Back up Windows user settings
Overview
This tutorial explains how to back up user settings from Windows operating systems. Code42 cloud instances can trigger Code42 agents to run Microsoft's User State Migration Tool (USMT) and back up the settings file that USMT generates. This article assumes your familiarity with USMT.
If you are not working with USMT data, select the appropriate article from Use Code42 to simplify device migration.
Applies to
- Backup agent
- Legacy agent, installed for everyone (the default)
Considerations
When you prepare a new device to receive settings and data migrating from a previous device:
- Install the Code42 agent for everyone (the default) on the new device.
- Provide a user name on the new device that is identical to the user name for the device to be migrated.
In other words, if you will migrate flora.x.sample's data from the old device, make sure to define the user flora.x.sample on the new device. - Review the migration instructions for users at endpoint devices.
Our Technical Support Engineers are available to assist you with backing up Windows user settings. However, USMT is not a Code42 product, and our Technical Support Engineers cannot provide detailed assistance with USMT-specific tasks, such as deploying USMT to devices, creating the necessary .XML files, or selecting ScanState and LoadState options. For assistance with USMT, consult Microsoft's documentation.
Migrating settings and files from an old device to a new device is also referred to as replacing a device. The two expressions are synonyms.
Before you begin
Confirm that user devices are backed up
From the Code42 console, confirm that all devices for which you want to back up Windows user settings have first completed a standard backup of user data files.
Install USMT on each device
For Code42 for Enterprise to back up Windows user settings, USMT must be installed on each device backing up to the Code42 cloud. Download and copy the USMT files to: C:\Program Files\Code42\USMT\
Customize USMT XML files
To determine what data to include in Windows user settings files, USMT reads its configuration from .xml files. Code42 cannot help you create or customize these .xml files. For assistance creating USMT .XML files, see Microsoft's documentation.
Later on, you will use the Code42 console to upload your XML files. You must supply at least one of the two Core XML files: MigUser.xml or MigApp.xml.
Do not back up user documents with USMT
Do not use USMT to back up user-created documents because the Code42 platform already does that for you. Avoiding duplication will save time during backups, and save even more time later, when migrating data and Windows settings to a new device.
- Do not upload MigDoc.xml to the Code42 cloud.
- Modify Config.xml to exclude files in the the user directory:
- Run a USMT ScanState command to generate the Config.xml, which contains elements like the one below.
- To exclude a component, set
migrate ="no".
<component displayname="My Documents" migrate="no" ID="http://www.microsoft.com/migration/1.0/migxmlext/miguser/my documents/data"/>
Add an exclusion for profiles with administrator privileges
USMT backups of administrators' Windows settings pose a serious security risk.
When a Windows device includes an administrative user, the default USMT configuration will capture that user and the privileges that come with it. They will become available to anyone using the Code42 agent to migrate that USMT data to a new device. As a result, a common user may acquire administrator privileges.
If you are not backing up a device specifically intended for an administrator's use, do not let USMT capture administrative privileges. Add the following inside the <Configuration> section of your Config.xml file:
<ProfileControl>
<localGroups>
<mappings>
<changeGroup from="Administrators" to="Users" appliesTo="MigratedUsers">
<include>
<pattern>*</pattern>
</include>
</changeGroup>
</mappings>
</localGroups>
</ProfileControl>
Configure the Code42 environment to back up Windows user settings
Follow the steps below to enable and configure User Profile Backup in the Code42 console. (User profile and Windows user settings are synonyms.)
Step 1: Enable user profile backup
In the Code42 console, enable profile backups either for all the organizations in your environment, or for individual organizations.
Option A: Enable user profile backup for all organizations
To enable User Profile Backup for all organizations:
- Sign in to the Code42 console.
- Go to Administration > Environment > Organizations.
- Select the top level organization.
- From the action menu, select Device Backup Defaults.
- Click Backup.
- If File Selection is locked:
- At Included files, add
:main/ProgramData/CrashPlan/user_settings/ - (Optional) Click the push icon
to apply these settings to existing users.
- At Included files, add
- Select Enable User Profile Backup.
- At the bottom-right of the browser window, click Save.
Option B: Enable user profile backup for an individual organization
To enable User Profile Backup for one specific organization:
- Sign in to the Code42 console.
- Go to Administration > Environment > Organizations.
- Select an active organization.
- From the action menu, select Device Backup Defaults.
- Deselect Use device defaults from parent.
- Click Backup.
- If File Selection is locked:
- At Included files, add
:main/ProgramData/CrashPlan/user_settings/ - (Optional) Click the push icon to apply these settings to existing users.
- At Included files, add
- Select Enable User Profile Backup.
- At the bottom-right of the browser window, click Save.
Step 2: Configure user profile backup
- At Core XML files, click on Select File.
- Select an .xml file from your file system.
- At Custom XML files, click on Select file.
- Select the Config.xml file from your file system.
- (Optional) Supply supplementary or custom .xml files.
- (Optional) Enter one or more ScanState Options separated by spaces.
Code42 for Enterprise will invoke these options when it triggers the ScanState command at endpoint devices. Use any of Microsoft's ScanSate options except:
/apps /auto /config /i /l /ppkg /targetwindows7 /targetwindows8 - (Optional) Enter one or more LoadState Options separated by spaces.
Code42 for Enterprise will invoke these options when it triggers the USMT LoadState command at endpoint devices. Use any of Microsoft's LoadState options except:
/all /auto /config /i /l /lac:password
To prevent non-fatal errors from terminating LoadState, provide the/coption. - At the bottom-right of the browser window, click Save.
- (Optional) Click the push icon to apply these settings to existing users.
For details about the options, see Microsoft's documentation.
Step 3: Start user profile backup
For all the devices in the Code42 environment or the selected organization, profile backups will start automatically after the interval specified at Backup Frequency.
For testing purposes, you can force an immediate backup of individual devices from the Code42 console:
- Open the Code42 console.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+X.
The Code42 console command-line area opens. - Enter:
cc migration.backup.run <guid>
Replace <guid> with the GUID of the device with the Windows user settings you want to back up.
You can find the GUID for a given device in the Code42 console's Device Details. See the image below. - Press Enter.
Step 4: Confirm that Windows user settings are backed up
To confirm that a device has completed a Windows user settings backup:
- From the Code42 console, select Administration > Environment > Devices.
- Select an active device.
- From device details, ensure the Profile Backup date is current and the checkmark is green.
A red exclamation point indicates the most recent backup failed.
Search for devices by GUID at the upper-left of the console interface.