How to set up roaming user profiles ? 1

[J741]

O.K. I'll be the first to admit that I know absolutely nothing about roaming user profiles. So I need a bit of help.

The situation is that I've got a Windows 2003 Small Business Server with 7 users who each have their own workstation, and 2 users who share one workstation (each user is there on different days). Now the two users who share one workstation will be there on the same day, when another another user is out of the office. SO I'd like to set it up so that these users can sit down at any computer in the office, log in with their individual credentials, and have all their Outlook e-mails and configuration, all their documents, all their desktop shortcuts, etc. To do this I think I need to use 'roaming' profiles.

Now, the users already have existing local profiles on their existing workstations. So how can I move the existing user profile to the server and configure it as a roaming profile accessible from any workstation on the network without loosing any of the user's documents, settings, shortcuts, emails, etc. ?

I'm hoping someone with more knowlege than I have can point me in the direction of an appropriate online 'how to' article, as my google search has been little more than a waste of time.

- Thanks.
- James.


My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[markdmac]

For general raoming user profiles:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307964/en-us

Because you have SBS you are in luck. SBS will convert the local profiles over to a domain profile if you use the

http://server/connectcomputer

wizard to join the machine to the domain.

When a user logs on an a roaming profile does nto exist but a local one does, the local copy (of the domain enabled profile) is copied to the server, so you will just need to have each of your users log on FIRST from the PCs that have their profile today. That will get their configuration up on the server.

If you already joined the PCs to the domain without using the connectcomputer wizard you wold need to remove them and join them back to be able to use the wizard to migrate the profiles.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[J741]

Thanks for that info about using

http://server/connectcomputer

however all that did was join the computer and the user's existing profile to the domeain, but did not make the profile into a roaming profile available on other computers. Also, the MIcrosoft Knowledge Base artile you referenced was quite confusing, but a bit more searching and I found KB article #324749 which is a little easier to understand. I'm about to try that now.

- James.


My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[J741]

Well that wasn't so bad. After a small ammount of manual configuration, I now have a working roaming profile. My documents, desktop icons, shortcuts, start menu configuration, and Outlook e-mail configuraiton now go with me to any computer on my network. However, my desktop background image doesn't. Anyone know why not?

- James.


My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[markdmac]

Your background would need to exist on every PC. the file is typically stored in the Windows directory and would not be replicated with a roaming profile.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[J741]

Yes, the backround of choice is one of the defaults available in any Windows XP installation, and the same background image with the same file name in the same relative location exists on all PCs, but if I log in to a PC which I have not accessed previously, the background image is not displayed. I can manually select it again, and It will then be permanent on that PC and all previous PCs on which I have done the same process, but when I go to the next PC which was not previously accessed with my roaming profile, the same situation occurs.

My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[myuserid7]

The wallpaper has to be bmp, not jpg, in order to roam with the user. That's the trick. You can just open it in paint and save as bmp somewhere on the network. I don't know why this is, but it is.

If users are going to be changing wallpaper themselves, I'd suggest applying the group policy "Allow only bitmapped wallpaper". That way they won't be able to select a jpg.

 

[gmail2]

I see you've pretty much got this sorted ... but just thought I'd add one thing. As users start to save files in their My Documents and on the desktop etc - the profile may get quiet large. In our office, we re-directed the user's My Documents and Desktop to the server. Just thought I'd add my $0.02

Irish Poetry - Karen O'Connor
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[J741]

O.K. But by moving the use's profile to the server and configuring it as a roaming profile, then the user's desktop and MyDocuments folder are already on the server, so why re-direct them again? (and How?)

- James.

My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[markdmac]

A roaming profile is very different fro a redirected folder.

A roaming profile does just that, the entire profile is copied locally to each machine the user logs into. If you redirect the desktop or start menu etc, then those folders are actually moved OUT of the profile and exist permanently at a server location.

So with your roaming profile, the users profile & settings would roam with them and inside that roaming profile it would reference the server location for the redirected folders. Your users then point to that folder rather than copy the data locally back and forth with each log on and log off.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[gmail2]

Yea, I think mark explained it there - when a user logs on windows downloads their roaming profile - so the larger the profile the longer it takes. by taking my documents etc out of the profile and redircting them to the server instead, you're escentially just creating shortcuts - so each time the user requests a document from their my docs, they're actually requesting it from the server. You can do the redirection with group policy under user configuartion

Irish Poetry - Karen O'Connor
Get your Irish Poetry Published
Garten und Landschaftsbau