Question Windows 10 - i copied the user\app data\ and user information from old drive to new OS drive and now system is stuck on Asus logo at boot - help!

Jul 30, 2022
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Oh help - i really screwed up

Asus Z97M-Plus motherboard, Windows 10 fresh install

So i had a failed SSD with my original boot drive, i swapped it out and reinstalled windows - everything was perfect ...

Then i found a copy of my original user folder from the old installation - so i copied it and all the app data over to my new install...(i read online this was do-able , obviously its not)

When i restared, the system now hangs on the asus logo - no respnse to keyboard - I can't get into BIOS, I cant get to a boot menu to select a USB stick, i cannot do anything

Tried
1) disconnecting the OS disk
2)disconnected a secondary disk
3) Reset cmos using jumpers
4)Tried to boot from a windows recovery and OS install stick - no luck
5) left on logo screen for 20 mins and nothing
6)disconnected power for 10 mins, nothing


This is bizarre, i have somehow bricked my motherboard by copying those folders across - i assume its something UEFI related?

I'm going to try disconnecting everything but has anyone seen anything like this before?
 
Yes, you screwed up.

That whole /User/ folder tree is NOT modular to be moved between OS installs.


Disconnected some other drives - got into repair, restored from a backup i created after i got the OS reinstalled and am back in action

Lesson learned - do not try take short cuts with the app data folder....
 
Windows has no idea about users during boot, so most probably you messed up with some other folder apart from AppData. I have just migrated a friend to a new PC, and with carefully copying some folders from AppData I was able to almost recreate his user experience on the new PC.
 
Windows has no idea about users during boot, so most probably you messed up with some other folder apart from AppData. I have just migrated a friend to a new PC, and with carefully copying some folders from AppData I was able to almost recreate his user experience on the new PC.
"carefully"
"some folders"
"almost recreate"

So if done absolutely, perfectly, you can kinda sorta get to a partial mostly solution.
OK....