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Migrate Windows user settings to a new device

Updated

This article applies to CrashPlan Professional, Enterprise, and MSPs.png

Overview

When you get a new Windows device, the CrashPlan app's device migration wizard transfers your user settings (also called user state or user profile) from a previous Windows device. The same wizard transfers backed up files and CrashPlan app settings from the previous device. After migration, your working environment and your backups continue as though there had been no change of device.

Applies to

This article describes use of the CrashPlan app migration wizard if all of the following are true:

  • An administrator has fully prepared the backup data and the new Windows device.
  • The backup holds data from one Windows user on one Windows device.
  • The Windows user on the new device has the same username as the Windows user on the old device.
  • The new device has a stable network connection.
  • The new device has CrashPlan app installed for everyone (the default).

If you have difficulty with a migration, another article provides troubleshooting advice.

For other migration tasks, select the appropriate article from Use CrashPlan to simplify device migration .

Considerations

  • While you work with the migration wizard, your device is not backing up. Normal backup resumes once you complete the migration.
  • Migration will discard any changes to CrashPlan app settings that you previously made on the new device. The CrashPlan app on your new device adopts the settings of the CrashPlan app on the previous device.
  • You may start the migration and come back later. Once you select a device to migrate from, you can safely close the CrashPlan app or shut down your device at any time, then return to the migration process later. Once started, file transfers continue, even while the CrashPlan app is closed.
Migrating and replacing
Migrating settings and files from a backup archive to a new device is also referred to as replacing a device. The two expressions are synonyms.

For more detail, see Troubleshooting.

Starting the migration wizard

The first time you sign in to the CrashPlan app on a device, it looks for backups of other devices belonging to your CrashPlan account. If it finds any, the CrashPlan app prompts you to add a new device or replace on existing one.

  1. Select Replace Existing.
    The CrashPlan app displays Replacing A Device Is A Three Step Process.
  2. Click Start.

For more detail, see Troubleshooting.

Step 1: Choose a device to replace

The migration wizard lists the previously backed up device by name, along with the option to add a new device.

  1. Select the previously backed up Windows device.
  2. Click Continue.

For more detail, see Troubleshooting.

Step 2: Transfer settings and files to your new device

Step 2 has two parts:

  • Transfer Windows User Settings: Download Windows user settings from the backup archive and apply them to the new device.
  • Transfer Files To New Device: Download user data files from the backup archive to the new device.

Transfer Windows user settings

The CrashPlan app prompts you to select Windows user settings, then downloads and applies them to make your new device match the old one. These user settings include lists of favorites and desktop background images, to name two examples.

  1. From Last backed up on, select the most recent date and time.
  2. Click Continue.
  3. Wait for the completed icon.png Completed icon to appear.
    Windows user settings can be large files that take as much as an hour to download. Feel free to let the CrashPlan app run unattended. But first, disable Windows sleep settings.

Your newly transferred Windows user settings take effect the next time you log off, then log on, to your machine.

For more detail, see Troubleshooting.

Transfer files to new device

Migrating to a new device includes transferring your files from the backup archive to the new device. It is up to you to select the backed-up files you wish to transfer, and to select the folder they will transfer to.

  1. Click Select Files To Transfer.
    The wizard opens Get files from..., which lists the folders and files in the backup archive from the previous user and device.
  2. Select all of the folders listed.
  3. At the date chooser, select As Of Today.

    Transfer all files, or lose them
    Transfer all of the folders and files from the backup to your new device. Files you don't transfer do remain in the backup, but only temporarily. The CrashPlan app marks them as deleted files, then permanently discards them after the interval specified by your CrashPlan administrator.
  4. Click Get Files...
    Get Files Options opens.
  5. At Save selected files to, select Original Location.
  6. At If file already exists, select Rename.
    If your new device already has a file with the same name as an archived file, the CrashPlan app will give the existing file a new name (original1.<fileName>) then transfer the archived file.
  7. At Permissions, select Current.
  8. Click Go to begin transferring the selected folders and files.
    Download Activity appears and reports the progress of your file transfers.
    lost connection icon.png Grey tildes mean the wizard lost its connection to the backup. Click Retry.
    completed icon.png Green check marks mean transfers succeeded.
  9. Once all of your transfers are complete, click Continue.
 Restore tips
  • It is safe to close the CrashPlan app while the files restore in the background.
  • If you are restoring a large amount of data, consider optimizing your computer settings to prevent disruptions.
  • Alternatively, if you don't want to restore all of the files at once, you can shut down or put your device to sleep and restoration will resume where it left off when it is powered on again.

For more detail, see Troubleshooting.

Step 3: Start backup on your new device

Next, the wizard transfers and updates your CrashPlan app backup settings, which includes:

  • Linking your new device to the previous device's backup archives.
  • Transferring to your new device the previous device's file selections, backup settings, and device preferences.
  • Updating your file selection to include the new device.
    The CrashPlan app will add the folders that your administrator has chosen as your default backup selection.
  • Restarting the CrashPlan app.
  1. Click Continue.
    You are signed out of the CrashPlan app.
  2. Sign into the CrashPlan app.
    A success message displays, "Your device is ready!"
  3. Click Finish.
Allow backup to fully complete before managing files
For efficiency, wait until your backup reaches 100% complete before you deselect any folders or files copied from your previous device to your new backup selection. This enables the CrashPlan app to record that a given file has a new location, rather than backing up a new copy of that file. As a result, you avoid repeating the potentially lengthy initial backup.
Deselecting folders and files
Be careful of removing folders and files from your new backup selection. Deselecting folders and files immediately deletes them from your backup archive. You cannot restore folders or files once you delete them from your backup selection.

What to expect after replacing your device

After replacing your device, the CrashPlan app resumes normal operation. You may notice the following behaviors or differences.

Log off, log on

Any Windows user settings that you transferred to the new device will take effect after you log off of Windows, then log on again.

File verification scan

It's common for the file verification scan to run after replacing your device. By default, that scan runs daily to inspect your file selection for any new, changed, or deleted files. The CrashPlan app runs additional verification scans to detect data corruption, purge files that are no longer selected for backup, and prune file versions and deleted files according to your frequency and version settings.

During the scan, the CrashPlan app is calculating the full size of your backup selection. As a result, it cannot report the percent complete. This is expected behavior. However, if you have concerns, there are some additional steps you can take to confirm that your backup is not starting over.

Allow backup to fully complete before managing files
For efficiency, wait until your backup reaches 100% complete before you deselect any folders or files copied from your previous device to your new backup selection. This enables the CrashPlan app to record that a given file has a new location, rather than backing up a new copy of that file. As a result, you avoid repeating the potentially lengthy initial backup.
Deselecting folders and files
Be careful of removing folders and files from your new backup selection. Deselecting folders and files immediately deletes them from your backup archive. You cannot restore folders or files once you delete them from your backup selection.

External resources

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