Migrate away from a server domain to a "stand-alone" PC

Modified on Mon, 17 Nov 2014 at 05:52 PM

Scenario: you're moving (or have moved) your files/emails from a server share such as "Microsoft Small Business Server" or "Server Essentials" into the Cloud.

You've moved all of the emails
You've moved the files to local computers, and the files are upload(ed/ing) to OneDrive for Business
You realize that you no longer need that server...but it's a Domain Controller

If you turn off the server the users will not be able to log onto their computers
If you make the users create local user accounts they will lose their data/email/desktop configurations

Is there a way to easily migrate a user's "domain" profile to a "local" profile, thus preserving all of their data and settings? Read on...

The official Microsoft answer would be to use some of the Microsoft tools, such as USMT (see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824873.aspx), but sometimes a 3rd-party tool is available for free that makes the task quicker and simpler. For this scenario we'll be using User Profile Wizard (http://www.forensit.com); the latest free version is best, but if you're having problems downloading it then there's a cached copy (zipped) attached to this article.

Log onto the local computer with local admin rights & install User Profile Wizard
Create a new local user account

Go to Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users
Create a new user with an identical username as the Domain Username

If the server logon for the user was "COMPANY-X\JimmyBean" then the new username will be "JimmyBean"
Take time to choose what password options you want to apply, such as "User must change password at next logon"

Go to the properties of the new user and add them to the local "Administrators" group

Migrate the domain user profile

Run User Profile Wizard
On the "User Account Information" page, enter the details for the new local account that you just created
Next is the "Select User Profile" page, where you simply choose the domain profile that you want to migrate
Next is the "Migrating Profile" page, which actually moves the data and registry settings

Be patient - it could take some time...but it's worth the wait

Log onto the local computer and verify the migration

Log off, and log onto the local computer using the newly created account
Launch Outlook - the profile should be there, along with email, but it may prompt you to re-enter the Office 365 email password the first time
Verify the items on the Desktop
Verify contents of the OneDrive for Business folder - it may prompt you to re-enter the Office 365 email password the first time

That's it! Once all of the users are no longer logging onto the old server (Domain Controller) then you can switch it off gracefully; be kind and retire it with dignity :-)

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