how to Fix the "The location that you specified does not contain stored information" Error with Files And Settings Transfer Wizard

Since Microsoft issued some updates right after windows Vista came out Files and Settings transfer wizard stopped working correctly on windows XP. Here is the error:

The location that you specified does not contain stored information

I do not know what might have caused the problem but I do know the solution to get around this, here is the procedure.

From the computer you want to transfer the data from, run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard by going to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools and save the data file to your preferred location.

After you have finished the transfer, go to C:\WINDOWS\system32 and copy the USMT folder (and everything in it) to the location you saved the USMT2.UNC file. Now when you run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard from the computer you want to transfer the data to, go to the USMT folder location you saved above, and click on “migwiz“ and that should start the normal Files and Settings Transfer Wizard from that location.

Please remember to point to the location at the root, for example if you save your data at X:\nelson\USMT2.UNC, then point the location to X:\ NOT to X:\nelson\USMT2.UNC. The wizard should find the data automatically. Hope that helps!

16 Comments Already

Tre' Marshall Said,

June 26th, 2008 @12:00 pm

I have run in to this problem a couple of times and this is the first time I was able to use FAST to complete the move to a new machine!! THANKS!!

Les Said,

July 17th, 2008 @7:25 pm

thanks for the tips Nelson. Been messing around all night and eventually “read the manual”. Files being transferred as I type – phew, off to bed while it churns away. Hope it doesnt need a keystroke or something.

Nelson Said,

July 18th, 2008 @12:08 pm

Les, I hope everything runs smooth on your computer File and Settings transfer wizard. it is a nice windows built-in tool to make migrations easy.

Gerber Said,

January 6th, 2009 @6:01 pm

As every little old lady loves to hear, “Bingo!”

Thanks for the fix.

Dirome Wuilliamson Said,

February 10th, 2009 @3:58 pm

Your fix for Files/Setting Transfer Wizard error was “Right-On”, it work like a charm. Thanks for your help!!!

Mike Said,

May 13th, 2009 @7:26 pm

I came across this error message and found that it was due to the backup beinng performed on an XP SP3 machine and attempting to restore to an XP SP2 machine. After SP3 installation, the transfer completed successfully.

Roger Said,

May 27th, 2009 @8:07 pm

This certainly works! I think the important point here (which is perhaps not clear in the instructions) is that you must use the exact same versions of the files in USMT, both when saving the data, and then transferring it into its new location. I’ve found this process works going from an older machine to a newer, and vice versa.

Mark LaFlamme Said,

September 13th, 2009 @4:41 am

Dude, you’re brilliant. Works as promised. Saved me a couple hours of raging headaches. I was able to transfer my files between computers. Thanks, bub.

David Said,

October 17th, 2009 @11:45 am

How did we survive before Al Gore invented the internet? This was so helpful! Thanks for saving me the pain of thrashing my head on my desk b/c I couldn’t figure it out! You’re a genius!

Hedge Said,

January 28th, 2010 @1:26 pm

I had the same issue as Mike. I did a backup from an XP SP3 machine to a network disk. I then reformatted and installed XP from a vendor supplied XP SP2 disk. When I tried to restore, I got the “… does not contain stored information” error. After upgrading to SP3 it worked fine. I have to believe that this is a common situation – you want to restore your settings to a new machine or to the original machine after a reformat / reinstall. Readers need to know that they must be on the same exact version and patch of the OS for it to work. Shame on you, Microsoft – it either should not have been a problem or you should have made this issue clear!