User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation

Hibernation is off. Is pagefile any use actually?

Thanks for the info Britton.

Hi! I recently used this to install my OS onto my SSD and have Users and ProgramData on my HDD. Worked perfectly, no problems at all. Unfortunately I broke the power connector on SSD and needed to get a new one. Went to go do this exact same process and got the two error messages attached to this post.... Idk why because I did everything the same. I am now reinstalling per normal and moving the user accounts later once I figure out why the script messes up that point I triple checked it!!

Any help would be great!

Kari said:

Cwburns32, I am not sure I understand you correctly? This is what I get from your post:

Users and Programdata already moved to another drive. SSD (system drive) broke down, was replaced, Windows installed on new SSD and trying to sysprep to move Users and ProgramData, these errors occurred?

If this is the case the errors most probably occurred because the drive you were trying to put Users and Programdata on already had those folders. Based on my own experience when something like this happens you need to first remove or rename Users and ProgramData on that other drive; if sysprep finds those folders exists, it wont work.

Again, if I understood you correctly, here's the procedure I have successfully done in similar cases. In this example system drive C: has broken down, users and ProgramData sysprepped to D:

• Boot with a WinPE or for instance Linux Live CD/DVD
• Backup Users from D: to an external drive (ProgramData does not need to be backed up, after installing Windows to replacement system drive you need to reinstall applications and software in anyway which creates new entries to ProgramData)
• Delete Users and ProgramData from D:, even better to reformat D:
• Disconnect D:
• Reinstall Windows on replacement system drive C:
• Reconnect D:
• Reboot to Audit Mode, do sysprep to move Users and ProgramData

Kari

That is exactly right I used to have OS on C and Users on E. Old SSD broke now left with Users on E. I did indeed rename file but that still pulled that error. Instead of using a WinPE or Linux Live CD/DVD could I just boot into Audit mode, plug my external HD in, transfer Users and then reformat E? I don't have access to one of those discs.

Kari said:

Yes, that works, too. Enter audit Mode, backup Users, reformat disk.

Your case interest me, so please keep us updated!

I have work all day today until about 6 I will try to do this as soon as I get home. Just so we are clear and I get everything right...

1 With HDD unplugged, reinstall Windows onto SSD (C drive).
2 When you get to create administrator and PC name boot into Audit Mode.
3 From Audit Mode select boot into Audit Mode and shutdown.
4 With computer shut down, plug in HDD.
5 Turn on computer. Computer boots into Audit Mode again.
6 Plug in external HDD and back up users to it.
7 Reformat HDD (E drive) to NTFS via Disk Management.
8 Run script.