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Extract files from a compressed USMT migration store

When files and settings are migrated during a typical PC-refresh migration, a compressed migration store file is usually created on the intermediate store. This migration store is a single image file that contains all files being migrated as well as a catalog file. To protect the compressed file, it can be encrypted by using different encryption algorithms. When the file is migrated back to the source computer after the operating system is installed, the UsmtUtils command can be run with the /extract option to recover the files from the compressed migration store. The UsmtUtils command with the /extract option can also be used any time data needs to be recovered from a migration store.

Options used with the /extract option can specify:

  • The cryptographic algorithm that was used to create the migration store.

  • The encryption key or the text file that contains the encryption key.

  • Include and exclude patterns for selective data extraction.

In addition, the file patterns that need to be extracted can be specified by using the /i option to include file patterns or the /e option to exclude file patterns. When both the /i option and the /e option are used in the same command, include patterns take precedence over exclude patterns. The /i and the /e options are different from the include and exclude rules used in the ScanState and LoadState tools.

To run the UsmtUtils tool with the /extract option

To extract files from the compressed migration store onto the destination computer, use the following UsmtUtils syntax:

UsmtUtils.exe /extract <filePath> <destinationPath> [/i:<includePattern>] [/e:<excludePattern>] [/l:<logfile>] [/decrypt[:<AlgID>] {/key:<keystring> | /keyfile:<filename>}] [/o]

Where the placeholders have the following values:

  • <USMTpath> is the location where the USMT files and tools are saved.

  • <filePath> is the location of the migration store.

  • <destination path> is the location of the file where the /extract option should put the extracted migration store contents.

  • <includePattern> specifies the pattern for the files to include in the extraction.

  • <excludePattern> specifies the pattern for the files to omit from the extraction.

  • <AlgID> is the cryptographic algorithm that was used to create the migration store on the ScanState.exe command line.

  • <logfile> is the location and name of the log file.

  • <keystring> is the encryption key that was used to encrypt the migration store.

  • <filename> is the location and name of the text file that contains the encryption key.

To extract all files from a compressed migration store

To extract everything from a compressed migration store to a file on the C:\ drive, enter:

UsmtUtils.exe /extract D:\MyMigrationStore\USMT\store.mig C:\ExtractedStore

To extract specific file types from an encrypted compressed migration store

To extract specific files, such as .txt and .pdf files, from an encrypted compressed migration store, enter:

UsmtUtils.exe /extract D:\MyMigrationStore\USMT\store.mig /i:"*.txt,*.pdf" C:\ExtractedStore /decrypt /keyfile:D:\encryptionKey.txt

In this example, the file is encrypted and the encryption key is located in a text file called encryptionKey.

To extract all but one, or more, file types from an encrypted compressed migration store

To extract all files except for one file type, such as .exe files, from an encrypted compressed migration store, enter:

UsmtUtils.exe /extract D:\MyMigrationStore\USMT\store.mig /e:*.exe C:\ExtractedStore /decrypt:AES_128 /key:password /l:C:\usmtutilslog.txt

To extract file types using the include pattern and the exclude pattern

When files are extracted from a compressed migration store, both the include and the exclude patterns can be used at the same time. Files of one type can be excluded while files of another type can be included. For example:

UsmtUtils.exe /extract D:\MyMigrationStore\USMT\store.mig /i:myProject.* /e:*.exe C:\ExtractedStore /o

In this example, if there's a myProject.exe file, the file is also extracted because the include pattern option takes precedence over the exclude pattern option.