Unable to delete local user profile in win2K server...

[Brad Pears]

I am logged on as the administrator to our windows 2000 terminal server. I
have been configuring all our TS users to use a roaming profile - and once I
have copied the existing profile to the new shared profile location, I am
deleting the local one - so that the next time they log on, it will change
to a type of "roaming". This has been working great except for one user. The
"Delete" button remains greyed out.

This user is not currently logged on and has no special privs...

If I try to delete her profile from the documents and settings directory
instead, I get a sharing violation on "usrclass.dat" - The source or
destination file may be in use.

Short of rebooting my server (which is tough to schedule these days) is
there any way I can "unlock" this file so as to be able to delete this
user's local profile??

Until I can get this done, the sysetem will not write profile changes back
to the new shared profilke I have configured for her...

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Mark-Allen Perry]

I've had this problem many times on client computers and the best way has been to reboot (yeah, I know...), log on locally as local admin and then delete it.

But I've also had pretty good luck logging in as a "local admin", meaning not through TS as an admin. You didn't specify which way you went. Since the machines were on the client site, I used PCAnywhere and was able to delete it.

Maybe someone else has a better way. If so, I would love to know it also.

--
And always try the MS KB first before posting.
The answer is probably already posted.
MS KB: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;KBHOWTO
----
Mark-Allen Perry
ALPHA Systems
Marly, Switzerland
mark-allen_AT_mvps_DOT_org

I am logged on as the administrator to our windows 2000 terminal server. I
have been configuring all our TS users to use a roaming profile - and once I
have copied the existing profile to the new shared profile location, I am
deleting the local one - so that the next time they log on, it will change
to a type of "roaming". This has been working great except for one user. The
"Delete" button remains greyed out.

This user is not currently logged on and has no special privs...

If I try to delete her profile from the documents and settings directory
instead, I get a sharing violation on "usrclass.dat" - The source or
destination file may be in use.

Short of rebooting my server (which is tough to schedule these days) is
there any way I can "unlock" this file so as to be able to delete this
user's local profile??

Until I can get this done, the sysetem will not write profile changes back
to the new shared profilke I have configured for her...

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Brad Pears]

I was logged on as admin BUT using a TS session NOT the console... I'll try logging on to the console after I reboot later... I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep you posted!

Thanks,

brad
I've had this problem many times on client computers and the best way has been to reboot (yeah, I know...), log on locally as local admin and then delete it.

But I've also had pretty good luck logging in as a "local admin", meaning not through TS as an admin. You didn't specify which way you went. Since the machines were on the client site, I used PCAnywhere and was able to delete it.

Maybe someone else has a better way. If so, I would love to know it also.

--
And always try the MS KB first before posting.
The answer is probably already posted.
MS KB: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;KBHOWTO
----
Mark-Allen Perry
ALPHA Systems
Marly, Switzerland
mark-allen_AT_mvps_DOT_org

I am logged on as the administrator to our windows 2000 terminal server. I
have been configuring all our TS users to use a roaming profile - and once I
have copied the existing profile to the new shared profile location, I am
deleting the local one - so that the next time they log on, it will change
to a type of "roaming". This has been working great except for one user. The
"Delete" button remains greyed out.

This user is not currently logged on and has no special privs...

If I try to delete her profile from the documents and settings directory
instead, I get a sharing violation on "usrclass.dat" - The source or
destination file may be in use.

Short of rebooting my server (which is tough to schedule these days) is
there any way I can "unlock" this file so as to be able to delete this
user's local profile??

Until I can get this done, the sysetem will not write profile changes back
to the new shared profilke I have configured for her...

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Jay Scovill]

Brad,

Not sure I'm totally understanding what you are trying to do but I thought
I'd throw this out there.

Keep in mind that when a user logs onto a terminal server a copy of their
roaming profile is always copied locally to the terminal server they are
logging onto. All operations on their profile will be made locally. When
the user logs off their profile will be copied back to the network location
you specified in their account properties.

You can enable an option to have the terminal server delete the local copy
of their profile when they logoff. This saves diskspace and is just good
house keeping. However, sometimes this fails because some programs don't
always let go of files in the user profile and prevent them from being
copied back. Anti-virus programs are renowned for this.

There is a program that you can install on the Terminal Server that
monitors for threads that do this and force their release of the files.

It's called the User Profile Hive Cleanup Tool

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1b286e6d-8912-
4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en