deleting user profiles after logging off?

[jade1001]

Fellow Geeks,

Does anyone know off hand how to get Windows 2000 to delete a user profile after a user logs off? I'm setting up a lab for public use. In this lab will be 20 computers running Windows 2000. A user will log in to the domain and not the local machine. Thousands of users will use this lab. The hard drives are only 20 Gigs. I don't want thousands of user profiles. I don't want to change the settings on the domain controller either because I'm afraid it might take effect across the entire domain. I just want this group of 20 machines to ditch the user profile after a user logs off.

Is this possible?

jade>:O>

 

[pbxman]

If they're logging into the domain - you have acounts setup for all of them already? I'd say the local PC is your smallest problem if that is the case.

Why not make them use a mandatory standard roaming profile that they all use for a session, then when they logoff, no changes are saved and the domain and local pc stays clean? pbxman
Systems Administrator

Please let Tek-Tips members know their posts were helpful.

 

[jade1001]

pbxman,

Yup. I have accounts set up for them already in active directory.

I have two types of users. The first kind are those who use the lab and log into the domain to access files. The second kind are those who work at their local workstations and log into the domain as well. I don't want the second kind of users with their own workstations to loose their profile. They would probably hang me if I did that.

These users can also fit in both categories. Say Joe gets done in the lab, uploads his file to the server in his folder, then he goes back to his office later and wants to finish it. (When I say file I mean something around 700 Megs in size)

I'm not real familiar with what each type of user can do in terms of mandatory and roaming. I know that roaming will save the users profile to the server. That isn't something I want to do since I only have 1 Gig free on my server. Also with all the users logging on and off all day it would slow down the network everytime it tries to retreive the profile off of the server. (If I'm understanding this concept correctly, if not please correct me)

Will this mandatory standard roaming profile also delete my 100 users profile as well? Maybe there is away to set policies locally on these lab workstations?

Thanks for your response, it is greatly appreciated.

jade>:O>

 

[pbxman]

Yikes..this is a difficult issue to address. There are pros and cons to all the scenarios i can think of. This might get long, but here are my thoughts:

If you only have 1 gig of space - forget roaming profiles.

That leaves you with one option - local profiles. The problem is you dont want 1000 of them stored on the PC. But - you DO need them to be functional enough that a user can do work, and finish it later from another workstation? This really depends on what is stored in their profiles..you could create a logoff script that simply goes in and deletes the documents and settings\username folder. Group policy - network login script - lots of functionality if you go that route. (in fact i probably would do that..but in weekly intervals.)

A 20GB drive is plenty for profiles - especially since there's not enough time for the users to build them up to 5+megs A regular profile is probably .5 megs - purge them once a week after a warning to the users (via logon script), and you're set.

If this is applicable to your situation - i would go that route. It's a problem that you cant store roaming profiles (and you are right - it would affect performance with that much traffic)..so your only choice is to use local profiles, but manage them well. You could delete after each logoff via script, or make a schedule out of it for the "oops! i did all this work..forgot to save it in my network folder, logged off, and now all my work is gone" situations which im sure will happen.

Is that something that would work for you? pbxman
Systems Administrator

Please let Tek-Tips members know their posts were helpful.

 

[jade1001]

Hmmm, I have no idea how to create a log on script.

Going in to delete user profiles would be very time consuming. This lab is for a university. There are 700+ people who will use this lab in a given week. There will be loads of profiles to delete.

Is there a way to write a script that will delete that users profile upon log off?

Thanks again,

jade>:O>

 

[crisc]

Couldn't you solve all your problems by just creating a generic username and have all the users in the lab log in under it instead of their own? Is there some requirement that they have to login as themselves?

Just wondering...;]

 

[jade1001]

Crisc,

Thanks for your response.

I have thought about just creating a generic account and perhaps have them log on as guests.

The problem with this is these are college students. I cannot monitor what goes on in the lab 24/7. We currently have Windows 98 machines in the lab. When there isn't any one around they like to change the wallpaper and the desktop settings and leave a pornographic website Window open and so forth. When visitors come and visit they tend to freak out when the desktop or the screen savor is something pornographic. If they want to look at pron that's there business but I'd like it to go away after their done.

Also, most of my users are not smart enough to create shares and lock them down on their own computers. This was evident last year with the Nimda outbreak we experienced on our network.

And lastly, if someone is doing something "unappropriate" I can track it down to a unique user versus a generic one.

There has to be a way to do this. I know the guest account does this. There must be something on the computer we can tweak locally to make this work.

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks,
jade>:O>