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Joe Mako
Asked: 2010-08-14 07:54:15 +0800 CST

Transitioning user accounts from a workgroup to a domain

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The current network is a workgroup, and we would like to switch to a domain. Since each user will need a new account, is there a way to transition or migrate their accounts types from local to domain, keeping their files and settings?

We do not need roaming profiles, and there is and will be only one user per computer.

The AD Server is Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard.

The OS on the desktops where users have local accounts is Windows 7 Professional.

I saw the answer at Windows Workgroup to Domain Migration

We are not running SBS, so I do not see a way to get to the "Add User Wizard".

Edit: I saw the answer Evan linked to below. If the answer is to use the Win32_Userpofile WMI class, where can I find info on how to use it?

windows-7 domain

3 Answers

  1. You can use ADMT to migrate accounts across active directories. That isn't an option here.

    I believe that you can use the User State Migration Tool (USMT) to move the users profile and all sorts of other stuff. You cannot use SID history for local accounts, so there may be situations where you have to re-ACL data on removable media that was shared by multiple users on the same box.

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  2. ProfileWiz for the win. Not well known, but I've migrated about 200 users with this thing.

    http://www.forensit.com/domain-migration.html

    Last I checked it's free unless you are doing large command line migrations. This thing will port all settings (except firewall from what I remember) and join you up to your new domain. All settings, backgrounds intact. This thing saved my skin a few times. ADMT is junk.

    I remember there are a few quirks to it, but once you have it figured out you're done.

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  3. going off of Evan Anderson comment, I went looking for a way to use Win32_Userprofile to migrate local user to domain user.

    I found a Visual Basic script at Vista’s MoveUser.exe replacement

    When ran from a third account with both local admin and domain admin rights, and before logging in with the new domain user account, the script worked great.

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