Merging customer data into new installation folders

[RegEdit]

Do you just leave one backup folder on the desktop or do you merge folders into the new installation?
And during the copy process, when an existing duplicate folder or file is found do you merge and copy and replace? For all files types including .dat, .ini, .dll, etc?

 

[red12049]

Do you just leave one backup folder on the desktop or do you merge folders into the new installation?
And during the copy process, when an existing duplicate folder or file is found do you merge and copy and replace? For all files types including .dat, .ini, .dll, etc?

How would you feel, as the customer of a moving company, if they left all your furniture in the middle of the living room of your new home?

That's why I always use FABS or Easy Transfer to move everything. Nice, neat, clean, and most of all, finished.

Rick

 

[RegEdit]

How would you feel, as the customer of a moving company, if they left all your furniture in the middle of the living room of your new home?

That's why I always use FABS or Easy Transfer to move everything. Nice, neat, clean, and most of all, finished.

Rick

That what the big box stores do. 1 folder.
How would you feel if the moving company unpacked your boxes and put everything into drawers?

 

[Martyn]

That what the big box stores do. 1 folder.
How would you feel if the moving company unpacked your boxes and put everything into drawers?

Ask the client beforehand. Most people want it back where it was originally. This is where Fabs(and D7) save time and impresses clients. A client wouldn't normally know where to put anything so doing it for them is the way to go. I have the odd client who gets a new computer and wants a clean start so I put the profile into its' own folder for them to pick their data. I just give them e quick overview of the folder structure. The point being made beforehand is that we are better than the big stores, their method is the easy way out.

 

[red12049]

That what the big box stores do. 1 folder.
How would you feel if the moving company unpacked your boxes and put everything into drawers?

Honestly? With everything else involved in moving to a new community, I'd be happy, even though I'd be able to figure out what drawers my stuff is supposed to go into.

When it comes to computers, most of our customers have no idea. I frequently work on systems with a folder marked "old stuff", or "old C drive" or something like that. Not good for them. My customers often tell me something like "My pictures are in Kodak Easy Share." Then I have to explain the whole folder thing to them. How is that customer ever going to get his stuff back where it belongs?

Giving them a finished job, with their desktop wallpaper and icons as they were originally generates immediate revenue, future revenue, and very good word of mouth. Customers think we work magic when we do stuff like that.

Rick

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I put the data back in the equivalent folder on the new PC. They're used to finding docs/spreadsheets in the My Docs folder, pictures in the Pictures folder, Music in the Music folder, browser favorites, and I replicate the desktop as much as possible...whatever was on there, plus same shortcuts.

 

[smashedbotatos]

I ALWAYS ask the client. Some of them want to sort it themselves. In those cases I don't use FAB's Autobackup and do it manually, and leave a neat sorted folder on their desktop.

I have a section on my check in sheet just for this purpose. Often you will run in to people who some how end up with data under multiple accounts of the same or similar name. FABS doesn't merge these as far as i know.

Like I said before some clients have a lot of garbage and crap they don't want anymore, and wouldn't want on a new install either.

I explain the options every time. I am a small time operation though, and would see where this could be time consuming if you had a lot of customers.

 

[altrenda]

Most of our clients, when they get a new computer it's because the old one is broken or wont keep up with what they are trying to do. But, they have a workflow that they are used to and don't want to change.

We try like hell to give give them their repaired or new computer in the state they are used to. Not just the desktop, but programs, browsing favorites, printing, scanning, networking, shared folders, whatever they use.

We do remove bloat and things they say they no longer use, but when we're done they should be able to sit down and start working without looking for things.

That's the main problem with Win 8, the learning curve before they are comfortable.

 

[RegEdit]

Back to my second question, when an existing duplicate folder or file is found do you merge and copy and replace? For all files types including .dat, .ini, .dll, etc? Is there any potential harm is saying yes to all when prompted by Windows during the transfer?

 

[altrenda]

Why would you overwrite installed dll, dat and ini files with ones copied from a previous installation? Unless things aren't working properly.

 

[RegEdit]

Why would you overwrite installed dll, dat and ini files with ones copied from a previous installation? Unless things aren't working properly.

Well this is one of the things that would get over written when you copy all user data over. The question is can it cause harm. We're talking about User folder data.

 

[altrenda]

I see what you are after.
I use Fabs for this type thing, I install all software first, Office, iTunes, Chrome, Firefox, etc. Then run Fabs restore.

I checked a couple of Fabs archives I still have and the only thing I see it does is copy desktop.ini, profiles.ini from firefox, startdesktop.ini for IE, and NK2 files.
I don't see dll or dat files.

Hope this helps. Maybe Nick will let us know what datagrab does.

I would probably just let it keep the newer versions of duplicate files.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Back to my second question, when an existing duplicate folder or file is found do you merge and copy and replace? For all files types including .dat, .ini, .dll, etc? Is there any potential harm is saying yes to all when prompted by Windows during the transfer?

Only one I see get prompted..besides a duplicate file itself...is the desktop.ini. Either way you choose...there's no wrong, the next time Explorer opens that folder it will get updated properly. Copying docs/pics/music/desktop stuff...you should not be seeing .dll or other system files prompt you...just desktop.ini. It's just a thumbnail/settings cache file that updates every time you're in there.

 

[RegEdit]

Only one I see get prompted..besides a duplicate file itself...is the desktop.ini. Either way you choose...there's no wrong, the next time Explorer opens that folder it will get updated properly. Copying docs/pics/music/desktop stuff...you should not be seeing .dll or other system files prompt you...just desktop.ini. It's just a thumbnail/settings cache file that updates every time you're in there.

These odd files are usually in places like App Data, in the C/Users/Public, C/Users/Default, C/Users/AllUsers, etc

 

[PCX]

We always merge the folders. We backup everything using Linux onto a backup drive (if using the original drive) then when we are done with the install, we then drop everything back into their user folder just as it was on their original install. Anything else on their C Drive also gets pulled and put back in it's original location. We have never had a customer complain, in fact, more often then not, they are absolutely thrilled to have everything in place.

We always skip system files or duplicate files and we use FABs to pull user settings and preferences.