Dealing with File Relocation Issues

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If you change the computer hard disk configuration during migration, you might not be able to restore files to the same drive or directory structure from which they were collected. For example, if you replace two small drives with one large drive, the second drive will not be available to receive the collected user data. In this case, you must relocate the files.

A relocated file might be written to a folder that already contains a file with the same name, causing a name conflict. USMT handles this problem by appending "(1)" to the original filename, and incrementing that number for each new file with the same name. For example, if two files by the name of Example.doc were written to a directory that already contained an Example.doc file, the relocated files would be named Example(1).doc and Example(2).doc.

One way to avoid file name collisions when you move files is to duplicate as much of the original path as possible in the new location. For example, if the full path and file name of the original file was D:\EngineeringDrafts\Example.doc, and the new root location is C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents, create the new path and file name C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents\EngineeringDrafts\Example.doc.