With just a little more than five weeks until the termination of Windows XP’s support by Microsoft there are many organizations and individuals deciding it is time to update their Windows machines that still has the 13 year old OS on them.

Microsoft continues to support this transition through many avenues and one of them is the Microsoft Virtual Academy and a course entitled Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.

This online virtual course is presented by Microsoft Technical Lead Kyle Rosenthal aka @WindowsPCGuy on Twitter and consists of seven modules:

  • Automating Migration from Windows XP to Windows 8.1
    • Get an overview of all of the components required for migration from Windows XP to Windows 8.1, and figure out which components and methods best suit your needs.
  • Migrating User Files and Settings
    • ​Learn the purpose and requirements of the User State Migration Tool (USMT), and gain a greater understanding of how the different migration tools work.
  • Hard Link Migration of User Files and Settings
    • Join Kyle as he expands on the information regarding USMT hard link migration provided in Module 2, and get insights into how hard link migration works.
  • Installing Windows 8.1 on a Windows XP Machine
    • Walk through the steps to perform a Windows 8.1 installation on a Windows XP machine, see the various methods of installation, and review the different files and folders created in the process.
  • Using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
    • ​Hear a description of the components in the 2013 Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, walk through how to prepare the toolkit for deployment, and see how to create a deployment task sequence.
  • Deployment Using System Center Configuration Manager
    • Explore the concepts of Zero Touch Deployment, and learn how to integrate Microsoft Deployment Toolkit with System Center Configuration Manager.
  • Creating a Windows 8.1 Image
    • Explore the methods of creating a Windows 8.1 image, and review various tools available for image manipulation.

The course is made up of webcasts and PowerPoint slides, all of which are downloadable for offline viewing, and covers almost three hours worth of training.

Source:  Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 8.1 (Microsoft Virtual Academy)