Six steps to efficient Windows 7 migration

How should IT departments approach high-volume desktop OS upgrades across multiple sites?

Organisations could struggle without the right expertise

Analyst Gartner has recommended six practical steps required for best practice Windows 7 migrations.

Most will be obvious to experienced IT professionals, but any lack of technical expertise in automated installation processes, tools and scripting languages – or just too few people on the ground – could see many organisations struggle.

Also, Windows 7 has one or two tricks up its sleeve which they would do well to keep in mind, especially for zero-touch migrations that take little consideration of non-standard user settings.

Weed out non-standard system images
Gartner recommends that IT departments should first determine the extent to which desktop PCs vary from any standard, company-defined configuration before beginning.

Companies that have locked down systems configurations in the past will find this process easier. But any deviation from the norm, whether a particular application suite or hardware configuration supporting dual monitors or a personal printer for example, is likely to produce anomalies that will require some level of manual intervention from IT staff who will have to find specific drivers and verify application licensing details.

Back up user settings and data
No IT department needs to be reminded of the importance of backing up user data before any software change, but bear in mind that server shares, external hard drives and Windows 7 user state migration tools (USMT) can complicate matters when it comes to the practical application of a common sense approach.

User profiles that can run into tens of GBs extend backup windows to hours rather than minutes and can swamp network bandwidth if multiple accounts are processed simultaneously. Automated backups of remote sites often exclude network shares and USB-attached external hard drives, which alongside local security policies and hard drive encryption can pose some tricky challenges, especially when automation is involved.

Microsoft's USMT hides user settings and data on the desktop hard disk and re-inserts them once the Windows 7 upgrade is complete. While this saves time, beware the fact that it only works if you are installing the new OS onto the same physical hard drive used by the previous incumbent.

Lay down new image
Installing a sector-based, full disk image is quick and easy, and can include complex application settings and other components, but it also but wipes the entire contents of the hard drive, which may cause additional problems.

Microsoft recommends using file-based images that replace only those parts of the file system tied to the OS installation and leaves other parts of the drive intact.

Reinstall applications
IT staff should include as many standard apps as possible in the basic upgrade image, but those specific to individual users or departments will obviously need to be reinstalled from a software library, preferably using appropriate distribution tools to avoid time wasted in visiting each PC. Generally speaking, the more apps packaged for automated delivery or virtualisation, the better.

Reinstall user settings and data
You don't say! What goes out must come back in via the reverse process.

Verify successful completion
Often overlooked in large-scale desktop migrations under strict time constraints, but in order to avoid end user wrath, IT staff should verify that each system boots cleanly and passes basic tests: namely that the user profile inhabits the correct directly and drive volume, all attached devices have drivers installed, and any application anomalies have been resolved.

If time allows, call or visit the user during the first 24 hours to find out if they have any issues with their new machine.