Managing Win2k profiles and new hardware

[Rick46]

I administer a number of desktops running Win2k. We cannot use roaming profiles. Each desktop has multi profiles of up to 23 users spanned over 5 shifts in a week's time. Each user customizes his personal desktop. I cannot determine a logical way to replace a computer box and get it back to full function in a timely manner. I have tried copying each set of profiles info under 'Documents and Settings' and then restoring them to the new machine. Doesn't work. If I have copied a set of files for user "johndoe", the first time John Doe logs onto the new machine, it creates a new set of files under a directory called "johndoe.000". I cannot believe that there is not a utility to duplicate a set of profiles from one machine to another. In other words, I want to replace Computer A with new Computer B and have Computer B come up and function just like Computer A did, all close to transparent to the users. Help! I have 50 machines to do and this rebuilding each profile by the user is a drag! There has to be a way.

 

[welshguy]

Hi Rick,

Why don't you just go right click on my computer/user profiles and use copy to.

To be honest though with that many profiles it's still a long job.

You don't say why you can't use roaming profiles - but can't you just set them to roaming for the migration and direct them to a box somewhere temporarily.

This would be much easier. Mind you there maybe some reason why you can't do that

Cheers

 

[Rick46]

I looked at the "copy to" option under my computer/user profiles but although it allows you to copy a profile, there are no Help instructions anywhere that I can find that shows how to restore that profile on a new machine in a way that it works.

 

[DavidDCSA]

If you are using the exact same type hardware when you perform your replacement, you could use a disk cloning product, such as Norton's GHOST. This allows you to create an exact image of a disk, including files which were in use at the time the image was created.
Good luck!