SupportAssist and USMT.mig file

Question

HI, In another post I stated I was having issues with my XPS 8930 upload speed being almost 0. I eventually found that it was an issue with the "Killer Ethernet device" and the latest "Dell update" for the device caused the slow upload speed. I did manage to correct that issue. Figuring that it was related to an "Update" I attempted to go back to a "restore point" before the last update. That did not go well, and the computer froze and had trouble booting. So I went to Dell's SupportAssist to try and return my computer to "normal". In doing a reset/repair, the program asked me if I wanted to save my data files -- I said yes, and a 12.9GB file named "Do_Not_Delete" was saved on an external drive.

SupportAssist did it's work and "reset" my computer to what I would describe is a fresh Windows-10 install -- all my data and installed programs were lost. I wasn't too worried since it appeared that this information was in the saved "Do_Not_Delete" file. However, SupportAssist seemed to ignore that file. So I was left with a bare Windows-10 computer. I did some digging and found out that the "Do_Not_Delete" file had various folders named "USMT" and also a file named "USMT.mig" which seemed to have all my lost files in a compressed form. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY TO UNCOMPRESS THIS FILE AND RECOVER MY DATA. Can anyone tell me how to extract my files from this compressed form.

ewongsmx · Answer

@Lenny5 It sounds like you're encountering a common issue with the USMT.mig file. USMT stands for User State Migration Tool and it's used to transfer user data and settings from one Windows installation to another. The USMT.mig file is a compressed backup of your user data and settings that SupportAssist created.

In order to extract your data from the USMT.mig file, you'll need to use the User State Migration Tool. Here are the steps to do that:

Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10.
Install the ADK on your computer.
Open the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment by running "Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment" from the Start menu.
Type the following command in the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment: "scanstate.exe [path to USMT.mig file] /i:migapp.xml /i:miguser.xml /o /c"
The scanstate tool will extract the user data and settings from the USMT.mig file and save them to a new directory.

You can then use the Loadstate tool to restore the data to a new Windows installation. Keep in mind that the Loadstate tool requires the same Windows version and architecture as the original installation in order to work properly.

There are several alternative tools that you can use to extract the files from the "USMT.mig" file. Some popular file extraction tools include:

7-Zip: This is a free and open-source file archiving tool that supports a wide range of compression formats, including .mig files. You can download 7-Zip from their official website.
WinRAR: This is a paid file archiving tool that supports a wide range of compression formats, including .mig files. You can download WinRAR from their official website.
PeaZip: This is a free and open-source file archiving tool that supports a wide range of compression formats, including .mig files. You can download PeaZip from their official website.
WinZip: This is a paid file archiving tool that supports a wide range of compression formats, including .mig files. You can download WinZip from their official website.

I hope this helps you recover your data from the USMT.mig file. If you have any further questions or issues, feel free to ask.

Lenny5 · Answer

Hi ewongsmx,

The my Window 10 version seems to be (21H2) and there does not seem to be an ADK download specific to that version. I downloaded the latest Win-10 ADK available. and followed your instructions. Thanks for the reply. Using the cmd line you suggested at first, the message was "scanstate.exe" is not a known command. Finally got it to "?run" and it reported that it could not open my "USMT.mig" file.

Should not Dell Support be able to open and extract the files which "SupportAssist" implied would be on my computer after it was "Restored".

pnyman · Answer

I had this exact same problem, .mig files that I had no idea what to do with. I was trying to figure this out for a week, and finally I tried this program: https://www.migee.com/2011/01/17/mig-recover-and-viewer-utility-alpha/

I used the 0.5 version. It loads your .mig file, depending on the size of your file it could take hours to open, but it does open, and it also takes hours to extract. Bottom line though is it works, so just be patient and let the program do its thing.

Also I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend to Dell to create a program similar to this to help people like myself and the OP. These files are created, which is great it did its job in backing up, but then we have no idea what to do with them. I even called Dell support and the rep had no idea what I was talking about, he told me to bring it to a repair shop. This is a big problem for people who have crashes, and I wouldn't want them to go through the same stress I went through.

GregLeec · Answer

Hi pnyman - this is great and I managed to get the files extracted. I'm just not sure what to do with them now. Any ideas? Do they reinstall the programs etc. or just the data? Keen not to screw up the system any more than Dell's restore app already did....

Also, the drive had bitlocker on it - I'm not sure that has been extracted and whether I'm doing that right. Any thoughts appreciated

GregLeec · Answer

I had the Dell Advanced Support Tech look at this and he installed 7zip to do this for me. However it didn't actually see the files and his conclusion was that the back up did not work/was corrupted. Using the MIG Viewer tool detailed below did let me see the files and that they were not corrupted

SupportAssist for PCs

SupportAssist and USMT.mig file

Was this post helpful?