Introduction
In this article, we will have how to back up user profiles with MDT during a deployment. Use of this feature is useful in the following cases:
- Change of computer of a user.
- Reinstalling the computer
- Upgrade version of Windows.
To save the user profiles of a computer, there are 2 solutions (actually much more than MDT is flexible):
- During the Windows deployment sequence, it is possible to back up the user data that is backed up on the computer and restored or to a network share configured in the customsettings.ini file.
- Creation of a backup sequence, which can be triggered when starting on the WinPE image or directly from the computer. The restoration is done during the installation.
In this tutorial, I do not go into the details of the task sequences. To make this tutorial, we must already “master” MDT.
When installing ADK on the MDT server, USMT must have been installed.
Saving profiles
Since deployment
During the deployment sequence, in the Move Data and Settings window, select the option Move user data and settings 1 .
During the installation, we can see in the progress the actions of backups and restoration.
The profiles are restored on the new installation.
Backup by a task sequence
On a server created a share for storing backups.
On the MDT console, create a task sequence of type Standard Client Replace Task Sequence 1 .
Once the task is created, run it, starting on the MDT WinPE or from the computer to be backed up, run the LiteTouch.vbs file that is in the Scripts folder that is in the MDT shared folder.
Select the sequence created previously, on the User Data page, select Specify a location 1 and enter the UNC path of the shared folder and the backup folder 2 .
A second window appears for the full computer backup (WIM image), select the option Do not back up the existing computer
In the shared folder, USMT.MIG file will be created with profile data.
To restore data during deployment, specify the backup UNC path in the User Data (Restore) window.
User profiles will be restored.
Conclusion
The use of profile backup functionality with MDT allows teams in charge of changing / deploying workstations to be able to save a lot of time with automatic backup and restore of profiles.
Despite this backup automatically certainly application like Firefox recreating a profile, in this case just move the data.