How WinXP Pro deals with Profiles.

[Catdog02 0]

All.

 

I have been tasked to build an XP Pro machine ghost image for a group of low level users. I want to modify the way XP handles profiles when a user logs on. At present, the default profile is the "classic XP" look - Stupid start menu, offensive background and microsoft homepage. I want Vanilla flavoured Windows all round - original Start menu, our Intranet homepage as default and boring blue background. I also want one shortcut to a third party program that is installed. I don't want messenger or Outlook express in quick launch etc.

 

I thought that all I needed to do was create a local admin account, modify the desktop as I saw necessary, log off - take away the admin rights of the account and rename it to Default User.Windows (replacing the original) - That way, when the next new account is created and logged on, the settings are taken from that folder. For some reason, the system keeps reverting to ugly XP settings, leading me to believe there is another folder someplace else than Documents and Settings.

 

Any suggestions?

 

FYI:

 

No Roaming accounts - they are prohibited - this has to be done locally.

 

I want to avoid "exotic" registry hacks if possible

 

Security will be dealt with by a pushed out policy, so rights assignments aren't important.

 

Cheers.

[franzj 0]

There's a "Default User" folder in the <Documents and Settings> directory that is used for new users. I think you could achieve your goal in three steps:

 

Rename "Default User" to something else

-> Make a copy of the profile folder that has your settings (e.g. Administrator)

-> Rename that copy to "Default User"

 

At that point, creating new users should have the desired effect.

 

From,

Francis

[Catdog02 0]

Sorry - I wasn't very accurate in my first post. That is the solution I've already tried. I'm wondering if anyone knows of another folder or file that needs to be renamed.

 

 

Cheers )

[franzj 0]

No, that's actually my fault for not reading the post thoroughly. The trick that you tried and I suggested seemed like THE solution, particularly since "Default User" contains an NTUSER.DAT file.

 

I was about to give you an exotic registry hack, when I found this article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;305709. Don't you just love Microsoft?

 

From,

Francis

[duhmez 0]

After imaging, run newsid.exe from www.sysinternals.com. it will give every post imaged computer a new random sid, plus a new computer name is desired (and usually is when imaging.)

 

Sysprep makes you enter key and or activate again; newsid is 1 000 000 times better.

[madacgrav 0]

Are they logging into a domain upon first boot up. If you have a default user profile setup on the DC in the netlogon folder that will then become the default profile. I did this in a 2k3 environment with 2k client servers. It works for the most part. Anyway check to see if you have something specifed there.

Another thing to try would be to edit the ntuser.dat to ntuser.man. That may force the issue with windows.