XP File and Settings Transfer Wizard Questions

I know this sounds like it's a topic for the MS forum, but not entirely sure.

Here's the deal - i'm the newbie at my job right now, and we're just about to do a rollout.

suffice to say they do things a lot different from my previous gigs, and i'm a bit concerned.


We're basically rolling out 60 new boxs to end users - it will be fresh equipment pre-loaded with our image, so essentially it's gonna be data transfer and tweaking.



here's where my issue comes in. THe marching orders are to use the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to move data. i've never used this tool before, but they want to use it with no adjustment of settings, and that concerns me.

Why? Because i'm cleaning spyware off of at least one machine a week, and that's jsut people who have crippling problems. So it makes me wonder how thorughly infested this place is.


And from what i see of FAST wizard, it seems like it searches the entire harddrive for various file settings and adds those to the file it makes.


So my question is 2-fold - one MS related, and the other a workaround:

1. If i customized the wizard and told it not to search for all those randome extensions and just do it's thing for everything else, will it copy over the files in the folders and settingsa i choose that have those file extensions?

2. Since i've got these spyware issues that i don't want to copy over what do y'all think is the best (and fastest) way to mitigate that? (if it were up to me, i'd take it slow, and be thorough, but it's not an option)


I'm currently planning on running HJT, if no problems fine, and then run a registry cleanup program (CCleaner) before starting the FAST wizard.


obviously if i find problems with HJT, then i'm going to have to through the spyware cleaning rigamarole tho.

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2. Since i've got these spyware issues that i don't want to copy over what do y'all think is the best (and fastest) way to mitigate that? (if it were up to me, i'd take it slow, and be thorough, but it's not an option)

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obviously if i find problems with HJT, then i'm going to have to through the spyware cleaning rigamarole tho.

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Put it on a CD-R, run it, remove things. How hard is that? Or incase this is just some random thing your doing to help out... do what you where originally asked to do. Screw everyone else. |The|Specialist says, as long as he is the second worst employee he's fine. If the other guy gets fired then and only then it is the time to move on up the chain a bit.

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Originally posted here by TheSpecialist
Put it on a CD-R, run it, remove things. How hard is that? Or incase this is just some random thing your doing to help out... do what you where originally asked to do. Screw everyone else. |The|Specialist says, as long as he is the second worst employee he's fine. If the other guy gets fired then and only then it is the time to move on up the chain a bit.

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i'm doing it to help out, because if i don't when those items carry over, i've got 4-8 hours for each infected pc ahead of me. so i'm saving myself work. what i'm running up against is opposition to doign the work on the front-end in the first place.


my main question tho - is what are some good utilities for my cd?

basically i need a registry cleaner, and a quick spyware-spotter (like HJT). Somehting that will clean up temp files and other garbage owuld be cool too. and it has to be freeware.

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do what you where originally asked to do. Screw everyone else. |The|Specialist says, as long as he is the second worst employee he's fine. If the other guy gets fired then and only then it is the time to move on up the chain a bit.

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That, or if you work at the same place |The|Specialist works, be just comptenent enough to stay one notch above him in the food chain, and blame everything on him. ;)

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Originally posted here by zencoder
That, or if you work at the same place |The|Specialist works, be just comptenent enough to stay one notch above him in the food chain, and blame everything on him. ;)

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*lol* well now you understand my M.O. because that's exactly what i'm doing. trying to stay one step ahead of the pack.

As its a work related roll out. just clean ONE properly ............ FAST that ones details and use them ?

Ghost would do the same though ?

Or is it that you are giving each [L]user a new box, and they want their own FAST set up ?
In which case you just follow the specialists advice [No, really :D] as far as the CD-R and check it first.

Either way : Luck to you.

Pax

well if it were up to me, i'd use ghost.


however, they're gettign the boxes already ghosted witht he image, and the big thing is giving the end users soem sence of continuity by using the Fastwiz to give them exactly the same desktop with all the shortcuts in all the places they had it before.

so my only option pretty much is to use my CD-R.


do you have any suggestions for cleaning programs to have on it?


as it stands right now, my CD has:

hijack this + tutorial
ccleaner

and for spyware removal:
ad-aware
spybot s&d
spysubtract pro
cwshredder

Are you going to install those tools to EACH PC ?
servers are there for that ........... central install, one stop to update, D/L to the [L]user as required.............

As it's a CD of links and settings ? you will be deleting as you go ?
No need to RUN the tools ?

well this is what i'm thinking:


run hijackthis - i can do that from the cd.


if clean - run ccleaner

then run FASTwiz.


whether the apps are installed or not is irrelevant because fastwiz basically copies their user files, and then windows settings, like network drives and printer locations, favorites and ie homepages and security settings and whatnot. (which is what really concerns me from the spyware angle)



from what i've used of FASTwiz - it's really S-L-O-W.

mainly because it copies folders and then searches the harddrive for all these built in file extensions. I'm hoping by customizing it, and lettign it do it's thing with settings and folders, but getting rid of the harddrive scan for file extensions i can make it a faster process.


also by running an initial check to make sure nothing's hinky within ie, and then using the ccleaner to clean out temp files, any unwanted cookies, and the like.

Oh, OK, I see what you are doing now :)

You would appear to have the required tools, and the skills to use them ?

As for FAST, I use it to transfer laptop settings over for teachers when they wear out the old ones :)

It might not be lightning fast, but it's not too slow. average time to work out what to take is around 7-8 minutes, and size has been around the 350-400 MB size.

And so far :Touch Wood: everyone has gone well ..............
I liike it, but I've had no experience of any other ? app that can do the same work.

Pax

hey foxyloxey! thanks for the input. do you tweak the setting in FAST before doing your laptops, or do you just leave it as is?


do you check the machines for spyware beforehand as well?

Just before the FAST wizard is let loose ..............
I do a complete AdAware / SpyBot /registry cleaner I like the macecraft as it's a fully working item, easy to use, FREE [30 day trial] nuff said.

As for the wizard ...... I tend to just leave it as is.
I only have to do, on average, two or three a month, not a great amount, so I don't have any issues with the time angle.

HTH

Pax

hmmm......does the macecraft product do anything besides the registry?


i think i'm going to download that and play with it. i'm favoring ccleaner at the moment, because it gives me a one stop shop for getting rid of temp files and cookies and whatnot too. But it also needs to have the settigns tweaked a bit, and must-keep cookies moved prior to cleaning.

IF you wouldn't mind ..... when you mention a product, could you link to it ?

I assume the CCleaner = crap cleaner ?
I'd not heard of it, so I grabbed a copy to try.

macecraft appear to do registry cleaners, they do a set of tools, but I've not used them yet.

doh sorry.

i'll do that form now on. :)