Removing write access to My Docs on network share

[jshepherd]

Windows XP creates it’s own stupid folders such ‘My Pictures, My Music & My ebooks’ which when you map My Docs to a shared network resource, becomes very annoying. I have also been asked to stop users creating folders in the network share that My Docs points to.

The only way I know to do this is by removing write permissions on the root folder via the server. This seems to work, but what happens to applications that create temporary files? Does anyone know the implications of this?

Regards,


John

 

[rvnguy]

Those *.TMP files are created locally. This is not a concern on a domain network.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[Diancecht]

So if an application creates some temp files at my docs folder and you point it to a network location, the files will be automatically redirected to the local machine?

A little hard to believe, but could be true.

Anyway, you can configure those applications to point to any local dir.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[tfg13]

Temp files would not be created in "My Documents". They would be created in the local settings\temp folder of the users profile.
Are you in a win2k3 domain? The reason I ask is you do have the capability to use folder redirection and yes, you can choose which folders to redirect, and which ones not to. Just a thought.

 

[Diancecht]

Humm, I think I didn't explain properly, I was thinking on the data some applications use to place under my docs folder, like images and so on.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[rvnguy]

There is a differing convention if P2P versus a Domain structure.

Need additional information on what you are configured as, and what exactly it is you want to happen

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[linney]

You could move the My Pictures, My Music, or My Videos folders to another location on the users machine before you move the My Documents Folder.

The only temp files I see in the My Documents folder are zero byte files created when a user without access rights attempts, to move to, or create in, a file, in the My Documents folder.

Configuration of the My Documents folder

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310746/en-us?FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

"Folder Redirection" is a Help and Support Center program article.

 

[jshepherd]

I didn’t think my original question would spark so much interest. Assuming, word, excel and other files are located within folders which the user has write access to, then the temp-application files are created there correctly. If you redirect you’re ‘My Docs’ folder to a network share (either manually or via GP’s) all the automatically created folders (My Pics, My Music & eBooks) are also created in the new location – how would windows know that it’s not a local location? – Well it can’t, it’s not clever!

However, by removing write access to the immediate redirected network folder, this seems to suppress those annoyingly stupid folders from being created. I haven’t found any other problems yet in doing this – Yipee! Here’s to a clean and organised shared ‘My Docs’ for all my users (albeit somewhat imposed on them by me!). I’m just surprised that I can’t find a way within Windows directly to turn off the creation of ‘My Pics, My Music & eBooks’.

John
Microsoft is good, but not that good!