Migrate your Connected data

When you replace your computer or reinstall its operating system, the logical connection it had with its backup set breaks because Connected treats the computer as a new device. If you want the new computer to adopt the old one's backup set and user-created rules as its own, you or your data administrator must migrate them. Agent preferences set directly through the Agent are not part of the migration process and reset to their default values.

During the migration process, Connected registers your new computer as a new device and reassigns the old computer's backup set and user-created rules to it before permanently deleting the old device. When migration completes, you receive an email message that confirms the migration, and the Agent automatically starts. If you or your data administrator started a restore request for the device, the Agent restores files from the device's new backup set. After any restores complete, the Agent scans the computer for files that require backup based on both administrative policy and any user-created rules migrated from the old device. It starts to back up files, if necessary, at the next backup interval.

Before you begin

If the old computer is still available, do the following:

  1. If Agent is running, wait for it to complete all tasks, including scans.

    Waiting for tasks to finish ensures that the Agent processes all files, as needed. To determine the Agent's current activity, see the FAQ How can I tell what the Agent is doing?

  2. If you plan to use the computer after the migration, uninstall the Agent. Otherwise, exit the Agent, log off the computer, or turn the computer off.

To migrate your Connected data

  1. Install the Agent on the new computer.

    As an administrator, you can install the Agent interactively or from the command line.

  2. If the Agent does not start automatically after installation, start it.

  3. At the Agent's sign-in prompt, enter your credentials.

    If you preconfigured the Agent with migration options, the Agent silently performs the part of the migration process. Otherwise, the Device Setup Wizard appears.

  4. If the wizard appears, perform the following steps:

    1. If prompted to Select how to configure this computer, click As a replacement or reinstallation of my existing computer. Then, click Next.

    2. In response to the Select the device that you want to migrate prompt, select the name of the device from which you want to migrate data.

    3. Click Finish.

      The automated part of the migration process is now complete.

  5. (Optional) Restore data from the computer's backup set, which the migration process reassigned from the old computer to this one.

    NOTE: This step is required only if you have a new computer or reinstalled the operating system on your existing one. If you performed migration only because you reinstalled the Agent, this step is not required because your data still exists on your computer.

    You can restore data now or leave that process until a later time. On Windows-based computers running Agent 4.9.0 or later, you can also restore any available user state data if administrative policy allows. To understand how the restore process works, see Restore overview. For information about restoring data after migration, see Restore Connected and Windows user state data onto a replacement or re-imaged computer. This information is applicable regardless of whether you want to restore Connected data, Windows user state data, or both.