This blog contains excerpts from How to Leverage Microsoft Tools to Make Your Windows 10 Migration Easier, part of HMB’s Seamless Migration to Windows 10 series.
You’re Going To Like This Microsoft Tool.
If you’re following our Windows 10 series, you know that there are a variety of (mostly) no-cost, readily available tools that can make your migration a lot easier. One of those tools is Microsoft Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit(ADK).
ADK is a free, comprehensive toolkit that contains everything you need to customize Windows images for large-scale deployment, test the quality and performance of your system and speed deployment.
We use ADK for mid- to large-size/enterprise migrations. Its proven to help save time and smooth deployment with fewer issues, creating a better end-user experience and enabling faster adoption.
There are numerous modules within ADK. Though not an exhaustive list, following is a run-down of those that you are likely to find helpful in your Windows 10 migration:
- Windows Assessment Toolkit – Helps determine the quality of a running operating system, components, and applications with regard to performance, reliability, and functionality.
- Windows Performance Toolkit – Provides an in-depth analysis of both application performance and operating system performance.
- Windows Configuration Designer – Makes it fast and easy for IT administrators to configure end-user devices without imaging.
- Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) – A simple, very basic operating system used to install, deploy and repair Windows 10.
- Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management (DISM) – Allows administrators to make changes to a base image (e.g. a specific background image) before deploying it to all users.
- Windows System Image Manager (WSIM) – Enables administrators to create unattended Windows Setup answer files.
- User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) – Streamlines and simplifies user state migration by capturing user accounts, user files, operating system and application settings, and then migrates them.
- Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) – Allows administrators to manage and apply Microsoft licenses to products like Windows OS and Microsoft Office over the network.
- User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) and Application Virtualization (App-V) – Provide virtualization capabilities that prior to now were not available free to the general public.
What’s Next?
In our next blog, we’ll review important timing considerations for your Windows 10 migration.