upgrade, otherwise it will fail. The same applies to ProgramData folder. This can easily be done with same relocate.xml answer file, just change folder location paths to C:\Users and C:\ProgramData.

    You can then relocate Users folder back to another drive in Windows 8 or 8.1. Notice that Windows 8 and later do not support relocating ProgramData folder!

    With Windows 10 you only have to put ProgramData back to C: drive, upgrade to Windows 10 works perfectly with relocated Users folder.

    Tutorials for Windows 8 & 10 on our sister sites EightForums.com and TenForums.com:



    Paul Black said:
    Good afternoon,

    I have a new laptop that I intend to setup with two extra partitions.
    One for users and data and one for system image.
    I intend to setup the users and data on the newly created partition on the C: drive using the excellent instructions and PDF in post #1 by Kari.
    My question is, if I need to restore my system from an image file, what do I need to do, if anything, to make sure the system can still read the data etc from the newly created partition drive?

    Thanks in advance,
    Paul
    Using my machines as an example, I have C: and D: on first HDD, C: being Windows partition and D: used to store my Hyper-V virtual machines. On second HDD is only one partition E: for user profiles.

    When imaging, only BIOS or EFI system partitions and partition C: need to be included in image. When image is then restored, it finds and Windows will use Users folder on partition E: without issues.

    If I want to include user data (profile folders) in backup, I include partition E: on second HDD to image, in other words my image would now contain UEFI system partitions, C: from first disk and E: from second disk. I never include drive D: (my virtual machines) in backups; Hyper-V has an extremely easy to use Export / Import feature which backs up my virtual machines fast, no reason to add them in image, especially as partition always has some 300 GB data which would take a long time for Macrium Reflect (my chosen backup solution) to write in image file.

    The above applies also when C: and your user profile partition are on same disk. Including user profile partition in image is not required, but if you prefer user data being backed up, too, then included it.

    Kari
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5
    Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1
       #1116

    I successfully used this method to relocate Users and ProgramData while installing Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL a few years ago.
    Now I want to reinstall to a new SSD. I have the entire installation configured to run with a sysprepped image, and the basic installation (up to audit mode) has worked fine. However, I cannot get the relocate part to work. No matter what I try, sysprep correctly copies my "relocate.xml" to C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml when it executes, but then only reboots into audit mode, complaining in C:\Windows\Panther\UnattendGC\setupact.log that the XML file "does not meet criteria to be used for this unattend pass". Since it obviously worked before, I even tried copying the old "relocate.xml" file from C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml on the old C: drive, removing only the parameter wasPassProcessed="true" from <settings pass="oobeSystem">.
    I no longer have a WAIK installation, nor do I have a running Win 7 system on which to install one (unless you count the one I am sysprepping).
    How can I find out what "criteria" are not being met and get sysprep to use my xml file?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
    Thread Starter
       #1117

    rsbrux said:
    I successfully used this method to relocate Users and ProgramData while installing Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL a few years ago.
    ...
    ...
    How can I find out what "criteria" are not being met and get sysprep to use my xml file?

    Please post your answer file here, pasting it in CODE tags ([CODE]Your answer file text here[/CODE])

    Also, tell the disk and partitioning setup, how many disks connected when you sysprep, which partitions (drive letters) on which disk, which is the target partition for USers folder.

    Finally, tell the exact command you use when running Sysprep in Audit Mode.

    Kari
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 5
    Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1
       #1118

    Hi Kari,
    Thanks for the quick response. I have tried many variations; here is an example of F:\relocate.com:
    Code:
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
        <settings pass="oobeSystem">
            <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
                <FolderLocations>
                    <ProfilesDirectory>d:\Users</ProfilesDirectory>
                    <ProgramData>d:\ProgramData</ProgramData>
                </FolderLocations>
                <Display>
                    <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                    <HorizontalResolution>1920</HorizontalResolution>
                    <VerticalResolution>1080</VerticalResolution>
                </Display>
            </component>
        </settings>
        <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:f:/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi"></cpi:offlineImage>
    </unattend>
    Attached drives are:
    C: SSD containing freshly installed Windows 7 Pro from sysprep (one partition)
    D: 2TB 2.5" Toshiba containing data (one partition), existing Users and ProgramData folders renamed to protect them
    E: Blu-Ray drive, empty
    F: 16GB thumb drive (one partition) with sysprep files, etc.
    The oobeSystem pass in the original AutoUnattend.xml did not contain the <FolderLocations> section because I found it ineffective. Instead I let the system start in audit mode at the end of the installation and followed your instructions in this tutorial. This approach worked for me in the previous installation.
    Command line:
    Code:
    sysprep.exe /audit /reboot /unattend:F:\Relocate.xml
    Sysprep starts, copies whatever version of relocate.xml it finds in F:\ to C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml, but restarts in audit mode without applying it (see message above).
    Last edited by rsbrux; 30 Jul 2017 at 16:10. Reason: reworded for clarity
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  10. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
    Thread Starter
       #1119

    rsbrux said:
    followed your instructions in this tutorial. This approach worked for me in the previous installation.

    Command line:
    Code:
    sysprep.exe /audit /reboot /unattend:F:\Relocate.xml
    Sysprep starts, copies whatever version of relocate.xml it finds in F:\ to C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml, but restarts in audit mode without applying it (see message above).
    The reason you get the error message is that you have those completely unnecessary display settings in answer file. Remove DISPLAY tags and everything in them from your answer file. All this should be removed:

    Code:
                <Display>
                    <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                    <HorizontalResolution>1920</HorizontalResolution>
                    <VerticalResolution>1080</VerticalResolution>
                </Display>
    You can't tell you followed my instructions if you then show me that you have added some utterly profoundly unnecessary nonsense elements in your answer file, something that I would never use nor advice to use, something I have never told to use in any of my Sysprep related tutorials.

    Windows returns to Audit Mode because you tell it to do that. Audit Mode cannot apply your given display settings. Fix the answer file and sysprep again, then when back in Audit Mode exit it as told in tutorial (page 6 "Exiting Audit Mode").

    Kari
      My Computer


 

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