Windows Networking Filter
May 5, 2005 3:45 PM Subscribe
I have a LAN with 15 workstations running Windows 2000 Professional.
There is no NT domain.
I have been asked to create one on the Windows 2000 server, but I know from the past that a new profile is created on the workstations when the users log in to the domaion for the first time.
What is the EASIEST way to transfer their old user profile to the new domain user acct in Documents and Settings?-
The goal is to have a seamless transition, whereby they can keep their desktop settings etc.
I have been asked to create one on the Windows 2000 server, but I know from the past that a new profile is created on the workstations when the users log in to the domaion for the first time.
What is the EASIEST way to transfer their old user profile to the new domain user acct in Documents and Settings?-
The goal is to have a seamless transition, whereby they can keep their desktop settings etc.
Best answer: Here's a little trick:
Login on the subject computer in the new domain, as the new domain user, creating, essentially, a blank (but named) profile. Log out, and login as admin (either domain or local).
Open regedit.
Browse to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Profile List.
Expand the Profile List entry so you can see all of the Profiles. They'll have cryptic names like S-1-5-18-132453251etc.
highlight each of them until you find the old user profile (the one you want to use) and the new domain user profile (the one you want the old one copied to.)
Now, double click on the "profile image path" of the old one, and copy the string. Double click on the profile image path of the new one and paste the old one's image path into there.
Exit.
Log in as the new domain user, and you should see all the stuff that the user had before.
You're kind of fooling windows into looking in a different spot for the profile.
Good luck.
posted by gnz2001 at 4:09 PM on May 5, 2005
Login on the subject computer in the new domain, as the new domain user, creating, essentially, a blank (but named) profile. Log out, and login as admin (either domain or local).
Open regedit.
Browse to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Profile List.
Expand the Profile List entry so you can see all of the Profiles. They'll have cryptic names like S-1-5-18-132453251etc.
highlight each of them until you find the old user profile (the one you want to use) and the new domain user profile (the one you want the old one copied to.)
Now, double click on the "profile image path" of the old one, and copy the string. Double click on the profile image path of the new one and paste the old one's image path into there.
Exit.
Log in as the new domain user, and you should see all the stuff that the user had before.
You're kind of fooling windows into looking in a different spot for the profile.
Good luck.
posted by gnz2001 at 4:09 PM on May 5, 2005
if you are going with AD (as I have no idea if it works on an old-style NT4 domain) then MS actually provides a tool to do what gnz2001 said - it copies the profile from an existing user on top of a new one. this (the User State Migration Tool) looks close but isn't it.. you logged in as local admin on the box and then specified the existing account and new account to copy to and it did its thing. definitely set the profile path to a network server too.
posted by mrg at 6:01 PM on May 5, 2005
posted by mrg at 6:01 PM on May 5, 2005
Response by poster: Can I go with gnz2001's suggestion, without having to put the profile on the server?
They can be really big, and I don't have the drivespace.
I'll be trying this Monday....
posted by stevejensen at 9:04 PM on May 5, 2005
They can be really big, and I don't have the drivespace.
I'll be trying this Monday....
posted by stevejensen at 9:04 PM on May 5, 2005
Absolutely. Any filesystem location (that the computer has read/write access to before the user is logged in) is game.
posted by addyct at 11:17 PM on May 5, 2005
posted by addyct at 11:17 PM on May 5, 2005
I'd stay away from roaming profiles unless you have a super dynamic enviroment where users can use any of a dozen machine on any given day. If your organisation is more of the "this is my computer don't even think about sitting here fred" kind of place (and the vast majority of small businesses are like that) your better off with local profiles.
posted by Mitheral at 11:30 AM on May 6, 2005
posted by Mitheral at 11:30 AM on May 6, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
You can set their profile driectory to be in a network location, and then, when they login, no matter which computer on the network they login to, their profile will be intact. This can be done via a group policy, however you'll want to test the permissions before you actually join the workstations to the domain.
posted by stovenator at 4:00 PM on May 5, 2005