P2V Migration for Software Assurance
What’s New
Microsoft P2V Migration for Software Assurance uses the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) and Sysinternals Disk2vhd to convert a user’s existing Windows XP or later client environment to a virtual hard disk (VHD), then automates the delivery of an updated and personalized Windows 7 operating system containing a virtual machine (VM) with the user’s previous Windows environment, applications, and Web browser. The user’s previous virtual desktop retains its existing management components, domain membership, and policies. The process also publishes applications and the browser so that the user can access them seamlessly within the Windows 7 Start menu.
Download P2V Migration for Software Assurance now.
Key benefits:
- Helps reduce Windows 7 deployment time
- Extends the timeframe to mitigate application-compatibility issues
- Users can access potentially incompatible applications from their old systems
In More Detail
Even the most skilled IT shops, with resources to work through application compatibility challenges, often find a few users blocking roll-outs to entire sites or larger numbers of users because of:
- Compatibility of specialized, regional, or user-specific applications, browser customizations, or USB device drivers.
- Missing installation files or media to install applications or drivers for testing or redelivery.
- Critical users who cannot risk losing the functionality of their current desktop environments and require a working backup before moving to Windows 7.
Although P2V Migration can help in targeted cases, by design, it is not scalable to large percentages of users in an organization. Best practice is to ensure native compatibility with applications, websites, and hardware devices for Windows 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization scales to deliver and manage more compact and standardized Windows XP VMs to more users requiring a managed set of Windows XP–dependent applications. P2V Migration is recommended in cases where the user requires specific components from their current client computer and those components cannot run in Windows 7 and do not warrant being part of a standardized and managed VM environment for broad use. Licensing for P2V Migration requires that the converted Windows XP desktop and Windows 7 environment be installed using Microsoft Volume Licensing media and covered by Microsoft Software Assurance.
Related Resources
- Read more about P2V Migration on the Springboard Series Blog.
- Watch Jeremy Chapman describe and demonstrate P2V Migration on TechNet Edge.
- Get the latest news by visiting the MDT Team Blog.
Community and Feedback
To connect with others in the P2V community, learn more about the tool, and get help with questions, visit the MDT Forum.
Please send questions or comments about this Solution Accelerator to satfdbk@microsoft.com.
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