Migrate Windows XP to Windows 7 using SCCM 2012

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how to migrate a Windows XP machine to Windows 7 using System Center Configuration Manager 2012. A few assumptions are made. You have a fully functional Configuration Manager site installed with USMT 4.0 packages installed (one of the prerequisites when install SCCM 2012). Your XP machine has Configuration Manager agent installed and active in the SCCM Console. You have a reference/captured image (Windows 7 image). (a post on how to do reference images soon)

What's the plan ?

 

Create a USMT Package

Distribute the USMT Package to a Distribution Point

Create a migration task sequence using an already captured Windows 7 image

Create, Edit, and Deploy an OS Migration Task Sequence

Create Deployment collection

Deploy the Task Sequence to the Migration Collection

Add Windows XP system to Migration Collection

Did it work ?

 

Create the USMT Package

Logon on the configuration manager machine, open the Configuration Manager Console

Navigate to Software library, Application Management, Packages

Right-Click Packages, Click Create Packages

On the Package screen, enter a name USMT 4.0

Select  This package contains source files, click Browse

specify the source folder of the USMT 4.0 . (Usually in C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\USMT unless you've this folder to share location)

On Program Type, select  Do not create a program. Click Next twice, then Close.

Distribute the USMT Package to a Distribution Point

 

Right-Click on USMT 4.0, click Distribute Content.   On the General Screen click Next.

On the Content Destination Screen, click Add.

Click Distribution Point. Select your distribution point. Click Ok, Next, Close.

Create, Edit, and Deploy an OS Migration Task Sequence

Navigate to Software Library, Operating System, Task Sequences

Click Create Task Sequence

On the Create Task Sequence screen, Select Install an existing image package and Click Next

Click Browse, select your image name, click Ok

Select Always use the same administrator password and type your local admin password, click Next

You can join a domain or leave it at workgroup, up to you. If you select Join a domain , next to domain click Browse.

You can leave the domain OU empty. Select Always use the same administrator password , click OK, Next.

On the Install Configuration Manager screen, click Browse and select Configuration Manager Client Package , click OK, Next.

On the State Migration Screen, click Browse and select the Microsoft USMT 4.0 package, click  OK.

Keep the remaining defaults and click Next.

On the Include Updates screen, if there are no software updates click next , otherwise select All software updates , Next.

On the Install Application screen, click Next, Next, Close

Select the task sequence you just created and click Edit

Select Apply Data Image 1 and click Remove

In the task sequence editor, select Partition Disk

Double-Click the second partition listed on the Properties tab

a new window will open Partition Properties

Select Use a percentage of the remaining free space ( leave it to 100%)

Type OS in the Variable Name and click OK to close the partition properties.

Select the Apply Operating System task sequence step and change the Destination (at the bottom of the screen)  drop-down to Logical drive letter stored in variable.

Type OS in Variable Name, click ok to close the task sequence editor.

Create Deployment collection

 Navigate to Asset and Compliance, Overview, Device Collections.

Select Device Collections, and Click Create Device Collection

Enter a name of Windows 7 Migration

Click Browse next to limiting Collection

Select All Systems collections and then click Ok, then Click Next.

Uncheck the Schedule a full update on this collection group. Click Next

Ignore the warning for empty collection. Click Next, Close.

Deploy the Task Sequence to the Migration Collection

Navigate to Software library, Operating System, Task Sequences

Select the Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 with USMT task sequence

Right-Click , Deploy. Click Browse in the collection field , select the Windows 7 Migration collection. click ok.

Ignore the empty collection message. Click Next.

On the Deployment Settings screen, select Required as the purpose. (I.e unattended migration), click Next.

On the Scheduling Screen, Click New, Click Ok, Change the Return behavior to Never rerun deployed program.

Click Next four times and then Close.

Add Windows XP system to Migration Collection

Navigate to Assest and Compliance, Device Collections.

Select All Systems, click show members. Click Home.

Right-click xpmachine, Add selected items to an Existing Device collection select WIndows 7 Migration Collection.

 

Let the Magic begin ....

Logon onto the XPClient Machine with any user, but remember this user. You will logon with the same user after the migration.

Open Control Panel, Double Click Configuration Manager. On the action tab, select Machine Policy & Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle and click Run Now.

A lot of flickering is going to happen, and setup running in the background. Well done !

Did it work ?

Well, if you see Windows 7 and your pervious logon user still sees his/her files, then it worked!

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    @The Overfiend, when you're deploying the OS migration task sequence, there's a state migration step. This is where you'll upload the USMT package that does the capturing of the user data.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    how is the user data captured in the first place?

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Great information thanks

  • Anonymous
    February 19, 2013
    Thank you so much for your post. This is exactly what i am looking for migrating Windows XP to Windows 7. Great job and everything well done. Thank you for sharing such a great resource on this migration.

  • Anonymous
    March 21, 2013
    Know more about migration <a href="http://ow.ly/iyCER">OS Migration</a>  

  • Anonymous
    August 07, 2013
    I've tried the same but in Software center showing Task Sequence  Status Downloading (0% Complete) from 2 days, pls guide on Ashishdevu@gmail.com  

  • Anonymous
    September 24, 2013
    IF there is a mistake during the migration, how can I restore the old version. Does exist a rollback process ?

  • Anonymous
    October 24, 2013
    Hi, I use SCCM 2012 & USMT for W8 (6.2.9200.16384). Capture XP machine is OK, deploy new OS win7 x64 is OK too but when start restore then I get this code  0x8007010B and system restart without restored data. Data are on the migration store. Does anybody an idea what is wrong?

  • Anonymous
    January 22, 2014
    @Michael http://osdblog.com/category/usmt/

  • Anonymous
    March 17, 2014
    Can we migrate XP to 7 using SCCM 2012 R2 version. It has USMT 6.3 version.
    Please help me out for this issue.

  • Anonymous
    March 21, 2014
    Yes you can, you have to use USMT 5.0 . get it from the older WAIK

  • Anonymous
    March 27, 2014

    Thanks Aly, for this post.
    I have seen similar posts like this one, but all fail to solve the riddle of migrating XP to win 7 and 8 with sccm 2012 R2 in a single task sequence.
    I have tried all the boot images 4.0, 5.0, and 6.1 as well as the diff versions of the equivalent USMTs.
    While it is true that win8.1 USMT has a bug, the others ones fail at loading the new OS stage.
    With the error: "Windows PE initialization failed with error code 0x80040154"
    Do you have any idea on how to work around this?
    I do believe that after loading the boot image successfully(4.0 and 5.0)the system was looking for the system partition but fails to know how to proceed.
    In SCCM 2012 r2, the TS on partition is not well streamlined unlike that of sccm 2007.
    Its either you accept the option to “partition and format” thereby deleting the hard link for USMT restore point to proceed or leave the option out and suffer the consequences of the image not being able to boot.
    I might be wrong in my analysis and perception.

  • Anonymous
    April 01, 2014
    I am trying to upgrade systems offline from XP to windows 7 but whenever i create the standalone image and use it, the image totally formats the system without saving user data which is what i have been trying to fix..can anyone help.

  • Anonymous
    August 28, 2014
    What will be the background process of these actions -Machine Policy & Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle.
    We used to run only Machine policy & Application Deployment Evaluation Cycle ,User Policy Retrieval.