|  | Transferring User Settings and Files by Using the USMT Lesson Overview
A user state on a computer consists of that user's files, operating system settings, and certain settings associated with applications. The User State Migration Tool (USMT) helps users and Information Technology (IT) professionals transfer users' files and settings to a new computer running Windows XP Professional or to a new installation of Windows XP Professional on an existing computer. You can use the USMT to transfer the user state from computers running Windows 95 or later to a computer running Windows XP Professional. Using the USMT enables IT professionals to quickly and easily include transfer of employee files and settings as a part of operating system deployment efforts or computer replacement. Consequently, users spend little or no time reconfiguring a new operating system, or searching for lost files. Also, calls to the help desk regarding reconfiguration are reduced. The reduction in time for IT professionals, help desk staff, and users can significantly reduce the costs associated with deploying a new operating system or new computers. Additionally, using the USMT can reduce training costs and improve the user's experience with the new operating system by presenting a familiar, already configured, operating system that requires little in the way of user adjustment. In this lesson you will learn about the following topics: Settings, folders, and file types transferred by default Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Transferring a user state by using command-line tools Changing the files or settings transferred by modifying the .inf files