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Perspectives
Simon Says Use a Scripting Solution
to
Migrate Profiles
Scripting can save you a lot of time, as Simon Zeltser
discovered firsthand. Simon had to upgrade more than 1,500 desktop PCs
running Windows 2000 and different Microsoft Office versions to Windows
XP and Office 2003. He had to destroy the current file system instead
of
upgrading it from the previous OS for several reasons, including
incompatibility problems between the old and new versions of some of
the
company's internal software. He needed a way to back up all the users'
profiles on the PCs, then restore the profiles after installing the new
XP and Office 2003 software.
Simon knew that physically going to 1,500 PCs to perform the upgrade
would be too time-consuming, so he decided to back up the profiles on a
network share, then restore the profiles from that share onto the PCs
so
that he could perform all the work remotely. He looked at existing
solutions, such as XP's Files and Settings Transfer Wizard and the User
State Migration Tool (USMT), but discovered they wouldn't work well in
his situation. When he searched the Windows Scripting Solutions (the
predecessor to Scripting Pro VIP) Web site for profile migration tools,
he found a solution that Rick Early provided in the article "Copying
Win2K PC Profiles" (www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/ArticleID/26356/26356.html).
Although Rick's solution provides a way to quickly migrate user
profiles, it's written for PC-to-PC migrations and Simon needed a
solution that would let him migrate profiles from a PC to a network
share then back to the PC. So, Simon adapted Rick's solution.
Simon's ProfileBackup solution executes in two phases: backup and
restore. The backup phase involves running one main script (SavePC.bat)
and three supporting scripts (SaveProfile.bat, Del-TempFiles.vbs, and
SavePC.kix). The restore phase involves running one main script
(CopyPC.bat) and two supporting scripts (RestoreRegistry-Profile.bat
and
CopyPC.kix). Simon used the ProfileBackup solution to successfully
migrate the profiles on all 1,500 PCs.
If you'd like to learn more about the ProfileBackup solution, read
Simon's article "Painless Profile Migration" at www.windowsitpro.com/WindowsScripting/Article/ArticleID/93463/93463.html.
I've opened up this article as well as "Copying Win2K PC Profiles" for
public viewing through January 31. If you enjoy reading these articles,
you can get more of this type of content by subscribing to Scripting
Pro
VIP (www.windowsitpro.com/WindowsScripting).
Scripting Toolkit
Find a Date with the T-SQL
Function
Do you work with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or Microsoft
SQL Server 2000 and often need to find certain dates, such as the first
Tuesday of next month or the next holiday? Do you often have to
determine whether the date a query returns is a working day, weekday,
or
company holiday? If so, Michael Berry has a solution for you. His
solution uses a T-SQL function named Dates and a table named Calendar.
To find out how this T-SQL function works and download its code, go to
the SQL Server Magazine article "T-SQL Function Finds Almost Any Kind
of
Date" at www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/97590/sql_server_97590.html.
This article is open for public viewing.
Info to Go
HTML Formatting Is
Here
We're excited to announce that starting with this
issue,
you'll automatically start receiving Scripting Central in HTML.
However,
you have the option of receiving a text version if that's what you
prefer. You can opt to receive a text version by going to www.windowsitpro.com/email.
Note that you'll be required to log on to note your email newsletter
preference. (If you're not currently a Web site registrant, you'll need
to register.)
Scripting Central will be mailed from a new email address, so be sure
to
add
Scripting_Central@email.windowsitpro.com
to your list of allowed senders and contacts so you'll continue
receiving this newsletter. The IP address range from which it will
originate is 204.92.180.[85-86], which you can typically get
whitelisted
by your email service provider or spam filter.
Vote for Your Favorite Products and
Services
The nomination period for the 2008 Windows IT Pro
Community Choice Awards has begun! Visitors to the Windows IT Pro and
SQL Server Magazine online forums are encouraged to nominate and vote
on
their favorite products and services. Follow the link below to nominate
your own favorite products in the categories listed.
forums.windowsitpro.com/web/forum/messageview.aspx?catid=96&threadid=88418&enterthread=y
Events and Resources
Ensure Your Company Is Filtering
Internet Threats
The proliferation of Web-based threats means you can no
longer rely on basic firewalls as your sole network protection. One
effective defense to Web-based attacks is to deploy a content-aware,
perimeter-based network security device that inspects and blocks Web
requests based on URL destination. This white paper examines the
threats
of allowing unwanted or offensive content into your network and
describes the technologies and methodologies to combat such threats.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepaper/stbernard/internetthreats/?code=122607er
Mobile Users' Backup & Protection
Strategies
Traditional business backup solutions don't usually
take
into consideration the special case of the mobile or casually connected
user, making it all too easy for these users to get lost in the shuffle
of the daily support responsibilities of most IT departments. This Web
seminar provides ideas, suggestions, and solutions to the problems
inherent in protecting and backing up the data used and generated by
the
mobile business user. www.windowsitpro.com/go/seminars/atempo/mobilebackup/?partnerref=122607er
Tips From David Chernicoff on Backup
at Remote Business Sites
Does your business operate in multiple locations? Do
stretched IT resources short-change data protection for your remote
sites? Keeping data at remote sites backed up and secure is a critical
component of business success. In this podcast, David Chernicoff
discusses the problems surrounding data backup to remote sites and
offers ideas and suggestions for successful remote backups. Register
now
to get the knowledge you need to protect all your business data.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/podcast/storageguardian/?code=122607er
Unified Communications: What Is It?
Why Should You Care? And How to Get There
This white paper breaks the move to Unified
Communications (UC) down into a manageable 3-phase process that starts
with unified messaging (UM). Learn practical tips and a phased approach
for getting started with UM as the first step toward a UC environment
in
the future.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/activevoice/um/?code=122607er
Announcements
Exchange 2007 Mastery Series: January
28, 2008
Three info-packed eLearning seminars for only $99!
Hosted by Windows IT Pro. Mark Arnold--MCSE+M and Microsoft MVP--will
coach you through Exchange 2007 storage solutions: planning for
archiving and compliance, optimizing your iSCSI network storage, and
finding the sweet spot between memory and spindles.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/elearning/masteringexchange2007
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If you use a product that has made a tremendous impact in your
organization and is a product that you can't live without, tell us
about
it at whatshot@windowsitpro.com
and we'll feature your review in a future issue of the magazine, under
the "What's Hot" section.
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