Problems with roaming profiles and passwords 1

[dignick]

I have set up roaming profiles in my home network which have been working fine for quite a while. It's tempremental and fussy but it does work.
Recently I reinstalled windows XP on the main computer that has the profiles stored on it, and set everything back up. Roaming profiles worked fine again. In this setting up process, I also converted everybody's outlook express accounts into outlook 2003 accounts, so now everyone uses outlook. I set up passwords in outlook and also for msn messenger. The main computer remembered all of these passwords after logging off and on again.
However, if I log onto a different computer which uses a roaming profile from the main computer, it forgets all passwords (msn messenger, outlook). If I then log off that computer, and log back into the main computer; it has now forgotten all passwords too.
Basically I can set passwords on each individual machine and it will remember them until I use the other one.
Can anyone think of a way to fix this? I'm sure it didn't do it before.
Thanks

 

[wolluf]

Recently I reinstalled windows XP on the main computer that has the profiles stored on it

Roaming profiles are a feature of a domain - with NT, 2k or 2k3 server - not XP (unless its a client machine of course). So what exactly have you set up - can't really advise until that's clear.

 

[dignick]

I just shared the root of each profile, eg c:\documents and settings\User and then set the other computers to use that share path as it's roaming profile path.

 

[needcoffee]

These settings are usually pushed down via AD and/or the network login script to the machine and loaded properly into registry. Since you do not have a DC you would need to tweak a login script to do this. Your script would need to take into account the different OS and app packages you have on each machine. Take a look at

http://kixtart.org

if you have never built login scripts before.

needcoffee

 

[dignick]

But outlook remembers the email account and its details; it is using a data store directly from the main computer. It just doesn't keep the password. Is the password not kept in the data store? If it is in the registry, the registry is maintained when using roaming profiles (it keeps theme settings etc), so how are these settings different?
Also, outlook express kept passwords fine; I'm not sure if this is an outlook issue (I don't think it is as it effects msn messenger too) but surely it shouldn't be any different? I'm fairly sure msn messenger remembered passwords before through roaming profiles and now it doesn't even when I set up a .net account in user accounts.

 

[linney]

Save password setting not retained in Outlook or Outlook Express

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290684/en-us?FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_oe_passwords.htm

 

[wolluf]

I just shared the root of each profile, eg c:\documents and settings\User and then set the other computers to use that share path as it's roaming profile path.

Do you mean that on each computer, you've manually set each user to use the profile stored on the main ('server') computer - by putting its UNC address in the profile path in the user settings? If true, surely the profile just sits on the 'server' machine - there's no mechanism for it to 'roam' - ie, its not downloaded to the 'client' machine. Though I still agree, you'd expect passwords to be saved, in the same way as they would be for local profile on the same machine. You have got all the permissions ok - so users have all got full permissions to everything in the profile (and the share for the profiles)?

 

[dignick]

Linney - already tried that with no success. It remembers the passwords on each computer until you use the other one.

Wolluf - that is true, but windows automatically copies the profile down to the 'client' computers (however starting from an empty profile very often it won't do it completely). All profiles are administrators (I know this is not very secure but it doesn't maintain theme settings unless it is set to this) and any permissions will be default as I havn't changed anything. It would be good if you could just give me some places that i can check permission settings?

 

[wolluf]

XP Pro with simplified sharing disabled, ntfs filestore. The properties for each folder should have a security and sharing tab. Security tab gives list of users/groups which have access to that folder (or file/drive), with level of permissions. Advanced button gives you more detailed info (like if permissions inherited from higher folder & if the apply to just folder, or include subfolders etc) & more detailed editing.

The sharing tab will have a drop down box (if > 1 share set up). For each share the permissions button will let you see similar user access levels to security (less options).

If you have not disabled simplified sharing, the security tab will not be available in normal mode.

If you have disabled simplified sharing, presumably all the accounts in use on the 'client' machines have a counterpart (same username/password) on the 'server' machine?

 

[dignick]

I have simplified sharing enabled (from microsoft.com: 'With simple file sharing, you can share folders with everyone on your workgroup or network and make folders in your user profile private.' so presumably there should be no problem with permissions?), yes I'm running XP Pro on all PC's. Yes, all 'client' machines have identically named user accounts on the 'server', with no passwords.

 

[dignick]

Have I baffled everyone?

 

[wolluf]

Start machines in safe mode to check security settings.

Did you have no passwords when it worked? (I ask, as absence of passwords can cause problems with network access - would be better if all the accounts had (same?) password - but that they do have one).

(sorry no reply - been away a few days).

 

[linney]

If you type Control Userpasswords2 in Start Run, in the resulting window, under the Advanced tab, you have a button for Manage Passwords.

Can you do anything in there? Sorry for the vagueness.

 

[dignick]

Thanks for your continuing help guys.
Wolluf - I have never used any passwords.
Check what settings in safe mode?

Linney - I have played with the network passwords before, but I'm not quite sure what I could put in the boxes, I think it is more for using across the internet. I have tried to set up a .net passport but this doesn't transfer with the profile either and again I'm pretty sure it used to.

I have tried:
*turning on verbose logon status messages which has not helped yet
*removing local settings from roaming profile exclusions in the ntuser.ini file in the profile I am testing with, and this has not helped either
*had a look around in group policy editor, but I couldn't find anything relevant.
*(focussing on msn messenger because if that works presumably outlook will too) interestingly I found that the credentials still exist in the registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\Creds) on client machines but it appears they are not used.
*I cannot find any other relevant entries in the registry, but I may be missing something
*DisableDomainCreds is set to 0 on all machines (

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/1286/)

*I cannot find any (raw) credentials in profile\application data\microsoft\msn messenger or profile\local settings\application data\microsoft, but there is some numerically named folders (containing display pictures, emoticons etc) I have found that the registry on a 'client' has references to (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\PerPassportSettings), and these registry keys on the client contain settings relating to the msn profiles as well.
*There is a key called SQM (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\SQM) with a number in that refers to the numerically named folder of what should be the main msn account.

Sorry if that was confusing.


This is pretty strange because it doesn't work on either computer and I'm not sure what the problem could be at all on the 'server' computer. Everything seems to be in place too, I'm not sure what is breaking it.
Thanks again.

 

[dignick]

Small update - When a msn login is saved, in the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\PerPassportSettings two binary values are stored, 'LastMemberName' and 'DefaultMemberName'. These binary values are actually the login email address for the user. However, when I log onto a different machine, 'LastMemberName' is maintained but 'DefaultMemberName' becomes 00 00, loosing the data. Now I just have to figure out why this happens...

 

[linney]

Are any of the Event Viewers showing any errors, especially the Security log?

 

[dignick]

Hmm, I checked the event log and there was nothing under security and nothing of interest under system, but there were some interesting bits under application.
I googled one of the errors I got and it came up with this:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=842007

This article is supposed to apply to only server 2003 and 2000, but I tried the command and it still worked. It may have actually made everything work but I can't check right now as the other computers are in use, but I had some success with MSN logging in. I'll play around tommorrow and see if I can get any further, but good idea linney.

 

[wolluf]

dignick - hope you're sorted - but I meant check the security settings in safe mode (as with simplified sharing enabled, security tab doesn't appear in normal mode on properties for drives. folders etc) - or just turn it off temporarily in normal mode.

If its registry settings not saving - could it be security settings on registry keys? - check the permissions in regedit.

 

[dignick]

Well, I was sadly mistaken as it still doesn't work.
Since my last post I tried:
*What wolluf said, I changed a few bits but it didnt make any difference
*Creating a new user account and testing that, it still doesn't work, which is very odd.

Now in some profiles outlook remembers passwords on the 'client' machines but not on the 'server'???

All this is very random behaviour and its quite confusing. It's also a lot of work testing because if I log onto the 'server' and then log off, it doesn't log off properly (meaning microsofts new user hive cleanup service doesn't work properly) so then it won't log on properly on a 'client' until I restart the 'server' which due to another persistant problem takes some time. This is why I thought it had worked last night; it had not retrieved the roaming profile properly on a 'client'.

I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle here