best practise to clone a user profile folder

[OM]

Hi,

Can someone advice me what is the best approach to clone a user profile
folder within a Windows XP Pro machine?

I have been seeing different behaviors when I tried using the copy
profile feature within the system properties. Sometimes, the profile
that I tried to copy from doesn't include the my document folder.
However, when I changed the domain membership around, e.g. disjoin from
the domain, the profile folder might include the my documents folder
again. And I always try rebooting the machine before I do my profile copy.

Is it true that the copy profile function doesn't copy the local
settings folder? Should I just copy the profile folder and overwrite the
one the I would like to use with the old profile?

I see many reference about copying user profile, but there doesn't seem
to be a consistent way.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Hi,

Can someone advice me what is the best approach to clone a user
profile folder within a Windows XP Pro machine?

I have been seeing different behaviors when I tried using the copy
profile feature within the system properties. Sometimes, the profile
that I tried to copy from doesn't include the my document folder.
However, when I changed the domain membership around, e.g. disjoin
from the domain, the profile folder might include the my documents
folder again. And I always try rebooting the machine before I do my
profile copy.
Is it true that the copy profile function doesn't copy the local
settings folder? Should I just copy the profile folder and overwrite
the one the I would like to use with the old profile?

I see many reference about copying user profile, but there doesn't
seem to be a consistent way.

Thanks in advance.

Since you've got a domain, what exactly is it you're trying to do? It would
really help if you could explain your goal here.

 

[OM]

What I would like to achieve is to migrate the user profiles for our
non-domain PC users to their newly created domain user accounts and I
will delegate this task to an OU administrator. I am trying to test the
profile migration procedure before I can hand down the task to the admin..

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

What I would like to achieve is to migrate the user profiles for our
non-domain PC users to their newly created domain user accounts and I
will delegate this task to an OU administrator. I am trying to test
the profile migration procedure before I can hand down the task to
the admin..

Try this:

Log in as the new domain user once; log out
Log in as an domain account with admin rights (but *not* the new domain
user)
Go to control panel, system, advanced....in User Profiles, click the
Settings button
Select the old local user's profile, click on Copy To, and browse to the new
domain user's c:\documents and settings\username folder.
Click OK.
Click the Change button in Permitted to use and select the domain\username
account you just copied

Close out.

Log in as the domain user and make sure the settings look right.

 

[OM]

I tried this already. As I mentioned, the my documents folder didn't get
copy as part of the profile. I disjoined the machine from the domain and
setup few testing local account and it seems to be working (able to copy
the my documents folder). I then rejoined the machine and it was also
copying the my documents folder. The problem is I cannot see a
consistent way to duplicate the same problem.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

I tried this already. As I mentioned, the my documents folder didn't
get copy as part of the profile.

Move that folder out elsewhere first....you really don't want to have My
Documents as part of the profile. You should be able to do this with a
script/batch file(robocopy, etc). And use folder redirection for the users
when they're on the domain.

I disjoined the machine from the
domain and setup few testing local account and it seems to be working
(able to copy the my documents folder). I then rejoined the machine
and it was also copying the my documents folder. The problem is I
cannot see a consistent way to duplicate the same problem.

What I would like to achieve is to migrate the user profiles for our
non-domain PC users to their newly created domain user accounts and
I will delegate this task to an OU administrator. I am trying to
test the profile migration procedure before I can hand down the
task to the admin..

Try this:

Log in as the new domain user once; log out
Log in as an domain account with admin rights (but *not* the new
domain user)
Go to control panel, system, advanced....in User Profiles, click the
Settings button
Select the old local user's profile, click on Copy To, and browse to
the new domain user's c:\documents and settings\username folder.
Click OK.
Click the Change button in Permitted to use and select the
domain\username account you just copied

Close out.

Log in as the domain user and make sure the settings look right.

Lanwench [MVP - Exchange] wrote:
Hi,

Can someone advice me what is the best approach to clone a user
profile folder within a Windows XP Pro machine?

I have been seeing different behaviors when I tried using the copy
profile feature within the system properties. Sometimes, the
profile that I tried to copy from doesn't include the my document
folder. However, when I changed the domain membership around,
e.g. disjoin from the domain, the profile folder might include
the my documents folder again. And I always try rebooting the
machine before I do my profile copy.
Is it true that the copy profile function doesn't copy the local
settings folder? Should I just copy the profile folder and
overwrite the one the I would like to use with the old profile?

I see many reference about copying user profile, but there doesn't
seem to be a consistent way.

Thanks in advance.
Since you've got a domain, what exactly is it you're trying to do?
It would really help if you could explain your goal here.