Offline Files: Make Available Offline checked but dim/disabled

[Guest]

My notebook is running WinXP and has Offline files enabled. My Documents points to a network share that is set for "Automatic caching for documents" on the server side. The server's policys regarding Offline Files are all set to "unconfigured".

At one time I had pinned (checked Make Available Offline) the entire My Documents folder. That folder, and all of the folders beneath it now have "Make Available Offline" checked, but the menu item is "dim", so I cannot uncheck it.

I would like to unpin this rather large folder, so that automatic caching can take over.

I have tried:
- Disabling Offline Files on the notebook, then turning it back on.
- Emptying the cache with the Delete Files button in the Offline Files property tab.
- Re-initializing the Offline Cache with the ctrl-shift-Click Delete Files trick described in the MS KB article 230738.
- Various combinations of the above while connected and not connected to the network

No matter what I do, when I connect to the network and turn on Offline Files on the notebook, the offline cache immediately starts to gather files marked "always available" from the My Documents folder and the checked, dimmed "Make Available Offline" option returns. I have resorted to turning off Offline Files completely on the notebook.

How can I fix this? Where is the pinning information stored? Clearly the system "remembers" that the My Documents folder was once pinned, but how do I make it "forget".

Thanks in advance for any guidance,
TomC

 

[Guest]

Well, since no one else has any ideas...

I finally found the answer to this problem on tech-forums.net. Here's the URL:

http://www.tech-forums.net/computer/topic/3435.html

It references a Microsoft KB article 304624:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304624

The problem is that Windows XP automatically caches redirected folders. So if your DC has ever redirected your "My Documents" folder (or Application Data or Desktop or Start Menu), you may see this effect. In order to undo this behavior, you have to disable a local policy on your XP machine using MMC. Here's the cookbook outline:

Click Start > Run
Enter "mmc"
Click OK (a blank MMC console starts, probably named Console1)
Click File > Add/Remove snap-in...
Click Add (Add Standalone Snap-in appears)
Select Group Policy from the list
Click Add (Select Group Policy appears)
Click Finish (take the defaults)
Click Close
Click OK
Expand Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files
Double-click "Do not automatically make redirected folders available offline"
Select Enabled
Click OK
Click File > Exit (you don't have to save the console, if it asks)
Reboot

You should now be able to pin and unpin files/folders at will.

Hope this helps,
TomC