Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (F.A.S.T) in Windows XP helps you migrate files and settings from one Windows-based computer to another Windows XP computer. In Windows Vista, there is a new tool to migrate files and settings, known as Windows Easy Transfer. Unfortunately, Windows Easy Transfer is incompatible with Files and Settings Transfer Wizard as it stores data in a different format.
To retrieve the data from F.A.S.T store, restore the files and settings (using Files and Settings Transfer Wizard) to a Windows XP computer. Then you can migrate the files and settings from that computer to your Windows Vista computer using Windows Easy Transfer. Windows Easy Transfer supports the following operating systems:
- Windows 2000 SP4 to Windows Vista
- Windows XP SP2 to Windows Vista
- Windows Vista to Windows Vista
For more information, see article How to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings to Windows Vista.
If you don’t have access to Windows XP system, follow the steps below to extract/recover files from an existing F.A.S.T store using Windows Easy Transfer in Windows Vista. The following assumes that Windows Vista is already installed in your computer.
Recovering Files from F.A.S.T store using Windows Easy Transfer
Important: This method does not transfer the settings. Use this method if you want to extract or recover only the files from the F.A.S.T data store.
1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click Windows Easy Transfer.
(Alternately: Click Start, type Migwiz.exe and press ENTER)
2. In the Welcome to Windows Easy Transfer, click Next
3. Click Continue a transfer in progress
4. Click No, I’ve copied files and settings to a CD, DVD or other removable media
5. Click On an external hard disk or network location
6. Click Browse… to locate the F.A.S.T data store. Note that the default* name USMT2.UNC should be used for the store folder.
If you had renamed the F.A.S.T store folder, the Windows Easy Transfer may fail to read the .DAT file and shows the following error message:
7. Select Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (*.DAT) from the drop-down box. Then locate the .DAT file (IMG0000n.DAT).
8. Windows Easy Transfer detects the F.A.S.T store and offers to recover files (not settings) to a folder named OldFolder on your C drive. Click OK to continue.
9. You’ve now recovered the files from Files and Settings Transfer Wizard store! The files are extracted to a folder named OldFiles in the C drive.
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