Best way to migrate account settings to a new one?

[elcoyoteloco]

Hi all, this is my first post on Seven Forum

This is also my first experience with the security scheme of Windows 7. I'm used to having total ownership in XP, so I started messing with the permissions and ownerships in my account all willy-nilly until - predictably - it's causing all kinds of weird behavior.

I don't want to reinstall, instead I'd like to migrate to migrate to Win7's hidden super-administrator account and start using that as my default account. (This computer never hooks up to a network, so I'm not worried about using the super admin account on a daily basis.)

What would be the best way to migrate my account's settings (programs, customizations, etc.) to the admin account, without also transferring the permissions and ownerships?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[Ztruker]

I wonder if you can use Windows Easy Transfer from one account to another? It's under System Tools.

This is for Vista but will work for Windows 7 as well: help! i need to transfer my files from one user to another on thee - Microsoft Answers

 

[elcoyoteloco]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I looked at that already, but it looks like it's for transferring an account from one computer to another.

 

[Ztruker]

See my next post for better instructions.

Yes, you can use WET for this, I just did it to see. Here are the steps:

From the old account:
Open Windows Easy Transfer
Click Next
Select option to use External hard drive or USB flash drive.
Select option that says this is the old computer.
Once scanning is done, deselect (uncheck) all accounts and Shared items except the old account, leave it checked.
Click Next.
Enter a password or not, your choice.
Create a new folder on a separate hard drive or partition, otherwise see if you can Pick a drive or partition then create a new folder called EZT (or anything you want to call it). This can be an external hard drive or another drive in your computer. If you only have one drive then create C:\EZT (C: being your boot drive letter).
Click Open then Save.
WET will save everything from your old account to the new EZT folder in a file called Windows Easy Transfer - Items from old computer.MIG.
Click Next when it's done.
Click Next.
Click Close.

Log off the old account, log in the new account.
Open Windows Easy Transfer.
Click Next
Select option to use External hard drive or USB flash drive.
Select option that says this is the new computer.
Click Yes on the next window that asks if EZT has already been run.
Navigate to wherever you placed the EZT folder, open it and select Windows Easy Transfer - Items from old computer.mig
Click Open.
Click Transfer on the Choose what to transfer to this computer window.

You can look at both the "See what was transferred" selection and the "See a list of programs you might want to install" selection.
When done, click Close.

That's it.

 

[Ztruker]

Easier, just follow Brink's Orbital Shark's tutorial: How to Transfer Files from One Computer to Another Computer with Windows Easy Transfer only do it all on the same computer using the old and new account.

Much better as it has screen shots of each window.

 

[elcoyoteloco]

I'll give it a go. Thanks