OT: For IT Geeks.

[dannieboiz]

I know there's a lot of IT peeps here so I figure someone may be able to answer my question.

I need to join 8 WS to a new domain.

Problem is, all the monkeys that work here have years of craps on their computers that they'd want to transfer to the new profile.

WS: is currently logged on locally.

Things that needs to be transfered:
Emails in Outlook, Outlook express
Documents
Desktop Icons
Current softwares that's installed (IE: Alot of my MS office needed to be reinstalled) weird

Basically, the monkeys want to keep everything looking unchanged.

It's a mixed environment of XP Pro and XP Home.

 

[Ebmorri]

You can do this with a logon script. however i can't find the one we used to do it.

 

[Skorpinok]

As you know, the minute you join a new domain - it creates a new user profile.

There's an after market that does this but, it's not a sure way. Meaning things don't always work out as you plan and might even get worst.

What I would do is join, try this on one w/s first to get the feel for it, copy the user's My Documents, Favorites, and any files that are on the user's desktop to the new profile. Launch Outlook and import the PST files from the user's old profile from %username%\local settings\application data\Microsoft\outlook. There may be 2 + PST files in that directory that'll need importing. You can also copy the user's cached Email address from %username%\application data\Microsoft\Outlook. You'll need to look for a file name with the extension *.MKV or something similar. - I can't check to make sure, I'm off site right now.

So, this will solve your problem for Favorites, My Documents, Outlook, and Desktop. You'll definitely loose any user's customization like mouse settings, desktop pictures, any user tweaking they may have over the years.

If you're the IT of the firm - be upfront with them that this is what's going to happen.

I had to go through that 6 months ago - and I work for the state. They're @N@L about keeping things.

ALSO, there's a step by step you can follow through microsoft Windows help.

Click start and select help. from the help window, type "profile copy". It should give you an instruction on your to copy the user's profile.

Good luck.

 

[Elite]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8232244#post8232244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by To-Arbitrate
...

If you're the IT of the firm - be upfront with them that this is what's going to happen.

.............

I agree. We transfered 150 plus system a year ago. The first couple days were really suck.. nothing was working according to plan. And we had a whole group of engineers working on the script. You are by yourself. Good Luck dude ...

For 8 systems, I would do everything manually per the instruction that To-Arbitrate gives you.

 

[dhnguyen]

Why not just offload the current %HOME% folders into a shared network drive and make the "monkeys" do their own work to restore what they needed after the migration to the new domain?


D.

 

[dannieboiz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8232820#post8232820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dhnguyen
Why not just offload the current %HOME% folders into a shared network drive and make the "monkeys" do their own work to restore what they needed after the migration to the new domain?


D.

How do i do this? Sounds like a good idea if it works.

The problem is there's no real IT department here, hell I don't even do IT here. I quit this 5 years ago. LOL I'm telling you, it's annoying because everyone seems to think that IT is my primary focus now. They try to print something and it doesn't print the first thing they do is come to me. So what do I do? Walk to the printer and turn it on.... u know craps like that ticks the hell out of u. If I were paid for doing it that's cool, but man I'm only setting this network up as a favor for my really cool boss but I never promised to provide IT support for the entire company.

 

[Vincerama2]

Um.

Step one - Backup their harddrives. I mean, just straight out and out clone them with Norton Ghost or something.

Step two - do whatever you have to

Step three - if you screwed up, just re-clone the backup drives!

V

 

[jedininja]

I would just backup thier old info and restore thier files and emails and such. But as for look I and such, I would just tell them that you are setting everything to campany standards. Whatever extra money S41T that is on the desktops and such sould be ther responsibility. You can even copy everything to CDs and give them the CDs if you cant set a share drive to do this.

 

[dannieboiz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8233462#post8233462 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jedininja
I would just backup thier old info and restore thier files and emails and such. But as for look I and such, I would just tell them that you are setting everything to campany standards. Whatever extra money S41T that is on the desktops and such sould be ther responsibility. You can even copy everything to CDs and give them the CDs if you cant set a share drive to do this.

I have a lot of space on the server, I can back up all their craps there but as I mentioned they want it to look "UNCHANGED" if there's an easy way to do it I'll do it for them, other wise they're starting from scratch. lol

 

[PiNaPLeX]

i'm with jedininja on this one, it's not your job to replicate their computer to whatever its like now, if the software they have on their WS is not "standard" for the rest of the company, then it's their responsibility.

As for the files and documents, have everyone copy what they want to keep into their "My Documents" and just back it up to a flash drive or copy it to a network location temporarily. Then copy it directly into their My Documents after joining the domain.

As for emails, unless you're going to be running your own email server like Exchange, or some other software, i'd make it the user's responsibility to forward their emails they want to keep to gmail or something like that. Most emails people want to keep are just junk anyways, and aren't usually as "critical" as they claim. So if you tell them to do it themselves, they'll choose the ones they really need to keep.

Lastly, aside from the standard installation and software for the new domain, lay down the law as to what you will and will not handle. If it's network installation and setup, make it clear that you are NOT doing migrations. If they want you to handle everything, just make sure you get paid a buttload for it, cuz migrations are a PITA....=)

 

[dannieboiz]

There's no migration involved. When I started here their network was not any better than a amature home network. It weren't even quite a peer to peer. It's strange everyone has their own public IP when there's any communication going on here, it goes outside them back in. :eek2: when I setup the network printer I had no choice but set it up that way as well. It's a small office here but for 10 years they've operated this way. Some bozo decided that he's gonna get a bunch of IP addresses from the ISP and give each of the monkeys direct access to the internet by directly connected to the modem/router that the ISP gave them. It's not the company's fault as they're all EE and what not. IT isn't their thing. When I came on board I've been out of IT for at least 4 years already. Things is rusty (still is) but, the boss and I quickly became friends (no I don't kiss A$$) he's just one of the coolest boss I've had and I appreciate it ,so I offered him to re-organise the network and get them up to where a $20m company should be. They've been paying bucu dollars for some IT consultant who build comps for them that I can hear from across the hall. I don't think they'll be able to pay me much more just because the nature of what i'm doing here.

He did say that if I'm ever overwhelmed, or if I feel like it's taking more time than expected out of my actual duty just say so.

At any rate, the office is small, we all hang out and talk smack. Wine is always stock in the conference room, food and snack is always full in the fridge. Unlimited sodas, and the boss even tell us to go home, when we work after hours.. (what boss will tell us that and we don't get paid OT) It does gets annoying when everyone ask me stupid ****, but at the end of the day, I do benefit from this because I'm polishing up the skills that I've lost and gaining new experience as I do this.

As far as junks in the emails, I would say it's half and half. Don't forget that I have to do this for the boss too, and I know it's not junk in his box.

 

[Skorpinok]

Dannieboiz - let me help a little. first, secure the network - do this by buying some type of router/firewall. 2 - put everyone on a private IP address (192.168.xxx.xxx) - your router/firewall should have this capabilty. Buy netgear or something similar. Buy a switch with enough ports that can accommodate all of your w/s's and printers. The switch is connected to the router. 3 - Join one w/s on the domain and do an example of how things are going to work and what will happen and not happen. copying over My Documents and Favorites are a not a big deal. User's are usually more incline to follow lead once they know what's going to happen - be firm about it.

Email's, who is your Email provider? Maybe they can help you out with backing up their Email. Are they POP3? Are some of the Emails store on the server or locally?

I'm assuming that you're not re-imaging the workstations (ghost), so all of their applications should be intact and readily available to the users after the migration.

PS, it's technically part of the IT's job to back up and restore user's data. Locally stored data are in the gray area and will need to be clearly defined as part of the IT's job - just my 2 cents.

 

[dantodd]

Since you aren't IT just tell them that you can get them on the domain but really don't know how to make it look seamless. Offer to help them find a consultant to do the transition.

Othewise they'll never get off your back. Once you start supporting computers you can't get out of it.

I had the same problem coming out of IT to mktg. Everyone assumed you know everything. Just tell them a few times that you have no idea how to solve their problem and they'll quit asking. Sadly it's rarely possible to only provide support when you have spare time. IT is a job of urgencies. If you are in the middle of something and a printer won't print becuase someone "adjusted the toner cartridge it doesn't matter, you're gonna lose an hour's worth of work.

 

[dannieboiz]

It's been a month long project and I'm actually completed.

I built them a 3.2ghz dual core server with 2gb ram and mirrored a 250gb HDD on it.

For equipment, got a Cisco PIX 501 as their firewall/router through a netgear switch. .


I have 2 computers that I get to juggle around with. I'm using my computer as a test comp as so I know exactly what's missing when I join the domain.

I can backup outlook from the .pst no biggy but some of my office programs, IE words, Excel etc.. required that I reinstall the software.

Most of these comps don't have the CD keys anymore for the office applications, that's why I'm hesitating to join them to the domain and risk losing the applications.

 

[dhnguyen]

get this run it on each PC and write down the cd keys

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

 

[PiNaPLeX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8234255#post8234255 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dannieboiz


Most of these comps don't have the CD keys anymore for the office applications, that's why I'm hesitating to join them to the domain and risk losing the applications.

You MIGHT (emphasis on MIGHT) be able to make some of the programs work by exporting the registry entries for the programs. Maybe you should try and test it out on your test machine. Just install the software, and import the registry key for that program from the old computer to the new, and see if it works....just a thought.

 

[Vincerama2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8234301#post8234301 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dhnguyen
get this run it on each PC and write down the cd keys

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

Then send me the keys for safe keeping!

V

 

[Skorpinok]

Looks like you're off to a good start with the router and server. Are those mirrored HD not swappable? That servers sounds like one of our Dell PowerEdge.

8 local workstations are a cake walk compare to 200+ local w/s's and remote clients, plus 50+ secured public terminals.

 

[raddogz]

Wow all this extra work - make sure your bonus covers this extra work. I'm the back-up IT person at my job - most people are too scared to come to me - mwa ha ha.

All of the desktops are the same. There is very little that is modifiable, no one can install their own programs with very few exceptions - Administrators do have their privileges.

 

[dannieboiz]

Yah, but we try to keep the company as free as possible. The boss doesn't believe in micro management. He thinks that if he can't leave us to do our jobs while he do his, then he won't be hiring us to start with. I don't want to make it appears this way starting with computer privileges. Maybe when the company grows bigger where we can't trace down the source of the problem, then the policy would be assigned. Can't u tell I hate micromanagements as well? LOL We store all the important datas on the server in Australia, there's nothing that any of us aren't allow to know here.

If a raise doesn't happen, I've still just increased my job security.